Chapter 48
Chapter 48
After the family doctor examined Quinlyn, he said that she was merely exhausted.
However, he frowned at the various bruises on her hands and feet and stated, “Though these cuts may seem minor, they can casily leave marks, and for a girl, that would be quite unsightly.”
Edward’s face flushed with embarrassment as he felt like a child abuser.
Curtis also noticed the cuts; some of the wounds were quite deep and had started to ooze blood.
Yet, throughout the ordeal, not only did Quinlyn refrain from crying out in pain, but she also appeared entirely unfazed, casually washing her hands before going back to her meal. As a result, everyone overlooked the situation.
After the doctor left, Curtis turned to Edward, his brows furrowed. “What exactly is the background of this child? You mentioned she lived in the backwaters before, but surely the backwaters don’t produce such agility and strength.”
It was enough to fool Danny and Leonard, but Curtis was not one to be misled by even the smallest detail.
Edward was just as surprised by Quinlyn’s amazing skills, which overshadowed Curtis. After a moment of silence, he glanced at Stanley.
Stanley shrugged in resignation. “You can speak your mind; I already knew she was not Hailey.”
Upon hearing this, Edward sighed softly. “True, your parents could hardly have raised such an exceptional child.”
Stanley thought to himself, ‘Hey, I feel insulted.’
Then, Edward explained Quinlyn’s origins, adding, “As for what happened in the borderlands, I’m not sure. But it stands to reason that her situation was hardly ideal.”
In the early days after her arrival, the servants mentioned seeing Quinlyn covered in scars.
“Yeah, the borderlands are really hard to investigate, but I’ll get to the bottom of it.” Curtis nodded, showing no intention of backing down.
Edward, with a hint of worry in his eyes, looked at Curtis in surprise. “You wouldn’t dare to think about-
Curtis raised an eyebrow and grinned as he replied, “Is it only okay for you to take in disciples while I’m not allowed to find one? Quinlyn is still quite young; there’s plenty of time for her to choose her own path.”
Danny and Leonard exchanged worried glances with Edward.
Leonard said, “You can’t be so careless as to give her to such a wild predator; her future lies in physics.”
Danny said, “Such a valuable talent is a national treasure; she should focus on chess.”
Edward stared blankly at the sky. He had essentially encouraged others to take his granddaughter away from him.
Stanley, enjoying the scene, sipped his soup while relishing that his grandfather finally understood his feelings. Such an extraordinary sister needed daily vigilance.
In the following days, Quinlyn often found herself on the edge of being late, and one time, she was called to Romilly’s office.
Romilly said, “Quinlyn, I know your relationship with Harriet. While I try not to set you against each other, you cannot let yourself get upset over small things.”
Standing in front of the desk, Quinlyn fought to stay awake, bleary–eyed and confused as she stared blankly at Romilly, a
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tuft of hair sticking up.
Romilly sighed, sounding a bit disappointed. “Even though you weren’t chosen, I see your intelligence. If you put in the effort, you will succeed. So, there’s no need to compare yourself to Harriet, okay?”
Finally. Quinlyn understood the last part. Trying to fight off a yawn, she blinked her eyes myself.”
- “eplied, “I’m not comparing
“But you have been late and missing class, and the other teachers say you’ve been dozing off in lessons.”
Romilly wasn’t convinced, her frustration growing as she continued, “If you keep this up, I’ll have to speak with your parents. Conveniently, they invited the whole class over for dinner, so you will join us for a chat.”
Quinlyn opened her mouth, itching to explain that her true guardians were not the Anderson couple but Edward. Also, the reason she had trouble arriving on time was indeed Edward’s fault.
Since the day after the challenge, she had been met daily at the Anderson Manor by three older gentlemen, discussing everything from chess to physics, along with Stanley’s random programming questions.
The head of DigitalKey Group, having learned about Stanley’s tech skills, had even offered him a job as a programmer, leaving Quinlyn in an unofficial assistant role.
On top of that, every day at the Anderson Manor involved navigating a forest where attackers lay in wait to ambush her.
On her first day of being caught in a sack, she had still been confused.
By the fifth day, even the sacks had turned into a rainbow of colors, and those buzz–cut, friendly young men seemed more innocent than ever, yet their actions were getting increasingly ruthless.
Every day outside had become a tough challenge, pushing her body and spirit to the breaking point, leaving her feeling helpless.
However, they all had her best interests at heart. Thinking about this, Quinlyn decided to keep her lips sealed, choosing to not discuss any of it. After all, she didn’t fear Maurice.
After school, Harriet appeared from the gates with her classmates and settled into her family’s car, holding a few exam
papers.
“Harriet, do you want to wait for Quinlyn?” the driver hesitated, spotting her in the crowd.
“No need,” Harriet replied without thinking, scrunching her nose. “I wouldn’t want to sit with her. Besides, my parents probably wish to ignore her completely.”
That statement was enough to convince the driver; he nodded and drove away.
At first, Mandy was worried that Quinlyn and Harriet wouldn’t get along during their ride together, but now she was boiling with anger.
She said, “Harriet is completely insufferable. You are Mr. Anderson’s real daughter, and she dares to treat you like that. Quinlyn, I’m going to tell Mr. Anderson.” She grabbed Quinlyn’s arm and marched toward her family’s luxury car.
Quinlyn, seeing Mandy’s righteous anger, felt unsure of how to comfort Mand. She was just an imitation herself, so she understood why the Anderson couple didn’t show her much warmth. Finally, she said, “Maybe I’m just not special enough.”
“You think you’re not special enough?” Mandy turned around, eyes wide in disbelief, as if Quinlyn had lost her mind.
Mandy said, “I’ve seen you reading those difficult storybooks, and even though you don’t take notes in class, you ace every exam. I’ve even caught you secretly finishing Harriet’s test papers.”
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Her eyes sparkled with surprise, “If that’s still not enough, do your parents want to adopt Ultraman as their daughter?”
Being caught for finishing test papers secretly was pretty embarrassing.
(+53)
Elementary courses were ridiculously easy; Quinlyn often found herself dozing off in class. When she spotted Harriet’s exam, curiosity got the best of her, and without realizing it, she started answering, finding the solutions surprisingly simple.
