With that, she led Quinn away.
Veronica quickly followed. When Elaine and Victor tried to go after them, a staff member stepped in front of them.
“Sorry. You’ll have to wait outside.”
Mindful of their status, the couple could not start an argument with staff.
Chase asked nervously, “Mom, Dad, what do we do now? If she really presses charges against me…”
Victor said firmly, “Don’t worry. She won’t.”
Elaine added angrily, “I’m furious. How did I end up raising someone like her? If she actually dares to sue you, I’ll cut ties with her completely.”
Outside the door, Veronica watched as Quinn followed the officer into the next stage of the process, and she waited quietly.
Her phone started ringing.
She picked it up. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle everything.”
The person on the other end said something.
She smiled faintly. “What, you don’t trust me? It’s a minor issue. You don’t need to send one of your company’s high-powered lawyers for something this small.”
A few seconds later, she spoke again. “I don’t care what your intentions are toward Quinn. Until she’s officially divorced, you’d better keep some boundaries.”
After hanging up, she lowered her gaze, lost in thought.
It seemed Julian really was interested in Quinn. He had called her and asked her to come immediately.
Earlier, outside the police station, she had seen Julian standing there. That meant the moment something happened to Quinn, he had already shown up.
Yet he chose not to appear himself. Instead, he called Veronica to handle it.
With Julian backing her from behind the scenes, what did Veronica have to worry about?
Because Quinn refused to back down, the police quickly opened a case.
By the time Veronica and Quinn walked out of the station, it was already nighttime.
Victor and Elaine spotted them and hurried over.
From a distance, Elaine shouted, “Quinn! So now you think you’re independent enough to ignore your parents completely?”
Quinn pulled her down coat tighter around herself.
The air outside was freezing, but it still didn’t feel as cold as she did. She found herself wondering that if she had her biological parents, then when something like this happened, they would worry about her safety and feel heartbroken for what she had endured.
They would not scold her, insult her, and accuse her of disgracing them.
Veronica stepped forward, shielding Quinn. “Quinn needs rest right now. You’re her family. Shouldn’t you be comforting and supporting her instead? She was assaulted and forced by a man. She’s the victim here. What kind of attitude is this?”
Elaine looked at Veronica with displeasure. “Are you even married? Don’t you and your husband argue sometimes? Every couple fights. Who calls the police every time there’s a marital argument? If this gets out, people will laugh their heads off.”
Veronica replied calmly, “Couples argue, sure. But what happened today is entirely different. I heard both of you are university professors. Are you really telling me you don’t understand the most basic legal principles?”
Victor frowned. “Don’t twist the issue. At its core, this is still a family matter. Disputes within a household are complicated. Outsiders can’t judge them properly. And you don’t even know the situation in our home, so what gives you the right to lecture us?”
Veronica was about to respond when Quinn gently tugged her arm.
Then Quinn looked at Victor. “What Chase did to me this time crossed the line. I’m absolutely pressing charges.”
“Quinn, you’re married,” Elaine said earnestly. “If he ends up in prison, do you think that will make your reputation sound any better? Your mother would never harm you.”
“I already told you,” Quinn said. “I want a divorce.”
“Every little problem and you jump straight to divorce. What is wrong with you?”
“If you don’t want me to press charges, there’s one option.”
Veronica immediately looked at Quinn, concern flickering in her eyes.
Elaine asked quickly, “What do you mean?”
“As long as he agrees to the divorce, I won’t press charges.”
“You!” Elaine was nearly shaking with anger. “What exactly are you trying to do? Are you determined to drive me to an early grave?”
Victor exploded with rage as well. “This is outrageous. Go back inside right now and withdraw the complaint. If you don’t, then I will no longer recognize you as my daughter.”
Watching the couple, seeing the way they treated Quinn, Veronica felt a surge of deep sympathy.
What kind of life had Quinn been living all these years?
Quinn’s face was pale, but she remained calm.
It was almost as if she had long since grown used to this kind of accusation and scolding.
She even smiled slightly as she spoke.
“Dad, Mom, do you really see me as your daughter? If Rosalie were the one in my place today, if she had been assaulted and beaten, would you still scold her and tell her to forgive the man who hurt her?”
“Don’t drag your sister into this,” Elaine snapped. “Your sister would never end up in a situation like that. If you were assaulted and beaten, maybe you should start asking yourself what you did to cause it.”
Veronica actually laughed in disbelief. “Do you two hear yourselves right now? Respected university professors who can’t even tell right from wrong. Should I go ask your university whether all of their professors think this way?”
Victor started to respond, but Elaine tugged at his sleeve.
Veronica smiled. “So, may I take Quinn with me now?”
Julian’s message had been sitting unanswered on her phone for a while. He had told her to bring Quinn to his car so he could drive them home.
Seeing that Victor and Elaine had nothing more to say, Veronica looped her arm through Quinn’s.
“Let’s go.”
Quinn glanced at them once.
Then, without hesitation, she left with Veronica.
A sleek, understated luxury car waited quietly in the darkness.
Veronica said gently, “Quinn, how about staying at my place tonight? Let’s not tell Lucy about this for now. No need to make her worry.”
Quinn quickly replied, “I’ll just find a hotel. I really don’t want to trouble you that much.”
“I live alone,” Veronica said with a smile. “So it’s really no trouble at all. Besides, you need to head back, take a shower, and put medicine on those bruises. A hotel wouldn’t be very comfortable for that. Come on, the car’s waiting.”
Veronica opened the car door for her.
“Thank you,” Quinn said quickly as she got in.
Only after sitting down did she notice there was already a man in the driver’s seat.
Julian?
Quinn froze. For a second she thought she was seeing things.
Julian… Why is he here?
Veronica got into the car and froze as well.
Why is he sitting in the driver’s seat? Is he actually driving himself?
As far as she could remember, Julian never drove his own car.
From the rearview mirror, Julian caught the surprise in Quinn’s eyes. Calmly, he started the engine.
“How did it go?” he asked.
Veronica did not answer his question right away. She turned to Quinn first.
“Quinn, when I got the news, I happened to be talking with Julian about something,” she explained. “So we came over together.”
Quinn did not say much. “Mm.”
Veronica had already been there for at least two or three hours. Had Julian really been waiting that long?
She actually wanted to ask how they had gotten the news.
But the answer was already obvious.
The two bodyguards Chase mentioned earlier were probably arranged by Julian. But why would he do something like that?
Seeing that Quinn did not seem uncomfortable, Veronica finally said to Julian, “Now we’re just waiting for the medical report.”
Julian glanced at Quinn through the rearview mirror and said nothing.
Quinn felt a sudden jolt and quickly lowered her head. About twenty minutes later, they arrived at Veronica’s home.
After Quinn got out of the car, Julian rolled down the driver’s window and said, “Don’t overthink. Get some rest.”
Only after watching his car drive away did Quinn finally breathe out.
Veronica’s place looked almost like a model home. It was spotless and neatly arranged, but it lacked the warmth of everyday living.
“I live here by myself,” Veronica said as she set down her bag. “So don’t feel awkward. Go take a shower first, then I’ll help you put medicine on those bruises.”
Quinn thanked her and went into the bathroom. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she was startled.
The bruises on her neck looked terrifying.
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.