Chapter 57 The Inescapable Misfortune
The next morning, dawn had just broken when Quinley was still curled up asleep on the sofa.
After Marlee finished washing up and came out of the bathroom, she encountered Mrs. Hill with a bruised face. She was hunched over, carrying two boxes of expensive supplements, peering into the room through the doorway.
"What are you doing here again? Get out—" Marlee yanked open the door and waved her towel at Mrs. Hill to drive her away.
After hearing everything Quinley had told her yesterday, her heart ached terribly. It seemed that overnight, the weakness that had accompanied her whole life suddenly disappeared.
"I... I came to apologize to Ms. Elikin." Mrs. Hill refused to leave, dodging Marlee's towel while her eyes darted into the room.
Quinley was awakened by the commotion. Colin on the hospital bed also made grunting sounds when he heard the noise.
"Dad, it's nothing. I'll handle it." Quinley patted Colin's arm reassuringly and straightened up to walk outside.
"Ms. Elikin!" Seeing Quinley emerge, Mrs. Hill dropped to her knees with a thud and began kowtowing repeatedly.
"Please forgive me! I was misled by others' lies and came here to disturb you. I'm guilty, I deserve to die!" She spoke while slapping herself across the face.
"Mom, please go inside." Quinley grabbed Marlee's arm, indicating she should enter the room.
Marlee was worried. "Quinny, let's call the police."
Quinley shook her head. "I'll handle this. Please go inside." Marlee was concerned about Quinley but feared causing trouble, so she obediently went into the room.
Quinley closed the door halfway and leaned against the wall, coldly watching Mrs. Hill's performance without stopping her. She waited until Mrs. Hill had slapped both sides of her face into swollen messes before calling a halt.
"Who put you up to this?" Quinley cut straight to the heart of the matter.
Mrs. Hill hung her head, not daring to look up at Quinley. The question seemed difficult for her to answer.
Quinley didn't give her time to hesitate. She reached for the door handle and said sharply, "You can leave now."
Mrs. Hill panicked immediately. "It was... Mr. Davis."
"He told me you hurt my husband, so I came after you..." Quinley had indeed injured Mike, so Harold's words were factual.
But his real purpose probably wasn't as simple as just telling Mrs. Hill the facts. Quinley's heart sank, though she wasn't shocked at all.
Harold was Alicia's older brother—blood was thicker than water. Him teaching Quinley a lesson for his sister wasn't surprising. Business was like a battlefield, and with Harold and Mike in cahoots, no matter how capable Quinley was, she couldn't protect herself.
"And who told you to come apologize?" Quinley's questions came one after another, each hitting the mark.
Mrs. Hill was stunned. She wanted to speak but didn't dare. Quinley's expression was cold, but her eyes held an oppressive force.
"...Mr. Jennings." Quinley was shocked—she hadn't expected Zachary to intervene.
"You slandered me first, then hurt my parents. If you want my forgiveness, it won't be that easy." Quinley didn't close the door completely.
She understood the principle of showing mercy when possible, but some people, if forgiven too easily, would never learn their lesson. If Mrs. Hill wanted her forgiveness, she'd have to show sincerity.
With enough sincerity, past grievances could be wiped clean. Without it, she was just humiliating herself.
"Ms. Elikin, please forgive me! I know I was wrong, I'll never dare again!" Mrs. Hill kowtowed frantically.
Quinley didn't soften. She turned the door handle and entered the room, leaving Mrs. Hill kneeling outside.
Countless people passed by, all staring at her strangely.
"Isn't that the woman from yesterday?" someone whispered.
Immediately someone reminded them, "Shh—don't say anything. Did you forget what Dr. Brown said yesterday?"
No one gathered to watch. Everyone avoided her like the plague. Mrs. Hill couldn't save face—however arrogant she'd been yesterday, today she was equally humble.
The two boxes of expensive supplements sat on either side of her, looking rather mocking. She regretted this so much her intestines had turned green.
Yesterday after Zachary left, she'd met up with her lover at their usual place. Just as they were getting intimate, Lucas had burst in, taking photos frantically and collecting evidence of her affair.
Her lover had even turned on her, revealing plenty of dirt. She and Mike were still legally married—if this evidence and dirt came to light and they divorced, she wouldn't get a penny.
Lucas said that as long as Quinley forgave her, he'd release the "chains" in his hands. Mrs. Hill thought this would be simple.
Quinley seemed soft-natured—a little groveling and sweet talk would surely make her show mercy. But her wishful thinking fell flat.
Quinley looked fragile but was actually a tough nut to crack. She'd knelt and beaten herself, yet Quinley still wouldn't relent.
Not knowing what else to do, she could only continue kneeling foolishly.
"Quinny, I'll drive her away. She's an eyesore kneeling here." Marlee started to go, but Quinley stopped her.
"Mom, just treat her like air." She wasn't naturally vindictive, but she was doing this to make an example.
Zachary had once said that if anyone looked down on you, nip that contempt in the bud. This time he'd intervened, but what about next time?
Quinley wouldn't be a caged canary. She had to grow strong enough to protect herself and her family.
At noon, Lauren called. "Come back to the office." Her tone was flat and businesslike.
"Alright." Quinley returned to the company and went straight to Lauren's office.
Upon entering, she saw a large stack of cash on Lauren's desk.
"Sit." Lauren didn't stand up, indicating for Quinley to sit in the guest chair.
"This is your commission since joining." Lauren handed Quinley two lists.
One detailed every commission Quinley had earned, totaling 1.3 million. The other was Mike's hospital treatment bill.
He was in a private hospital with exorbitant costs that completely exceeded Quinley's imagination.
"Mike harassing you was wrong, but you used excessive force and nearly killed him. Mr. Davis intervened to negotiate a private settlement—no criminal charges will be filed." Lauren pulled an agreement from her drawer and handed it to Quinley.
In black and white, both parties had signed. The treatment costs clearly stated six million, to be split equally between Quinley and Skyline PR.
"The company will pay this money for you first, then deduct it from your future commissions. If you have no objections, sign here." Lauren handed over a pen.
Quinley hesitated for a moment. Signing this would mean owing Harold four million. With mounting debts, escaping would be even harder.
Lauren continued, "Don't worry. You're capable—earning such high commissions in just over a month. At most half a year and you'll definitely pay it off. Of course, it might not even take half a year, since Mr. Jennings will help you."
There was deeper meaning in Lauren's words. Quinley took the pen and signed without hesitation.
Why avoid inevitable trouble?
"Ms. Morgan is overthinking. Mr. Jennings and I are strangers—why would he help me?"
Lauren smiled. "Not necessarily. I heard he went to see Mr. Davis yesterday, insisting on paying your debts! If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Cortez dropping the charges against you was probably his doing too. Quinley, this Mr. Jennings is really sparing no effort for you!"
Quinley knew nothing of what Lauren mentioned. She was momentarily stunned, nearly unable to recover.
But she quickly calmed down and smiled helplessly. "I was Mr. Jennings' secretary for several years. He cares about face—he's embarrassed that my working in public relations reflects poorly on him!"
The implication was that Zachary wasn't helping her, but protecting himself.