Chapter 209 Shifting Loyalties
Quinn shot a glance at Marley, whose face had gone ashen, then nodded. Turning toward Harlan, who lounged against the wall, she asked, “What about you?”
“Need the restroom. I’ll be back in a minute,” Harlan drawled.
Quinn said nothing more and followed Julius toward their private dining room.
But instead of heading for the men’s room, Harlan strolled straight up to Marley.
Marley shrank back two steps, unease flickering in her eyes. “W–What do you want?”
Harlan smiled and, without warning, pinched Marley’s chin. “You’re the woman who tripped up my sister Quinnie at the ancestral hall and kept her from entering, right? You even ruined an eye for Julius, didn’t you?”
His lazy, teasing tone slithered like a viper’s hiss. His fingertips pressed the skin right next to her eye, as though they might plunge inside at any moment, sending shivers across her whole body.
“Care to test me? Say one more bad word about Quinn and you won’t keep the other eye either.”
As his words fell, the pressure of his fingers increased, as if he truly meant to gouge.
Terror flooded Marley’s gaze. “If you do that, you’ll go to prison!”
“Feel free to find out whether I blind you faster than the police can cuff me,” Harlan said.
Marley’s teeth chattered uncontrollably.
This man is even more unhinged than Julius.
“P–Please… spare me. I–I won’t say another word about Quinn,” she pleaded, finally surrendering. She knew he wasn’t bluffing.
Only then did Harlan let go. With an expression of distaste, he walked to the sink and washed his hands. “Don’t forget what you promised.”
Grinding her teeth, Marley slunk back toward the private room where her friends were waiting.
Yet, when she pushed the door open, those friends were no longer eager; they stared at her with open mockery instead.
“So, Marley, turns out you’ve already lost Julius as your safety net, huh?”
“I kept wondering why you’ve been glued to us these past few days–does the mighty Bridger Group have that much free time? Now I get it: you’ve fallen from grace.”
“That’s why you’re scrambling to launch some new project, right? Planning to use us as your stepping- stone? What a slick little scheme!”
The crowd jeered in chorus.
One of the women rose and sauntered over to Marley. “Sorry, Marley, but I overheard your chat with Julius in the restroom hallway and told everyone the moment I got back. Honestly, why didn’t you let us know earlier?”
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Chapter 209 Shifting Loyalties
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Marley looked at her. It was her best friend, Pamela, a woman who normally followed her lead without question.
“Pamela, I-”
Before she could finish, Pamela snatched a wine bottle from the table and upended it over Marley’s head.
Marley froze, wine dripping past her ears, while Pamela’s voice rang out, “If you’d told us sooner, we wouldn’t have wasted time buttering you up!”
“You… what did you just say?” Marley stared at her friend in disbelief.
Pamela curled her lip. “Marley Bridger, do you know why we ever bothered to stay around you? Surely you don’t think an ex–illegitimate daughter has enough charm to rule our circle. We humored you only because Julius backed you. Now he’s publicly distanced himself, so how do you still have the nerve to sit with us?”
Laughter erupted on every side.
Hair plastered with wine, Marley stood wretched and dripping; in the eyes of her former friends, she had become a clown.
Quinn examined the lingering swell on Julius’s cheek, the split at his lip, and even pried his mouth open to be sure no teeth were loose.
After all, Harlan’s punch had been anything but light.
“Next time someone swings at you, don’t just stand there. At least dodge,” Quinn advised.
“Okay,” he agreed. “But if it’s you throwing the punch, I won’t move–I’ll let you hit me as long as you like.”
Quinn chuckled. “And why would I want to hit you?”
“Maybe… because I’ll have done something wrong?” he ventured.
She arched a brow. “Such as?”
His lashes quivered; how could he explain that “such as”?
“Quinn!” He suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist. Seated while she stood, his face pressed naturally against her abdomen.
“If one day I mess up and make you angry, you can hit me, curse me, do whatever you want–just don’t leave me. Please?”
