Chapter 44
Chapter 44
45 Free Coins
However, it was just one suitcase, which was hardly worth calling someone over.
Laura rolled her eyes. “Still, that guy might think you ditched him again and start bawling.”
“Bawling?” Quinn raised an eyebrow. “How old is he again?”
Laura huffed. “Remember when you and Trent got your marriage license? He absolutely lost it at a dinner gathering after he found out. Full–blown meltdown. Crying his eyes out, ranting about your horrible taste in men, asking how someone like you could ever fall for someone like Trent.”
Quinn was stunned. Back at the military camp, no matter how grueling the conditions or how badly injured he was, Harlan had never shed a single tear.
And yet, according to Laura, he had cried over her marriage.
“But honestly,” Laura added, “he wasn’t wrong when he said you had terrible taste in men. Trent really wasn’t worth it.”
Quinn sighed and sank into the passenger seat. “Enough. Just drive.”
After moving out of the mansion, she planned to stay with Laura for a few days. Once she returned to her hometown to lay her parents‘ ashes to rest, she’d come back to Jexburgh and slowly start searching for a new place.
1
“All righty,” Laura said cheerfully, starting the car. “Oh, and one more thing. About what I said earlier, Harlan crying and all… You can’t let him know I told you. He practically bribed me back then just to keep my mouth shut.”
“What did he bribe you with?” Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow.
“He gave me a photo of his uncle sleeping. Shirtless,” Laura said casually.
Quinn choked on her own saliva, coughing before managing to speak. “You’re still interested in Harlan’s uncle?”
Laura let out a light laugh. “I was, for a while. But I got bored. He’s too stiff, too serious. There are plenty of men out there. No need to cling to just one.”
Despite the smile on her lips, Quinn caught a fleeting trace of melancholy in Laura’s eyes. She chose not to press further.
She remembered that before her marriage, Laura had fallen hard and fast for Harlan’s uncle, a lawyer wi a cold, distant personality. It had always been Laura who made the effort, who reached out.
But over time, Quinn had heard her mention him less and less. Especially in the last two years, it was as if he’d vanished from Laura’s world entirely.
Just then, Quinn’s phone rang, The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number, but the voice on the other end was unmistakably Julius. “Ms/Bridger, if you’re planning to return the clothes, you can come by the shooting range now.”
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Chapter 44
“Shooting range?” Quinn blinked, caught off guard.
“Yeah. I’m free at the moment. But if you’re busy, don’t worry about it.”
“No, I’m free. I’ll head over now,” she replied quickly.
She didn’t want to drag things out any longer. The sooner she returned his clothes, the sooner they could go their separate ways.
“All right, I’ll send you the address,” Julius said before ending the call.
A moment later, a text popped up with the location.
“Laura, could you pull over and drop me off here?” Quinn asked. “I need to meet Julius. Would you mind taking my luggage back to your place for me?”
Laura was caught off guard. “Was that Julius on the phone just now? What does he want from you?”
“I’m just returning his clothes,” Quinn said curtly. 1
Shortly after, she arrived at the location Julius had mentioned, a high–end, members–only shooting range, the kind of place not open to just anyone.
Waiting outside was Julius‘ personal secretary, Fabian. As soon as he spotted Quinn, he stepped forward with swift efficiency. “Mr. Whitethorn sent me to receive you,” he said politely.
“Thanks for your help,” Quinn replied, equally courteous.
“Not at all,” Fabian said, his tone touched with an unexpected hint of respect.
As Julius Whitethorn’s long–time assistant, Fabian had never shown such courtesy to the many heirs and heiresses who flocked around Jexburgh’s elite. Quinn might not be a well–known socialite, but the difference was clear. She was someone Julius personally valued.
In fact, in all the years Fabian had been by his side, this was the first time he’d seen his boss take a genuine interest in a woman.
Even if that woman was already married.
-Then again, for Julius, marital status likely meant nothing. If he set his sights on someone–queen or
commoner–he’d find a way to make her his.
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“This way, Ms. Bridger,” Fabian said, leading Quinn forward.
The distant pop of gunfire echoed through the open–air range.
Quinn didn’t so much as flinch. She was no stranger to the sound of bullets. During her days in the military camp, target practice had been a part of her daily routine.
When she finally spotted Julius, he was dressed in a sleek black outfit, ear protectors snug over his head, and a pistol steady in his grip,
Bang! Bang! Bang!
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Chapter 44
He stood poised, focused, firing shot after shot with unerring precision. The gunfire rang out in clean, crisp bursts; his body perfectly still, his aim unwavering. It was immediately clear: Julius wasn’t just playing around. He was an expert marksman. His stance was composed, efficient, and strangely elegant, like a living portrait caught mid–motion.
