Ever since she was found, with her professor parents and the friends she had stolen from Quinn, Rosalie’s life had been smooth sailing. She was good with people, and everyone listened to her. This was the first time things had spiraled out of her control. Chase wasn’t listening, and Quinn was no longer easy to manipulate.
She hung up, needing to think. She couldn’t let up on Julian either. She was so close. She had to find a way to make him confess his feelings for her. Once their relationship was confirmed, she could return to the country.
She already had a plan. Men were competitive by nature. To make them compete, you had to give them a reason.
Rosalie didn’t hesitate. She picked up her phone, typed a message, and sent it to “J.”
In Lakeshore City, Zeke was in Julian’s office. He hadn’t wanted to come near the “ice palace” after the yacht party, but a joint project between their companies had forced him back to the Apex Tower.
After they finished with business, Zeke couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer. He didn’t care about other people’s love lives, but this was Julian. He had always thought Julian was cold and celibate. He had even internally mocked him for not reacting to a beauty like Quinn.
But reality had slapped him in the face. All that “celibacy” was a lie. He was just good at pretending. The colder the exterior, the more turmoil there probably was on the inside.
This only made Zeke more curious.
“So, what’s the deal with you and Quinn?”
Julian’s cool gaze swept over him.
Zeke was a little intimidated, but he was too curious to stop.
“We’re friends. If you can’t talk to me about this, who can you talk to? It’s not good to keep it all bottled up. Besides, if you’re going to pursue her, you might need my help.”
Julian looked down, saying nothing, but his expression softened slightly.
Zeke saw his chance and pressed on.
“So, how did you two meet?”
Julian put the cap back on his pen, his long fingers moving with precision.
“She doesn’t know me.”
Zeke had been prepared for a grand love story. And he got this simple explanation.
What did that even mean? He understood the words, but the sentence made no sense.
“It’s enough that I know her,” Julian explained.
“So, it’s a one-sided crush? You’re in love with her, but she doesn’t know?”
Zeke was still in shock. Any man in the world could have a secret crush, but Julian had everything. Zeke thought he was doing pretty well for himself, but compared to Julian, he was nothing. Julian was taller, better-looking, and came from a more powerful family. A man like Julian having a secret crush? The very thought was absurd.
Zeke wanted to ask more, but Julian looked up, warning, “If you’re this bored, you can go work on that project with Maddox.”
Maddox had already been shipped out of the country. Zeke had no desire to go to that godforsaken place.
“Fine, I won’t ask,” he said. “But what are your plans?”
Julian just gave him a look, saying, “Mind your own business.”
Seeing he wasn’t going to get anything else out of him, Zeke gave up. As he was leaving,
Julian said, “Don’t bother her.”
“She’s your girl. Would I dare?” Zeke said. “But good luck. I’ll be waiting for good news.”
On his way out, Zeke ran into the same assistant from before.
“Julian,” he called out.
Julian quickly put his phone away, replying, “Mr. Croft.”
“It’s late. Still not off work?” Zeke said. “Doesn’t your girlfriend mind?”
Zeke always liked to meddle.
Julian looked a little embarrassed, replying, “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“No wonder you’re so dedicated to overtime,” Zeke said.
“But I will soon.”
Since he had time to kill anyway, Zeke decided to indulge in a little friendly prying.
“What’s that mean? You’re about to get one?”
“I like someone, but I just haven’t figured out how to confess.”
“If you like her, just go for it,” Zeke said. “Don’t wait until she’s married. Then it’ll be too late.”
Even Julian wasn’t immune.
“I know. Thank you, Mr. Croft. I’ll try my best,” Julien said.
Zeke clapped him on the shoulder, exclaiming, “Good luck!”
“Mr. Croft, there’s something I was wondering if you could help me with.”
“Go on.”
“The girl I like is studying abroad. I want to go and confess to her in person. But my supervisor… she’s not easy to get time off from…”
The head of the secretarial department was a workaholic in her late thirties, a tough woman to deal with.
“A leave of absence, huh?” Zeke echoed and grinned. “Don’t worry, I’ll get it for you. I’ll go to Julian if I have to. He’s not that unreasonable. This is important. He’ll approve it.”
