Chapter 114 The Great Victim
"Lisa, did you have to hit that hard?" David clutched half his face, glaring at Lisa.
In all his years, no one had ever laid a hand on him. Lisa was the first.
"David, are you okay?" Helen rushed over with fake concern, carefully examining the side of his face that had been struck.
"I wasn't trying to hit you! Why'd you jump in the way? Serves you right!" Lisa still had attitude despite everything.
David pulled Quinley close, his arm around her shoulders. "Quinny is my fiancée. You think you can hit her? Did I give you permission?"
His voice rose. "Lisa, I'm warning you—if you disrespect Quinny again, I'll kick you out of the Brown family myself."
David's protection made Lisa feel more wronged than ever. Tears streamed down her face. "What gives you the right to kick me out? I'm a Brown too! She's nothing—just someone else's castoff!"
Before Lisa could finish, Quinley's hand connected with her face again.
"Ms. Brown, slander is a crime."
"That's my girl!" David actually started clapping. He grabbed Quinley's hand, examining each finger carefully. "Quinny, does it hurt? Let me rub it for you."
Lisa looked ready to explode on the spot. All three of Quinley's slaps had landed on the same side of her face, which was now red and swollen, making her look ridiculous.
"Helen, aren't you going to say something?" Lisa demanded.
David only had eyes for Quinley, like he was deliberately showing off their relationship in front of his sister. Being the favorite really knew how to twist the knife. Lisa was furious. She was clearly the victim here—so how had she ended up being painted as the bully?
She tried to drag Helen into it to back her up, but while Helen was fine stirring the pot, when it mattered, she preferred to stay safely on the sidelines. Helen understood perfectly well that David was the only male heir of the Brown family. From the moment he was born, his life had been different from theirs.
They shared the same blood, but their fates were worlds apart. He could do whatever he wanted, be as selfish as he pleased. He monopolized their parents' love and would inherit everything the Brown family owned. And them? They were just tools for the Brown family to trade for connections and advantages.
Both sisters were well past marriageable age, but without George's approval, they couldn't date freely. Happiness, for them, was an impossible dream.
Lisa had a rebellious streak. Their parents' favoritism had bred resentment in her over the years, which had morphed into her sarcastic manner of speaking and growing disdain for David.
She'd been going head-to-head with David for years now. Those involved couldn't see clearly, but Helen, watching from the outside, saw it all—Lisa had never gained any ground. Since it was a losing battle, why should she wade into these messy waters?
"Lisa, didn't you say you wanted to buy that bag you were eyeing last time? Let's go." She grabbed Lisa's arm to leave.
Lisa shook her off violently. "Helen, why are you such a coward?"
Quinley laughed coldly to herself. Helen was just playing a role—how could you call that being a coward?
"David, Quinley, I'm so sorry about all this. Let me go check on Lisa. Once she's calmed down, I'll bring her back to apologize." Helen's face was the picture of remorse, her attitude seemingly sincere. She hurried after Lisa.
"Lisa is like my arch-nemesis. I wish she was more like Helen—at least Helen's nice to me." David sighed dramatically.
Quinley didn't know if he was deliberately playing dumb or genuinely clueless. But these were Brown family matters, nothing to do with her, so she chose to stay silent.
"What brings you here anyway?" Quinley pushed David's hand away, putting some distance between them.
"I was meeting a friend to talk business. Didn't expect to catch Lisa giving you a hard time. Quinny, I'm sorry you had to deal with all that."
David's words came smooth as butter. These sweet nothings rolled off his tongue effortlessly.
"I'm fine. Besides, I got my licks in too."
"Good. She deserved it." David was quick to agree.
Before he'd even finished speaking, his phone rang. David pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and declined the call. But when he looked back up at Quinley, his expression seemed off for just a second.
"Quinny, sorry, but I can't hang out today. The person I'm meeting just arrived—I gotta run."
"Go ahead. I'll head home once I'm done shopping."
David walked Quinley all the way to the mall exit. The moment he hurried back inside, Quinley followed.
She couldn't quite explain why, but something about David felt off. She kept her distance as he walked ahead, talking on his phone, completely oblivious to her tailing him.
On the restaurant level, David walked straight into a well-known establishment. Quinley hesitated, debating whether to follow, when a server suddenly appeared behind her with a menu.
"Miss, we're having a grand opening sale—twelve percent off today. Come try our food!"
Quinley hadn't planned on eating lunch out, but when she noticed this new restaurant directly faced the entrance to David's location, she didn't hesitate.
"I'd like a window seat, please."
Since it was a new opening, there weren't many customers. The server enthusiastically led Quinley to a corner table. The spot was perfectly concealed—through the glass, she could see everything outside, but no one could easily spot her.
She ordered a few simple dishes but barely touched them.
About an hour and a half later, David emerged from the restaurant. And with him was Alicia.
Quinley knew they were acquainted, but she hadn't realized David and Alicia were this friendly. Alicia wore a ladylike apricot-colored dress. As she walked, she scooped ice cream from a cup. David said something that made her laugh.
Suddenly, his hand reached toward Alicia's mouth, naturally wiping away a smudge of cream. Alicia didn't pull away. Instead, she tilted her chin up slightly, seeming to enjoy his attention.
They looked so natural together. But Quinley was shocked. David was a player, but he didn't usually get emotionally attached. Of course, he wasn't exactly a nice guy either. But his relationship with Alicia made her wonder.
Quinley's mind became a tangled mess. Everyone she'd gotten involved with—whether Zachary or David—was incredibly complicated. But she'd underestimated just how complicated they were.
Before she'd fully processed what she'd seen, David's call came through. Quinley didn't hesitate—she hit decline. But David called again. This time, she answered.
"Quinny, are you home yet? I just finished up. Can I come see you?"
His end of the line was quiet. He seemed to be driving.
"I'm not home."
Quinley gripped her phone, trying to make her voice sound as normal as possible. Zachary had secrets. David had secrets. And all these secrets made her deeply uneasy.
In that moment, Quinley wished she had some kind of superpower that would let her vanish from these people's lives in an instant.
"Where are you? I'll come get you."
David pressed.
This time, Quinley lied. "I'm having dinner with an old classmate. Don't worry about me—I might be really late."
"Alright, just text me when you're done."
David's attentiveness would have made most women happy and touched. But Quinley never had been.
She sat in the restaurant a while longer. She'd originally come to buy Marlee a gift but left empty-handed.
When she finally returned to the Elikin family home, troubled and distracted, she opened the door to find an unexpected sight—a strange woman in the house.