Chapter 44 Add More
Quinley didn't take it. She was shocked inside but fought to keep her expression calm.
"Still not enough?" Zachary's eyes darkened.
Somehow, Quinley felt like her heart had been pierced by a thorn. The pain spread throughout her entire body.
"Let me add more." Zachary scrawled another check for the same amount.
The temptation was enormous—and deeply insulting. She had sold herself before, but she wasn't some money-obsessed whore.
Quinley stood and pushed Zachary's hand away. "Mr. Jennings, I think you misunderstood. I do love money, but not all money. You're trying to buy me now? Sorry, I'm not for sale anymore."
Money was a wonderful thing. Quinley needed money—desperately. With money, she could pay back Alicia's debt, get Dennis the best doctors, take her family far away where no one could control them.
But this money from Zachary was the one thing she absolutely couldn't take.
Quinley went to the bedroom, changed clothes, grabbed her purse, and left.
Zachary stood frozen for a long time, staring at those enormous checks, his frown deepening. She didn't want his feelings, and she didn't want his money either. What exactly did she want?
Lucas was still waiting in the Maybach when Quinley emerged from the building—but Zachary didn't follow.
"Mr. Jennings, I brought your clothes. Should I bring them up?" Lucas called.
Right now, Zachary felt suffocated. Quinley was like a slippery fish—the more he tried to grasp her, the more she slipped away.
"No need." He hung up and came downstairs with a cold expression, still wearing yesterday's wrinkled clothes.
"Mr. Jennings, should we go to the office or back to Maple Estate?" Lucas asked.
"Did she leave?"
"Ms. Davis left in the middle of the night. I heard she cried for a long time."
Zachary remained unmoved, closing his eyes heavily. As the Maybach pulled away from the apartment complex, Lucas caught a glimpse of a white figure in the rearview mirror, but when he looked again, it had vanished.
Quinley went to work. After a sleepless night, her head was foggy. Zachary had spent the night at her place with his car parked conspicuously downstairs. If Alicia wanted to find out, she easily could.
Dealing with Sylvia's pressure had already drained her energy. Handling Alicia's attacks too—Quinley knew she didn't have that capacity.
She sat at her desk all day, drinking five cups of instant coffee. Her head remained cloudy, but the caffeine made her heart race violently.
Near closing time, her right eyelid kept twitching. She rubbed it, but the twitching wouldn't stop. Then the hospital called.
"Ms. Elikin, your brother suddenly had a brain hemorrhage. He's in the emergency room now. Please come immediately."
Quinley's head buzzed. "Okay, I'll be right there."
As soon as she hung up, Marlee called.
"Quinny..." Marlee could only say her name before breaking into sobs.
Quinley's heart raced—she had no energy to comfort her mother right now.
"Mom, don't cry. What's wrong?"
Marlee couldn't stop crying. "Your... Quinny, your father... he..."
"What about him?" Quinley's heart clenched.
Someone else took Marlee's phone. "Your father collapsed. Come to the hospital quickly."
Without thinking, Quinley grabbed her bag and rushed into Lauren's office. Lauren was on the phone.
"I understand. Don't worry, I'll give you an explanation." Her expression was grim but her tone humble.
"Ms. Morgan, there's a family emergency. I need to take leave immediately to go to the hospital." Quinley's voice carried a note of tears.
She wasn't one to cry easily, but with two family members in the hospital, she was truly panicked.
Lauren looked up at her. "I'm afraid you can't leave right now."
As soon as Lauren finished speaking, two police officers appeared at the door.
"Are you Quinley?" One of them stepped forward.
Quinley was confused. "Yes, I am."
"You're suspected of stealing a company seal. Please come with us to the station for questioning."
"Officers, I think there's been a mistake. I didn't steal any seal." Stealing a company seal was a crime—even with nine lives, Quinley would never do such a thing.
She looked to Lauren for help, but Lauren only sighed heavily.
"Do you remember Mr. Cortez?" Lauren reminded her.
Of course Quinley remembered John. She nodded.
"That day he took you out of Golden Mile Entertainment—everyone saw it. Quinley, our line of work requires professional ethics. Everything we do is to facilitate business partnerships, but we can never break the law."
"Mr. Cortez carries the company seal with him. The night he took you out, it went missing. But the next day, headquarters received a signed agreement with the seal. Mr. Cortez has filed a police report. Quinley, please cooperate with the investigation."
Quinley's foggy mind suddenly cleared. She'd naively thought John's scheme was over, never imagining he'd dug such a deep trap waiting for her.
"I didn't take his seal." Her voice was firm, her expression resolute, her eyes determined.
But no one believed her. Lauren leaned back in her chair, her gaze already turned to the computer screen.
"Let's go," the officer urged.
What will be, will be. Quinley made no further defense, following the two officers out of Lauren's office.
A crowd of onlookers had gathered at the door. "What are you all doing here? Don't you have work to do?" Lauren shouted, and they scattered like startled birds.
In the police car, Quinley had calmed down considerably. Halfway to the station, Marlee called again.
When Quinley didn't answer, Marlee kept calling.
"Officers, my father and brother are hospitalized. May I take my mother's call?"
One officer looked at her suspiciously—she didn't seem to be lying. He took Quinley's phone, pressed answer, and put it on speaker.
"Quinny, where are you? When are you coming?" Marlee had never faced such crises before. She was completely panicked, with Quinley as her only lifeline.
Tears immediately welled up in Quinley's eyes. "Mom, I have something urgent to handle, but I'll come right after. Don't worry—Dad will be fine."
"Quinny, I'm so scared. Your father collapsed from shock when he heard about your brother's accident. If something happens to your father and brother, Quinny, how can I go on living?"
Dennis's hospitalization was something Colin and Marlee had never known about. But now someone had spilled the beans.
Quinley's heart sank. "Who told you?"
"A man. He said your brother is in danger and might die. Oh, I remember now—he said his name was Brown, your brother's attending physician!"
David? A big question mark formed in Quinley's mind. But how would he have the Elikin family's phone number?