Chapter 11 Winners Choose
Quinley stared at her phone screen, a bitter smile tugging at her lips.
She had been the one insisting on separation. Why would Zachary give her another chance now?
Percy caught this fleeting expression.
"Stood up, were you?" he taunted, his bulky frame slouching against the booth.
He draped one arm over the adjacent chair, drumming his stubby fingers against the wooden back, every tap exuding smug satisfaction.
With her attempt at help thwarted, Quinley had no choice but to face this alone.
"BBQ is rather monotonous, Mr. Thomas. Let's liven things up with some drinking games!" she suggested boldly.
This wasn't her usual style. Zachary moved in elite circles, and at his side, Quinley had always maintained a certain standard.
Whether accompanying him to construction sites or high-end galas, she remained unfailingly elegant and composed, complementing him perfectly.
But tonight was different. Percy lacked both class and boundaries. Dealing with such a person required abandoning propriety.
"You know how to play?" Percy sneered, his eyes glinting like a wolf sizing up its prey.
"Not really, but you could teach me. Practice makes perfect," Quinley replied with exaggerated sweetness.
Fleecing the naive was Percy's specialty. Men like him, small-minded and power-hungry, delighted in humiliating others when given the chance. And since Quinley had insulted him, he was eager for revenge.
Her apparent willingness to be victimized was too tempting to resist.
"Don't blame me for taking advantage of a woman if you lose," he warned, his grin widening.
With a nod to his companions, a case of beer promptly appeared at their table.
Quinley wrinkled her nose. "Beer, Mr. Thomas? How boring. It's just expensive urine."
Her voice was soft, but her tone deliberately provocative.
Percy's face hardened. "What are you waiting for? Get the hard stuff," he barked at his men.
Soon, a bottle of whiskey appeared, labeled 110 proof.
Quinley had tried such potent liquor once before. It had burned her throat raw.
"This is too harsh. Let me choose something else," she said, rising from her seat only to be forcefully pushed back down.
Percy slammed his palm on the table. "We drink this," he insisted, brooking no argument.
The game began. Quinley appeared clueless, losing three consecutive rounds.
"Drink!" Percy shouted, his cronies joining the chorus of intimidation.
Quinley lifted her glass, took a small sip, and grimaced dramatically.
"Mr. Thomas, could I rest a moment? This pace is killing me."
She looked up at him with feigned vulnerability.
Percy showed no mercy. "We had an agreement. Winners choose, losers drink."
A crowd had gathered around them. Some spectators disapproved of four men bullying a woman, but no one intervened. Most were simply there for the entertainment.
With apparent resignation, Quinley downed three consecutive glasses.
But after those drinks, her game play transformed remarkably.
"My apologies, Mr. Thomas," she said with a sweet smile as she politely filled his glass.
Initially, Percy remained unfazed. He kept expecting to regain the advantage, but his determination to win only seemed to ensure his continued failure.
"I'm honored by your generosity," Quinley said calmly, maintaining her pleasant demeanor.
Percy had a decent alcohol tolerance, but after fifteen shots of bourbon, his mind began to fog.
"Again!" he demanded, refusing to concede.
"Boss, this woman's got lucky tonight. Let's call it," one of his companions suggested.
Percy responded with a sharp slap across the man's face.
"Shut your fucking mouth! Pour the drinks!"
As he reached for his glass, Quinley intervened.
"Mr. Thomas, excessive drinking is harmful. Perhaps we should end this evening."
Percy's eyes were bloodshot, his competitive nature deaf to reason.
"I'm drinking!" he insisted, cursing as he emptied his glass in one gulp.
Before he could set the glass down, he collapsed.
The crowd dispersed instantly.
His three companions hurriedly carried Percy to the hospital.
Fortunately, his condition was merely alcohol poisoning rather than anything more serious. The doctor administered a sobering injection and recommended overnight observation.
Quinley, ever considerate, volunteered to cover the medical expenses. There was no point in making another enemy when she was planning to leave town anyway.
At two in the morning, Percy regained consciousness, complaining of hunger and demanding porridge—specifically, the oatmeal fruit porridge from Westside Diner.
He directed his anger at Quinley, insisting she fetch it personally.
"Fine, I'll go," she agreed.
After taking a taxi to Westside Diner and purchasing the porridge, Quinley was surprised to spot Peter's car outside the emergency room entrance as she returned.
He drove a modest domestic SUV, unusually understated for an executive of his position.
Most Apex Global Group executives earned seven-figure salaries and drove imported luxury vehicles worth half a million dollars—status symbols befitting their positions.
Peter's choice seemed conspicuously humble by comparison.
Quinley walked casually past the empty vehicle. Its presence at the emergency entrance at this hour seemed odd.
Though prudence suggested avoiding potential complications, Quinley found herself entering the emergency ward instead.
The predawn emergency room was quiet and sparsely populated. The examination rooms were brightly lit but largely unoccupied.
She walked down the corridor, checking each room until she reached the end, where she finally found Peter.
He was dozing in a chair, head propped on one hand, while the other held the hand of a woman in the hospital bed.
The woman appeared young, her profile revealing a face with plump, youthful contours. She wasn't Peter's wife.
Quinley had met his wife at company events. She was Peter's age, forty-seven, reserved but elegant and well-maintained. Their relationship was famously devoted.
They had a daughter who excelled academically and attended a prestigious university.
Peter had seemed the epitome of the perfect family man—dedicated to both career and home life.
Yet now, his carefully cultivated image crumbled before Quinley's eyes.
"Excuse me, miss, who are you looking for?"
A nurse pushing a medication cart approached from behind.
Startled, Quinley held up the porridge container. "Where is Room 1302?"
The nurse pointed toward the opposite wing. Quinley thanked her and hurried away.
When she delivered the porridge to Percy, he was sound asleep, his snores reverberating through the room. He couldn't be roused.
Finding the noise intolerable, Quinley set down the porridge and sought a quieter place to rest.
Her mind was too preoccupied for proper sleep.
As dawn approached, she returned to Peter's room, only to find it empty.
She circled to the service desk and, under the pretense of borrowing something, discreetly examined the patient registry.
The records showed that a woman named Carla Sanders had been admitted the previous night.
Thinking quickly, Quinley purchased a fruit basket from the hospital gift shop and returned to the ward.
The shift had changed, and the new nurse didn't recognize her.
"My friend Carla Sanders came in last night. Which room is she in?" Quinley asked casually.
The nurse checked the system. "Room 1327, but she's already been discharged."
"Discharged?" Quinley feigned surprise. "She told me she needed inpatient treatment."
"After a miscarriage, rest at home is generally sufficient. Hospitalization isn't usually necessary," the nurse explained matter-of-factly.
Quinley masked her reaction perfectly. "Thank you. I'll visit her at home instead."
She hurried away with the fruit basket.
Halfway to the exit, one of Percy's followers intercepted her.
"My boss wants to see you."
Quinley had no interest in dealing with Percy now. She thrust the fruit basket into the man's hands. "Tell Mr. Thomas to rest well. I'll return after work."
With that, she darted away.
It was the morning rush hour, and Serenity Health Center was far from the Apex Global Group Building.
Quinley had no time to go home and change. She arrived disheveled, her appearance uncharacteristically unkempt.
And in this state, she immediately encountered Zachary outside the Apex Global Group Building.