Chapter 115 Five Hundred Thousand Dollars
"Quinley, hi. I'm Lucy, Denny's girlfriend. Nice to meet you." The strange woman extended her hand toward Quinley.
She wore revealing clothes and heavy makeup. Her bleached hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and her tight tank top showed off an impressive amount of cleavage.
Quinley had dealt with all kinds of people. Her instincts told her immediately—something was off about this woman.
"Sorry, don't know you." Quinley didn't respond to the handshake. She said it coldly and headed straight for Marlee's bedroom.
The door was shut tight. Inside, she could hear muffled sobbing.
"Mom, it's me." Quinley knocked. After a moment, the door opened. Marlee appeared, eyes red-rimmed.
Inside the bedroom, Colin was propped against the headboard, his face terrifyingly dark. Dennis stood by the window, hands shoved in his pockets, defiance written all over him.
Quinley entered. Marlee moved to lock the door behind her, but Quinley shook her head.
"Dennis, what's the deal with that woman out there?" Quinley asked without sugar-coating it.
Since their unpleasant encounter at the hospital, Dennis hadn't contacted Quinley for nearly a month. She'd sent him messages—he hadn't replied to a single one. She'd transferred his living expenses twice—he'd taken the money, though.
"It is what it is." Dennis answered lazily.
Marlee covered her mouth, continuously wiping away tears. "Quinny, please talk some sense into your brother. He's lost his mind—he actually wants to marry that woman."
At this news, Quinley felt like her head was about to explode.
"You little punk!" Colin's hand shook as he pointed, his face turning iron-gray with rage. It took him forever to even get those words out.
"Denny, come outside with me." Quinley's expression darkened.
Dennis had always been obedient and sensible, never causing trouble at home. The loan shark incident—Quinley had chalked it up to a momentary lapse in judgment. But she never imagined he'd get even more reckless.
Dennis didn't move. He glanced sideways at Quinley. "I've already decided. I'm marrying her. Doesn't matter who objects."
Marlee's anger flared. She raised her hand to strike Dennis but couldn't bring herself to actually hit him.
Quinley stepped forward and grabbed Dennis's arm, dragging him toward the door. "You want to get married? Then come out here and explain yourself. You're a grown man hiding in your parents' bedroom while the woman you supposedly want to marry is out there alone. What kind of man does that?"
She knew exactly how to provoke him. Sure enough, it worked like a charm. Dennis stormed out of the room, all fired up.
The moment he emerged, Lucy rushed over. "Baby." She puckered her lips, calling to him affectionately. Her hands clung tightly to Dennis's arm as she wrapped herself around him like a vine, practically hanging off him.
"Sit down. I have questions." Quinley's tone left no room for argument.
Colin and Marlee didn't know how to handle this. They chose to avoid it. But Quinley couldn't.
Whatever comes, you deal with it. Any problem could be solved with the right approach.
"Let's sit, baby." Lucy practically dragged Dennis onto the couch. The two of them pressed together like conjoined twins, refusing to separate even an inch.
"Dennis, I'm asking you—have you really thought this through? Marrying her?" Quinley asked again, her voice firm.
Dennis was only a sophomore in college. He hadn't finished his education, wasn't legally old enough to marry, and his maturity level was nowhere near ready. Quinley couldn't understand why he'd suddenly make such a decision.
And the woman he wanted to marry? Quinley couldn't stand to look at her for more than a second. She reeked of a certain lifestyle—completely wrong for Dennis.
She was as disappointed as Marlee, but she forced herself to stay calm, to listen to Dennis's reasoning, to respect his choice.
"Denny, didn't you say you'd only love me for the rest of your life? Tell them! Say it!" Dennis sat there stone-faced, silent. Lucy panicked, shoving at his arm repeatedly, urging him to speak.
After what felt like forever, Dennis finally opened his mouth. "Yes. I've thought it through." He said it like he was being stubborn just for the sake of it.
"Good." Quinley's eyes dimmed. The little brother she'd grown up with suddenly felt like a stranger.
"Since you're decided on marriage, how exactly are you planning to do this?"
This question was harmless enough, but it brought out the most crucial information. Dennis stayed silent. Lucy jumped in.
