Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Stanley harbored no favorable sentiments towards Bennett and his team, remarking. “Who are these individuals? They’re inept at solving cases but adept at suspecting their own.
As he grumbled, he pulled Quinlyn back inside, noticed her delicate wrists, and promptly instearted the kitchen to more food, specifically requesting additional dishes.
Upon Maurice, Harriet, and Tina’s return from the hospital, they were greeted by a feast laid out on the dining table. Stanley, the typically arrogant and distant heiress, was now behaving like an attentive parent, doting on Quinlyn with the care of a guardian.
Stanley constantly asked. “Would you like to try this? Is it too spicy! The sweet and sour ribs are truly delightful. You should consume more meat, it will help you gain some weight. Being too slender isn’t very appealing. Here, have some more soup I’ll get your some more.”
Maurice and Tina felt a pang of envy and jealousy, as they had never received such attention before
Harriet, still groggy from her nap, burst into tears and clung to Tina, lamenting. “Mom, why does Stanley prefer her over me? She hit me today, and it hurt so much. Stanley should be upset with her, not so kind to her.”
Tina wanted to silence Harriet, but it was already too late.
“Ha, you really didn’t enlighten her at all.” Stanley rose from the table, his attractive face etched with mockery as he gazed at Harriet’s tear–stained eyes and said. “You ask why I favor Quinlyn over you?
“It’s because she saved everyone from the mall robber, including you, Mom, and your little clique of show–offs, while all you did was hide in Mom’s arms and cry–and even then, you turned around and falsely accused Quinlyn after she had saved you
He was usually blunt, but his words were unusually harsh this time.
Tina couldn’t bear to witness anymore and attempted to intervene, saying, “That’s enough, Stanley. Harriet was just scared. Now that everyone’s safe, there’s no need to revisit it.”
Stanley looked at Tina, his eyes filled with disappointment, his voice rough as he struggled to control his emotions and said. “It’s because I saw you all from upstairs. Quinlyn went down first to save you because she was afraid I’d act impulsively.
“You took Harriet and left–did you even realize that robber had a gun pointed at Quinlyn’s head, and she almost lost her life? Mom, you and Harriet owe Quinlyn an apology. Why can’t we even mention it now?”
They had never seen Stanley so emotional and out of control, so for a moment, they were stunned and didn’t know how to respond
It was Quinlyn who extended her small hand, pointed to a dish on the table, and softly said to Stanley, “I want to try that
Stanley finally wiped his face, turned back to serve her more food, and curiously asked. “You seem to really enjoy fish. Did you live near the sea before!”
Quinlyn shook her head. There were no fish in the borderlands. Occasionally, a refrigerated truck would pass by, but the fish always had something sinister hidden within. She had grown up never tasting real seafood, only knowing it seemed delicious.
“Take your time, be cautious of the bones Stanley was taken aback by how eagerly she devoured the fish and watches intently to ensure she didn’t choke, leaving him no opportunity to tease Tina or Harriet.
Harriet was on the verge of speaking when Maurice interrupted her, gently guiding them into the study. “The test results have arrived,” he announced, handing the report to Tina so they could peruse it together.
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Tine wundred hic face with spletom Todore something wrong with the report What she’s not generically related to mj she can’t be mu daughter she exclaimed as the reached the results section at the end.
Hauer’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and she leaped to her feet, saying eagerly, “She’s not part of our family, Dad Ler’s
Tina regained her composure and quickly nodded in agreement. “No wonder I never felt a connection with her. Who knows where the came from! Honey, why didn’t you expose her sooner, and why did you let Stanley treat her so kindly”
Tina and Harrier were livid, but after a brief moment of silence, Maurice, who was treated behind the desk, spoke up “Tean’t send her away
“Why not?” Tina and Harriet asked in unisons
“Because the real 11ailey might have been killed by the kidnappers, Maurice replied, lighting a cigarette. “And since Dad insists on having Hailey, this girl will be our new Hailey
After taking a drag, he gazed at Tina and Harriet through the thin smoke, his voice deep and resolute. “So she must be Hailey, and only Hailey,
“Once she inherits from Dad, I’ll remove her from our family, and Harriet will be the sole daughter here. You don’t need to worry about her taking anything from Harriet.”
He decided to disclose the truth to avoid any tension at home. Believing that Tina and Harriet could coexist peacefully with Quinlyn without any conflicts of interest, he hoped for harmony.
As predicted, Harriet’s hostility towards Quinlyn diminished, and her face lit up with a smile. Tina, though slightly saddened by the news of her biological daughter’s fate, felt relieved and delighted that their happy family would remain intact.
Hand in hand, Harriet and Tina left the study. At the staircase, they encountered Quinlyn and even offered her a rare smile. Harriet went a step further, inviting her, “School starts the day after tomorrow. We’ll be in the same class, so I’ll show you around”
Quinlyn remained silent, heading straight to her room. She opened her newly purchased textbooks and art books, flipping through them and quickly learning new words.
Before bedtime, she was already able to read the picture books. Lying in bed with a storybook in hand, she pondered if fairy tales like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty were true.
She always feared that the hunter might actually kill Snow White, and that the seven dwarfs wouldn’t help Snow White for no reason. She deemed the witch’s curse seemed so powerful that the prince struggled to defeat her.
In any case, on her second night in the big city, Quinlyn felt like everything was a dream.
Early the next morning, before she had even risen from bed, there was a knock at her door. “Quinlyn, are you up?” Stanley called, impatiently pushing the door open.
Seeing the unopened computer in the corner, his anger flared instantly. “You spent the entire night with those useless books and didn’t even turn on the computer? What’s so fascinating about those childish books?
“You should be using your brain for more productive things. Don’t waste it, do you understand?”
As he spoke, he swiftly walked over to the box and assembled the computer in no time. The luxurious multi–screen su surrounded Quinlyn, obscuring her from view.
“There’s a competition, and I’m officially inviting you to participate. If you win, you’ll receive all the prize money,” he said, pulling up the competition page as soon as he powered on the screens.
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11.13 Tue, 18 Mar
Chapter 12
Quinly looked at the words “Hacker Alliance on the screen with a blank expression and asked, “Is this what you consider the productive thing?”
Scandry w od softly “How can fighting against invaders not be considered patriotic?”
This latest harker attack had begun when other countries launched an offensive against Brynton’s cybersecurity department, not only breaking through their defenses but also boldly displaying “Celandia’s Weakling” in bold letters on the homepage of
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