At some point, two large men had appeared behind him.
Before he realized what was happening, they each grabbed one of his arms and started dragging him toward the elevator.
“Hey! Who the hell are you guys? Let go of me!”
Quinn had no idea what was happening outside.
Once the door closed, the apartment fell silent, and the nauseating feeling in her stomach finally eased a little.
She sent a message to Rosalie.
“If Chase refuses to agree to the divorce, I’m making everything public. Then everyone will see exactly what kind of person he is. And you don’t need to contact me again. I mean what I say.”
Rosalie immediately called.
Quinn declined the call every time.
Furious, Rosalie called Chase instead. “What’s going on with you? Didn’t you go calm her down?”
“Don’t even start,” Chase said angrily, slamming his fist against the steering wheel. “Nothing I said got through to her. I even bought flowers and told her I wanted to start over, but she didn’t appreciate it at all. And there were two bodyguards outside her door who literally threw me into my car!”
“Bodyguards?” Rosalie frowned. “Where did those come from?”
“I think they belong to Maddox,” Chase said, analyzing the situation. “He slept with her and probably can’t get her out of his head now. That’s why he’s supporting her divorce and sending people to protect her. If she’s got Maddox backing her, what are we supposed to do?”
Rosalie sounded skeptical. “Maddox is interested in her?”
Rosalie knew the elite circles of Lakeshore City extremely well.
Her standards were high and her ambitions even higher. Otherwise she wouldn’t have set her sights on Julian.
Although the Dixon family was one of the four major families, Maddox himself didn’t have nearly the same personal charisma as Julian.
Because of that, Rosalie had never thought much of him.
Still, his status and influence were undeniable. A man like him had seen all kinds of women.
Would he really take interest in someone like Quinn, who was already married?
Chase said, “It’s possible. I never slept with her, so she might still have been a virgin. If Maddox slept with her, he might feel protective toward her now. Besides, Quinn really is beautiful…”
“Yeah, she is pretty,” Rosalie said quietly. “Ever since we were kids, a lot of boys liked her. Unlike me, I’ve never really known how to interact with guys.”
“How could that be?” Chase said quickly. “She’s got nothing but her looks. She’s shallow. How could she compare to you, Rosalie? You’re elegant, refined, and genuinely kind. She’s not even worth a single strand of your hair.”
“Oh, stop,” Rosalie said, though she clearly sounded much more pleased.
She might not care much about Chase, but she absolutely could not tolerate him praising another woman in front of her, especially Quinn.
“I’m just telling the truth,” Chase said. “Anyway, I have no idea what trick she pulled, but Maddox seems to be on her side now. What are we supposed to do?”
“Wait for my call,” Rosalie said. “I’ll check what Maddox has been up to.”
In truth, Rosalie was extremely irritated. Quinn wanting a divorce was only part of the reason.
The bigger problem was that Julian had suddenly stopped contacting her.
She was going crazy with anxiety. She had tried sending several messages, but none of them got a reply.
These days, almost everyone had their phone within reach at all times.
There was no way Julian hadn’t seen her messages.
So why wasn’t he responding? She asked several friends.
During the years she spent overseas, she had worked hard to break into upper-class social circles. With her calculated charm and sweet, innocent act, a lot of men liked her.
She was especially good at reading men. She would make them interested in her but never actually give them anything in return, keeping them hooked with that teasing push and pull.
And plenty of men fell for it.
Among them were quite a few wealthy second-generation heirs back home.
They weren’t at Julian’s level, but finding out some information about Maddox was still easy for them.
After asking around, she eventually learned that Maddox had gone abroad.
She immediately contacted Chase.
Chase was shocked. “He actually went to a place like that? And he’s going to be there for several years? Are you serious?”
“Yeah, it’s probably true,” Rosalie said. “A friend of mine heard it through someone connected to the Dixon family. But the Dixons are keeping completely quiet about it, so most people have no idea.”
Chase frowned. “Maddox has always loved an easy life. The guy hates hardship. Why would he go somewhere like that? And those bodyguards outside Quinn’s place, who sent them?”
“Even if Maddox left the country, it wouldn’t be strange for him to leave a couple of bodyguards behind,” Rosalie said.
Chase’s jaw tightened. “So he really does have his eye on Quinn?”
He scoffed bitterly.
“Quinn really attracts trouble. Men circle around her everywhere she goes.”
The thought made something twist uncomfortably in his chest.
Yet he had already forgotten one simple fact.
He was the one who had sent Quinn away in the first place.
Rosalie continued, “I warned you before. Quinn is wonderful in many ways, but sometimes she doesn’t keep enough distance from men.”
Chase frowned. “She was married to me for three years, and I never noticed anything like that.”
He rubbed his forehead. “So what am I supposed to do now? Do I really have to go through with the divorce?”
“You absolutely cannot divorce her,” Rosalie said firmly. “For you, the damage would be huge. Your company, public opinion, your reputation. Any one of those could ruin you.”
A headache began to build behind Chase’s temples.
He had very little experience actually running the company. His father, Charles, still held most of the power. When it came to dealing with complicated situations, Chase knew he lacked the ability.
He looked at Rosalie helplessly.
“Rosalie, what should I do? Tell me what to do.”
Rosalie paused for a moment before answering.
“I’ve been thinking about it. Quinn definitely still loves you. But what you did hurt her deeply. She doesn’t trust you anymore. If you want her to change her mind…”
She stopped for a moment. “There might be only one way.”
Chase immediately leaned forward. “What way?”
Outside the window, the city lights burned bright. Skyscrapers towered everywhere, and it was nearly impossible to see the stars.
The night slowly faded.
A new day began.
Quinn opened her eyes and stared quietly at the ceiling for a while.
Her thoughts drifted aimlessly.
Just as she was lost in thought, she heard a faint rustling sound somewhere in the house.
Her heart jumped.
She sat up abruptly, slipped out of bed without even putting on her shoes, and hurried toward the stairs to look downstairs.
“Lucy!”
Lucy was placing the breakfast she had bought onto the dining table. When she heard the voice, she looked up and smiled.
“Quinn! You’re finally awake. Come down and eat!”
Quinn quickly slipped on her shoes and hurried downstairs.
Lucy opened her arms. Quinn ran straight into her embrace, and the two of them laughed as they hugged each other tightly.
But as Quinn laughed, her eyes slowly turned red.
At that moment, she felt that Lucy was the closest person she had in the world.
Only in front of someone who truly cared about you could you allow yourself to feel wronged.
“I had no idea so many things were happening to you,” Lucy said softly. “I wasn’t there for you. I’m really sorry.”
Quinn smiled and gently let go of her. “But you’re here now, aren’t you? That already makes me really happy.”
“Hey, don’t cry.” Lucy wiped the tears from her face. “Trust me, things are going to get better from here on out. Stay far away from that jerk, and life will be nothing but good days.”
Quinn laughed.
“Alright. Far away from jerks.”
Lucy took her hand and pulled her toward the table. “Come on, eat first. I bought your favorite chicken noodle soup!”
The two of them sat down and began eating while chatting.
When Lucy heard that Chase didn’t want a divorce, she exploded with anger.
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.