"Denny said we'll have the wedding first, then get the marriage certificate once he's legally old enough. As for the bride price, back home it usually starts at a hundred thousand dollars. I'm an only child, so add at least another fifty grand on top of that."
"As for housing, Denny doesn't have a job right now, so we can live here temporarily. I won't live with in-laws though, so uncle and auntie will have to move out. Oh, and I've already picked out where we'll do our wedding photos and honeymoon—not too expensive, another fifty grand should cover it..."
Lucy's mouth just kept going. Her eyes sparkled with pink bubbles of fantasy while Quinley's heart burned like a volcano ready to erupt.
"Stop." Before Lucy could finish, Quinley cut her off.
"Dennis, I'm only asking you two questions. First, where's the money for this wedding coming from? Second, this house belongs to Mom and Dad—are you really planning to kick them out?"
"Quinley, don't misunderstand..." Lucy tried to interrupt.
Quinley shot her a cold glare that shut her up immediately. "You be quiet. I wasn't asking you."
Lucy pouted but went silent, though she kept subtly shaking Dennis's arm.
After a long pause, Dennis stood up impatiently. "I'll borrow the money myself and pay it back after I graduate and get a job. Mom and Dad still have that house back in the countryside, right? They can move back there temporarily. Once I buy a place, they can move back."
He said it like it was perfectly reasonable. Quinley listened, fury building in her chest.
"Where are you going to borrow it from? Another loan shark? Dennis, have you forgotten what happened before?" Quinley lost control of her emotions. Her voice shot up several decibels.
"Enough! That's in the past. You keep bringing it up just to remind me you paid that money, right? I'll pay you back eventually."
Dennis exploded too.
In the bedroom, Colin pounded the mattress in frustration while Marlee sobbed loudly. Dennis was pinning all his hopes on "eventually," as if the moment he graduated college, money would just be lying around waiting for him to pick up.
"If you haven't thought this through, don't get married yet." Quinley made her position clear.
Dennis stormed toward the door. "I'm getting married no matter what."
As he left, Lucy immediately chased after him in her stiletto heels, wobbling as she went.
"Denny and I set the date for the fifth of next month. Make sure you have the money ready, and clear out the house early, okay?" Lucy called out from the doorway before scampering off.
The house fell silent again, but everyone's mind was a churning mess.
Quinley went back into Marlee's bedroom. Colin's eyes were red-rimmed. Marlee was a tear-stained wreck.
"Worthless kid." Colin muttered bitterly.
"Mom, please don't cry." Quinley sat beside Marlee, putting an arm around her shoulders for comfort.
"Quinny, what are we going to do? After your father's illness, we have nothing left. Where can we possibly borrow that kind of money?"
"Mom, don't panic. Maybe Denny's just being impulsive. I'll go to his school later and have a real talk with him." Quinley tried to reassure her.
That evening, she went to Dennis's school. He wasn't in his dorm. She waited until late at night before he finally showed up.
The moment Dennis saw Quinley, he turned to leave. Quinley immediately chased after him.
"Denny, what's going on? Why this sudden decision to get married?"
"Why can't I get married?" Dennis was full of attitude, looking down at Quinley as he yelled.
"You're so young—how can you get married? Do you have any idea what's happening at home? Dennis, you can be selfish, but don't drag Mom and Dad into it."
Quinley's anger rose too.
Dennis laughed coldly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her. "You can get married, so why can't I? And I didn't say I'd take their money for free—I'll pay them back once I'm working. Besides, I'm their son. When a son gets married, isn't it natural for parents to help? That's just how it works."
He'd changed. He'd completely become someone Quinley didn't recognize. People who only receive love learn to take, not to be grateful.
Quinley was so angry she couldn't speak. But Dennis's next words knocked her completely sideways.
"Quinley, I'm not asking you for money, so quit acting all concerned. Mom already transferred me the wedding money—a whole five hundred grand!"
Quinley was stunned. Colin and Marlee's finances had been drained completely—there was no way they had that much.
So where did this fifty thousand come from?
Suddenly, a terrible premonition washed over her.
Quinley rushed home to find Marlee already packing things, preparing to move out.
"Mom, what's this about five hundred thousand dollars?"
Marlee's eyes darted away. She seemed to want to hide it. But Quinley stared at her intensely, demanding the truth.
Finally, Marlee spoke.
"I asked Mr. Brown for it. As a bride price."