Chapter 221 Ten Years Apart

Chapter 221 Ten Years Apart

Quinn fell silent for a few seconds. His expression relaxed, but his tone was flat. "Yes, I had someone go after Zander."

Eleanor's whole body trembled. Terrence gripped her hand tightly.

"Why?" Eleanor's voice was shaking. "What did my dad ever do to you?"

"He didn't do anything to me." Quinn flicked his cigarette ash, as if discussing business. "But he was in my way. Back then, the Mitchell Group had a project. I wanted that project, and he wouldn't give it to me. So I had Finnian steal the project files, then made the Mitchell Group's cash flow break down."

"Zander figured something was wrong and started investigating me. I couldn't let him keep digging."

Quinn's tone was casual, like he was commenting on something trivial.

"So you killed him." Eleanor clenched her teeth.

"Business is war, Ms. Mitchell." Quinn stared at her, his tone calm and cruel. "Your dad was in this game for so many years—he should've understood that rule."

"You bastard!"

Eleanor tried to rush forward. Terrence grabbed her and pulled her back to his side.

Quinn looked at Terrence. "Mr. Thornton, you brought people here today to break things off with me? Have you thought this through? My power in Gavenport is no less than yours."

Terrence's lips curved slightly. "Quinn, do you think I came here today unprepared?"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was obvious commotion outside.

Floyd pushed the door open. "Mr. Thornton, Quinn's people have been taken control of."

Quinn's face changed dramatically. He shot to his feet.

Terrence looked at him coldly. "Your every move lately has been under my watch. You're not leaving today."

Quinn stared at Terrence for a few seconds, his eyes cold, then sneered. "You think this is the end?"

"Of course not." A voice came from the doorway.

Everyone looked toward the door.

Finnian walked in.

The moment Eleanor saw him, her eyes immediately reddened.

Finnian looked at her. His lips moved, and finally he just called out, "Eleanor."

He turned to Quinn and pulled out a document from inside his jacket. "Quinn, you're finished."

Finnian placed the document on the table and opened it.

Inside were page after page of records—transfer records of Quinn hiring killers, internal documents of illegal experiments at Westmere Sanatorium, detailed accounts of business fraud, and a long list of names of everyone involved in the conspiracy against the Mitchell family.

"I started collecting these things from the day I left the Mitchell family." Finnian's voice was calm. "Ten years. I've been waiting for today."

Quinn stared hard at those documents, his face ashen. "Finnian, are you crazy? You think these things can bring me down?"

"Whether they can bring you down isn't for you to say." Terrence took out his phone. "Floyd, let the police in."

A few minutes later, several police officers walked into the reception room.

The lead officer showed his badge. "Quinn, you're suspected of multiple economic crimes, hiring killers, and illegal experiments. We're placing you under arrest according to law."

The moment the officer put handcuffs on Quinn, Quinn stared hard at Finnian and said through gritted teeth, "You betrayed me for the Mitchell family? What did Zander give you?"

Finnian looked at him and answered word by word, "He gave me a family. That's something you could never give."

The police took Quinn away.

The reception room suddenly became quiet.

Eleanor looked at Finnian. Her lips trembled for a long time before she finally called out the name she'd held in her heart for ten years.

"Finnian."

Finnian felt his chest tighten and his eyes sting, the corners reddening.

He walked over and stopped in front of Eleanor. "Eleanor, I'm sorry for letting you misunderstand all these years."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Eleanor asked through tears.

"If I told you, Quinn would've found out right away. I couldn't let you and your mother get dragged into this." Finnian's voice was hoarse. "I could only leave, could only let you hate me. Only that way would you be safe."

Eleanor threw herself into his arms and broke down crying.

Finnian held her tight, tears silently falling.

Terrence stood to the side, watching this scene, a trace of softness showing in his golden eyes.

Floyd led his people out, leaving the space to these siblings separated for ten years.

After a long while, Eleanor finally stopped crying and pulled back from Finnian's embrace.

"Finnian, what are your plans now?"

Finnian's expression relaxed, showing a faint smile. "The evidence I have is enough to keep Quinn in prison for life. After the case is over, I want to go abroad for a while. I've been too tired these years. I want to rest."

"Will you come back?"

"Of course." Finnian looked out the window. "This is home. I'll definitely come back."

Eleanor nodded and didn't ask more.

Some things didn't need to be said out loud—they both understood.

The day Quinn's case went to court, Eleanor didn't go.

She didn't want to see that person for even one more second.

Terrence went with her to Zander's grave instead.

In front of the headstone was a bouquet of freshly placed lilies—clearly someone had been there.

Eleanor crouched down, looked at Zander's photo on the headstone, and said softly, "Dad, the person who hurt you has been caught. You can rest easy now."

Wind blew through the cemetery. The leaves rustled, as if responding to her.

Terrence crouched down beside her and held her hand. "I'll take good care of Eleanor. Don't worry."

Eleanor leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Sunlight shone down through gaps in the leaves, falling on them both. It was warm.

Quinn was ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment with lifetime deprivation of political rights.

Westmere Sanatorium was shut down, and all the victims inside were rescued.

Everyone involved in the conspiracy against the Mitchell family—not one escaped. All were held accountable.

After the news announced Quinn's arrest, the Rivera family completely collapsed.

Gerald heard the news in the hospital and had a stroke on the spot.

He'd already been bedridden due to paralyzed legs, and this time he couldn't even speak clearly—his mouth drooped, drool constantly flowing out.

When the nurse came in to change his medication, she saw him crying but unable to make a sound, just tears constantly falling.

No one felt sorry for him.

The news about Westmere Sanatorium being shut down also trended online.

Those victims harmed by illegal experiments were finally rescued. When reporters went to interview them, victims' families cried and said, "We've waited too long for this day."

Eleanor was drawing in her studio when she scrolled past this news. She put down her pen, looked out the window, and was silent for a long time.

Terrence walked over and asked what she was thinking about.

"I'm thinking about my dad." She lowered her eyes. "I wish he could've seen this day."

Terrence put his arm around her shoulders. "He can see it."

After the case ended, Finnian didn't go abroad right away. Instead, he first went to Westmere Sanatorium.

He stood at the entrance of the sanatorium, looking at that iron gate he'd once desperately wanted to escape from, and stood there for a long time.

The iron gate had been removed and replaced with an ordinary glass door.

Someone was cleaning in the courtyard. Sunlight fell on the ground. The whole place was bright and clean.

Finnian remembered ten years ago, when he and Ralph were locked up here. Those days were so dark there seemed no end, so cold they made you despair.

He remembered that winter when Ralph had a high fever. He'd held Ralph, huddled in a corner, thinking he would die here.