“Thank you, Mr. Croft.”
Zeke, feeling good about his good deed, whistled as he left.
Quinn, however, barely slept a wink. Her mind was a chaotic mess. The physical violation had left her feeling hurt, sad, and wronged. Seeing Chase for who he really was was a bitter pill to swallow, but she was also grateful that she was still young. It wasn’t too late to leave him. Her life was still ahead of her.
As for the man who had assaulted her, she never would have guessed that Julian was such a monster. The first two times she saw him, she had thought he was cool and noble. Now, she saw him as a beast in human skin. She was sure she wasn’t the first woman he had preyed upon, and she wouldn’t be the last. He had probably done this countless times.
Quinn sat up in bed, wide awake. So many women were victims of assault, and like them, she had chosen to stay silent. Was that the right thing to do? When had she become so weak, so cowardly? Criminals should be punished by the law!
She couldn’t sleep. She started searching online for information about similar cases. The more she read, the more her heart sank. The first thing a woman should do is call the police and preserve evidence. But she had none. There were no marks on her body. She had showered. She had no witnesses except Chase!
If she could convince Chase to be a witness, there might still be a chance.
She checked the time and resisted the urge to call him in the middle of the night.
The next morning, she called him. He answered quickly, “About the divorce, let’s not be so hasty. Let’s meet and talk.”
He had been up all night. Rosalie’s words had left him undecided. A divorce would be bad for the company, and if Julian found out, Julian might think Chase was an irresponsible person. And Chase hadn’t gotten anything from Maddox yet.
Quinn agreed to meet. She arrived early and turned on her phone’s recorder. If Chase wouldn’t cooperate, at least she would have some evidence.
When Chase saw her, he felt a pang of guilt. Whatever happened, Quinn was the victim.
He sat down and immediately apologized, “Quinn, I know I was wrong. I hope you can forgive me.”
Quinn hadn’t slept, and her face was pale and drawn. She had told herself not to cry, but tears streamed down her face. Her eyes were swollen, but her gaze was ice-cold.
“I will never forgive you,” she said. “If you were even human, you wouldn’t have done what you did!”
Faced with her accusation, Chase felt wronged.
“Was it my choice? Am I that kind of person? If he hadn’t threatened me, I would have never done it! Did you want to see me go bankrupt? Did you want to see my family’s company go under?”
“So I deserved to be sent to another man’s bed? That’s rape! And you’re an accomplice!”
“Quinn!” Chase scowled and retorted. “Don’t say it like that. It happened. What do you want me to do? If I had any other choice, I would have never…”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Quinn cut him off. “After what’s happened, I can’t live with you anymore. This time you sent me to another man’s bed. Who knows if next time you’ll try to kill me?”
Chase’s patience was wearing thin.
“How could you say that? If you want a divorce, fine. You deal with your parents. And you’ll be responsible for any losses my company suffers because of this!”
Quinn was speechless.
“Chase, how can you be so shameless? You’re the one who did something wrong. If I’m not divorcing you, should I be grateful?”
“You know he’s rich and powerful,” Chase said. “If you were with him, your whole life would be different…”
Quinn’s eyes were red with fury as she argued, “I am your wife! How can you say something so inhuman?”
“But I never thought of you as my wife…”
Quinn shot to her feet. She couldn’t stay a second longer. She couldn’t stand to look at Chase.
He reached for her, and the moment he touched her, she screamed, yanking her arm away, “Don’t touch me!”
Thankfully, they were in a private room, but her reaction still startled him.
“What are you yelling about?”
It was only then that Quinn realized she couldn’t bear his touch. It made her sick to her stomach.
She took two steps back, putting distance between them, and said, “A divorce. I’ll talk to my parents. I’m sure they’ll support me when they find out what you did.”
“You can’t tell them!”
Chase panicked. He still wanted to be with Rosalie. How could he let her parents know about this?
“Fine. Then come with me right now and sign the papers.”
Chase hesitated. Rosalie was right. There were too many things to consider. Right now, he couldn’t get a divorce.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.