Free Web NovelChapter 129: Chapter 131: Cultivating a New Heir
THUMP!
Sonia Quincy carefully settled into the back seat of the Mercedes, holding her belly. After fastening her seatbelt, she pulled out her phone and started crunching the numbers.
"Eight hundred thousand, plus one million six hundred thousand, plus one hundred and eighty thousand, plus three hundred and forty thousand, plus eighty thousand... for a total of three million two hundred and sixty thousand..."
"Sis, how did the talks go? They’re going to pay what they owe, right?" Evan Yates, not noticing Sonia Quincy’s muttering, started the car as soon as her seatbelt was buckled and casually asked about the negotiations.
But she was too absorbed in her calculations to hear Evan Yates’s question.
"Three million two hundred and sixty thousand, minus eight hundred thousand, is two million four hundred and sixty thousand. Take out two hundred thousand for daily expenses, and that leaves two million two hundred and sixty thousand..."
"...What two million two hundred and sixty thousand?" Evan Yates had no idea what Sonia Quincy was talking about.
Sonia Quincy closed her phone’s calculator, opened Alipay to check her balance, then switched to her text messages to check her bank account deposit.
"Rounding it down, that’s three hundred and eighty thousand plus one million eight hundred and twenty thousand, which equals two million two hundred thousand."
"...Two million two hundred thousand? What about two million two hundred thousand? The settlement money?" Sonia Quincy’s words were so disjointed and out of context that Evan Yates didn’t even know where to begin guessing.
"Two million two hundred thousand... that should be enough," Sonia Quincy said to herself, shutting off her phone from the back seat.
"Sis, what on earth are you talking about?" Evan Yates asked, completely baffled.
Sonia Quincy didn’t answer, instead asking, "Evan Yates, how much initial investment does your game need?"
"Well... Sis, why are you asking?" Evan Yates shot back with a question of his own.
You ask, I ask. They both lobbed a bunch of questions, but neither gave an answer.
"Tsk," Sonia Quincy looked up at Evan Yates in the driver’s seat, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Never mind why I’m asking. Just answer my question first."
"..." Evan Yates snuck a glance at Sonia Quincy in the rearview mirror. Seeing she was serious, he obediently said, "Alright."
"According to the estimates Preston and I made, we’ll need at least two million in startup capital just to get the game off the ground."
He finished by pointedly adding, "And that’s *at least*."
"Two million..." Sonia Quincy’s eyes suddenly lit up. That was an amount she could come up with right now!
"Sigh..." Evan Yates let out a breath and continued, "Developing a game, especially a large-scale mobile game, is an incredibly complex and slow process. Preston and I have been busy for months, and all we’ve managed is to nail down the basic game mode and general content, plus a game outline so rough it can’t get any rougher."
"For this game to be successfully launched and put on the market, two million is just the entry fee."
Sonia Quincy: "So what’s your estimate for how much more investment you’ll need later on?"
Evan Yates thought for a moment, then held up one finger to Sonia Quincy. "Probably another two million."
Sonia Quincy: "...So you mean, ’only’ about four million in total?"
"Wait, what do you mean, ’only’ four million?" Sonia Quincy’s casual, almost disdainful tone nearly made Evan Yates choke on his own spit.
"Sis, that’s four *million*, not four hundred thousand! Why do you sound like you’re looking down on it?"
Sonia Quincy mentally tallied her net worth and asked, not at all humbly, "Do I need to?"
"!!!" Evan Yates’s jaw dropped. He was truly stunned into silence by Sonia Quincy’s arrogance.
"Four million! How many people in Aethelburg will never earn that much in their entire lives? And four million is just an estimate. Once the game actually goes into development, the costs will keep rising with market changes."
"Then we’ll just add more," Sonia Quincy said, leaning back lazily against the soft, springy seat. "Drive back to the hospital. I have an important announcement to make."
"..." Evan Yates was a little flustered, but after seeing Sonia Quincy’s boss-like demeanor in the rearview mirror, he obediently chose to focus on driving and get back to the hospital quickly.
Since autumn arrived, Aethelburg had been perpetually gloomy. Mottled, dark clouds blanketed the sky in vast sheets, looking as if they might tear open the heavens at any moment and let a downpour crash through.
In reality, however, it hadn’t rained in Aethelburg for over half a month. The seemingly menacing weather was nothing more than a bluff.
At five in the afternoon, the sky was already starting to darken. The bright red glow of the hospital’s LED screen tinted the faces of passersby with a crimson hue.
"Hey Sis, isn’t that Cecilia Quincy?"
As they passed the main entrance of the hospital, Evan Yates suddenly pointed ahead and to the right.
Hearing this, Sonia Quincy immediately turned her head to follow his finger. Amid a chaotic, anxious crowd, she saw Cecilia Quincy, her eyes red, speaking to a doctor in front of her.
A few seconds later, the restless crowd spontaneously parted, creating a path in the middle about three people wide.
Immediately after, several medical staff rushed out of the lobby, pushing a stretcher. The person on it was none other than Willow Quincy, who had been in a coma for days.
Sonia Quincy was standing a bit too far away to see Willow Quincy’s face clearly, but she could vaguely make out that his eyes were still closed.
After the medical staff brought him out, they immediately loaded him into the ambulance at the entrance. Cecilia Quincy, Mr. Quincy, and Mrs. Quincy quickly followed them inside.
"Hmph..." Sonia Quincy had already figured out what was happening. The corner of her lip curled into a cold smirk. "It’s not just Cecilia Quincy over there. It’s the whole Quincy Family, young and old."
"Where are they going?" Evan Yates frowned slightly, his eyes filled with unconcealed mockery. "Transferring Willow Quincy to another hospital?"
"Probably," Sonia Quincy said, not particularly concerned. After a brief glance, she turned and continued toward the inpatient department.
"Everyone’s saying Willow Quincy might not wake up. He’s the Quincy Family’s only son, so they definitely wouldn’t just leave him in this hospital to stay in a coma."
"Tch..." Evan Yates scoffed, his words no kinder than Sonia Quincy’s previous curses. "Someone who isn’t meant to wake up won’t wake up no matter what hospital you move them to. Instead of going through all this trouble to transfer him, they’d be better off grooming Cecilia Quincy. That way, if something happens to Elder Quincy, the Quincy Family will at least have someone to take charge."
Sonia Quincy’s eyes curved into a smile, and she ended the conversation with silence.
"Can you manage? Maybe you should rest for a bit before continuing?"
The two had just reached the door of the hospital room when they heard Jasper Linden’s slightly worried voice coming from inside.
"Jasper Linden?" Sonia Quincy was very surprised by his presence and couldn’t help but exchange a shocked and puzzled look with Evan Yates. "What’s he doing here?"
Evan Yates shrugged. "No idea. Maybe he’s here to challenge Preston to a one-on-one fight?"
"..." Sonia Quincy shot him a speechless glare and pushed the door open.
Hearing the door open, Felix Preston whipped his head around—not from the bed, but from a standing position on the floor.
"Sonia? You’re back."
