Chapter 151

Chapter 151

Octavius's POV

I sat back in the car and rubbed my eyes, feeling completely exhausted.

The driver glanced at me cautiously. "Mr. Capulet, are you all right?"
I tried to clear my head "I'm fine. Let's head back."

For some reason, as I closed my eyes during the drive, all I could see was Seraphine—holding up that ring, looking at me with such joy and happiness.

But she would probably never know...

Before I could finish the thought, I noticed Quinlan already waiting at the entrance to the building.

She was smiling, waiting for me to step out.
I started to feel annoyed.Just as the driver was about to bring the car to a stop, I gave an order. "Keep driving. Don't stop here. I'm going home."

The driver hesitated and glanced back at me. "But Ms. Powell..."

I cut him off. "Didn't you hear me? I said I'm going home. Is Quinlan more important than my orders?"

The driver fell silent and quickly hit the gas.

I saw Quinlan's expression freeze, her brow furrowing seriously.

She stood there watching our car leave without making a move.

Soon, my phone rang.

It was Quinlan.

I paused before answering.

Quinlan immediately demanded over the phone, "Why? Tell me, Octavius—why didn't you get out? Why did you just drive off?Are you afraid to see me? Or are you getting weak?

I cut her off coldly. "Stay out of my business. Do you not understand? I considered your suggestion—that doesn't mean I have to report every single thing I do to you now."

"But my advice helped you! You can't just ignore that!"Quinlan sounded more and more upset on the phone. "I don't know what you're thinking, but you can't use my plan and then ignore me!"

"You've already gained Seraphine's trust by proposing to her publicly, haven't you? she’s ready to help you look into the Whitaker family now!"

Frustration bubbled over. I asked coldly, "So what? What exactly do you want?"

"What do I want? Or what do you want?" Quinlan let out a cold, mocking laugh. "I gave you that idea so you'd have someone on the inside at the Whitaker family—so you could get to the truth faster. You can't go soft. You can't actually propose to Seraphine for real just because you're using this excuse!"

I'd completely lost patience with Quinlan. "If that's all you called to say, I'm hanging up."

"Wait! I have something serious to tell you!" Quinlan seemed to calm down suddenly, she didn't sound panicked anymore."I've already heard—her father claims he lost his memory and doesn't remember anything from before. Do you really think he actually lost his memory?"

I was silent for a moment. "I don't believe her father truly lost his memory."

Quinlan asked, "Have you considered that Heath using amnesia to dodge responsibility might be an excuse Seraphine helped him come up with?"

"An excuse Seraphine helped him make up?"

I'd never suspected that.

"She's been helping Heath with everything—dealing with Amara. Do you really expect her to personally hand her own father over to the police for investigation? She's not going to side with you completely and abandon the father who raised her just for your sake!"

"You pursued her before and she never wavered. Why would she suddenly like you so much now? Think it through. Even if she has feelings for you now, they can't be that deep—and they're definitely not deep enough for her to give up her father for you!"

Quinlan’s voice grew increasingly shrill with agitation over the line, as if trying to make sure I understood every single word.

The more I thought about it, the more agitated I became.

I really didn't want to doubt her.

The image of Seraphine holding that ring, so happy and content, was still vivid in my mind.

But I couldn't deny one thing.

Seraphine's father was also extremely important to her.

"I'm coming to your place right now. I need to talk to you!" Quinlan hung up abruptly.

My frustration peaked. I suddenly regretted listening to Quinlan in the first place.

I'd taken her advice—asking Seraphine to marry me while her family's company was falling apart—but the truth was, I genuinely wanted to propose.

I didn't want to mix these things together, turning my actions into some manipulation to gain Seraphine's trust.

Investigating the Whitaker family was one thing. But wanting to help Seraphine was real too.

When she bravely decided to donate her bone marrow to me, I knew—she was worth my effort. She was worth doing this for.

But if Seraphine misunderstoodeverything I'd done as a way to use her, what would she think?

I felt like I'd done something I shouldn't have.

I'd made a mistake.

Even more irritated, I instructed the driver once we arrived home. "Stay outside. If Quinlan shows up, don't let her in."

"Understood," the driver replied. "I've got it."

I unlocked the door and stepped inside—only to freeze.

Someone was sitting in my living room.

Quinlan.

I stopped in my tracks, my expression cold. "How did you get in here?"

Quinlan smiled and stood, arching an eyebrow at me. "Last time you entered your passcode, I just happened to remember it.

"I knew you wouldn't want to see me or hear what I had to say. "You've really fallen for Seraphine, haven't you?"
At this point, I didn't want to deny my feelings for Seraphine anymore.

I walked up to Quinlan and warned her seriously. "Investigating her father is one thing. But I genuinely love her. No matter how I choose to get my revenge, it has nothing to do with her. I won't hurt her—and I won't allow you to hurt her either."

Quinlan didn't get angry. Instead, she laughed. "Then tell me—what if Seraphine already knows that your proposal was just an act?"

"What do you mean?" I narrowed my eyes, staring at this woman whose demeanor and tone were clearly off. "Did you tell her?"

"Of course." Quinlan smiled. "I decided long ago—if you weren't just using her, if you were actually serious about proposing, I wouldn't let you two be together!"

She pulled out her phone. "I'm not going to let you just use me and then watch you end up with her. I sent Seraphine the recording of our last conversation. She should have seen it by now."

Quinlan pressed the screen, and immediately a recording from our last meeting began to play—her suggesting I gain Seraphine's trust.

"You just need to appear during their internal crisis and propose to Seraphine. She'll definitely be moved and place her full trust in you. Then won't you be able to win her over and find out the truth?"

Then my voice came through.

"What makes you so sure? That if I do this, she'll definitely help me investigate the truth?"

Quinlan's light laugh followed. "She likes you. Didn't you say so yourself? She was willing to donate bone marrow to you. Your little test of her feelings should end here."

"Seraphine's already fallen for you. Why not take advantage of this opportunity and use her to get the truth?"

Use. Put on an act.

The recording made it sound like I didn't love her and was just using her.
I felt a sudden surge of panic.I was terrified that Seraphine might hear this.

If she truly misunderstood and believed I felt nothing for her, how could I possibly explain?

This was the last thing I wanted!

I immediately turned to leave.

But the moment I opened the door, I saw Seraphine standing outside—though I had no idea how long she'd been there.

She looked at me, her eyes full of sorrow, red-rimmed with tears.