Free Web NovelChapter 262: Chapter 265: He Is My Son
"...I... I’ve heard," Fiona Dalton said, her voice faltering with guilt. "I just heard about it today."
Finn Quincy loosened his tie and turned to face her. "So, what do you think? Are the rumors true?"
Fiona Dalton blinked, her gaze vacant. "Well... there are so many rumors going around. Which one are you referring to?"
Finn Quincy: "The one about Willow being in love with Charlotte Shaw, of course!"
"This whole thing is causing a huge scandal! Everyone out there is treating the Quincy Family like a joke!"
"Th-That’s all just nonsense people are spouting!" For the sake of family harmony and the Quincy Family’s reputation, Fiona Dalton had no choice but to lie for Willow Quincy.
"Our Willow has always had high standards. He’s turned down every debutante from a good family that I’ve introduced him to, so why would he even look at someone as crude as Charlotte Shaw? What can she even do besides sketch a few designs? How could Willow possibly think highly of her?"
"Besides, Charlotte Shaw was Willow’s sister, after all. If Willow liked her, wouldn’t that mean there’s something wrong with him...?"
"Hmph," Finn Quincy sneered. "My worry is that there *is* something wrong with him."
"Dad!" Cecilia Quincy stared at him reproachfully. "What are you talking about? How could there be anything wrong with Big Brother? Those rumors out there sound fake from a mile away. You haven’t been listening to them so much that you’ve started to believe them, have you?"
"Big Brother has always been a sensible person who understands the big picture. He wouldn’t do something to ruin his own reputation, even if he lost his mind."
"Exactly," Fiona Dalton agreed. "Outsiders might not know Willow, but don’t you? How could you believe such a ridiculous rumor?"
Finn Quincy watched the mother-daughter duo singing the same tune, a sour smile on his face. "You think I want to believe this? It’s Willow Quincy himself whose blatant attempts to cover up are forcing me to believe it!"
"...Huh?" Fiona Dalton’s heart sank. Although she didn’t quite understand what Finn Quincy meant, her intuition told her that Willow Quincy might be in trouble.
Finn Quincy crossed to the nearest sofa and sat down.
"How long have all these messy rumors been circulating? I refuse to believe Willow Quincy hasn’t heard a single whisper! He knows perfectly well how much these rumors are affecting the Quincy Group, yet he’s still playing dumb, acting like he knows nothing. If that’s not a guilty man protesting his innocence, what is?"
"And how long has he been in Veridia ’recovering’? When the company was fine, it was one thing for him not to come back. But now the company is a mess, and executives have been taking turns begging him to return, and he still won’t. Don’t you find that strange?"
"...Willow explained that to me," Fiona Dalton said, forcing herself to make excuses for him. "Willow said that the weather has been bad recently, and his internal injuries are showing signs of getting worse. The doctor advised him against overexerting himself."
"Overexerting himself?" The word made Finn Quincy laugh. "How could he possibly be overexerted? It’s been so long, no matter how serious his injuries were, they should be mostly healed by now! And how far is Veridia from Aethelburg? How long would it take him to get back by car?"
"He’s a man in his thirties. Why is he being so delicate!"
"..."
Fiona Dalton hung her head guiltily, so thoroughly rebuffed she couldn’t say a word.
"Hmph!" Finn Quincy snorted coldly, giving her a look of bitter disappointment. "That son of yours is acting strange in every conceivable way! I don’t want to suspect him, but he’s forcing me to!"
"He’s thirty-three this year, yet he’s never had a single girlfriend. If he’s really had improper designs on Charlotte Shaw all this time, then it would explain why he’s been so unwilling to start a family all these years!"
"...That’s not possible," Fiona Dalton said, all the confidence to argue gone, though she still spoke up for Willow Quincy. "Charlotte Shaw was like a real sister to Willow for twenty years. Besides, she’s married and has a child now. Willow would never fall for her."
Finn Quincy: "Whether he’s in love with Charlotte Shaw or not isn’t important anymore. You’d better just pray he has nothing to do with her disappearance!"
Fiona Dalton: "You can rest assured on that point. Charlotte Shaw’s disappearance has absolutely nothing to do with Willow."
"Hah..." Finn Quincy rolled his eyes. "It’s not up to us to decide if he’s involved or not. It’s up to the special task force."
"To figure out what the hell that brat Willow Quincy is up to, I’ve already secretly sent people to Veridia to find him. If my men can’t find him there, then you two had better prepare to send him to jail."
After speaking, Finn Quincy rose from the sofa, turned, and went upstairs.
"Mom..." Cecilia Quincy tugged on Fiona Dalton’s sleeve, stomping her foot in anxiety. "Big Brother will be okay, right?"
"...He’ll be fine." Fiona Dalton gritted her teeth, forcing herself to believe Willow Quincy’s words. "Since your brother said he didn’t do it, then it must have nothing to do with him."
"He’ll be okay. He’ll absolutely be okay..."
"BZZZT—"
Just as Finn Quincy returned to his room, his secretary sent him a message.
—Mr. Quincy, what if Young Mr. Quincy really isn’t in Veridia?
Finn Quincy sighed, his head aching, and sent back a voice message.
"What else can we do? Find a way to protect him, of course! He’s my only son. You think I can really just stand by and watch him go to jail?!"
Secretary: What about Charlotte Shaw?
Finn Quincy: "If he really loves her, then let him. They’re not related by blood, anyway. Even if they really do get together, it’s not that big of a deal."
Secretary: But the Shaw Family probably won’t agree.
Finn Quincy: "Whether the Shaw Family agrees or not depends on what Charlotte Shaw wants. As long as Willow Quincy can win her over, the Shaw Family won’t be a problem. But that’s all for later. You just focus on finding Young Mr. Quincy first."
"And remember, don’t concede on the matter of him and Charlotte Shaw unless it’s the absolute last resort."
...
"You have the guts to admit you like me, but you don’t have the guts to admit you kidnapped me?"
Charlotte Shaw leaned lazily against the doorframe of Willow Quincy’s room, her arms crossed.
Willow Quincy turned off his phone screen, tossed it backhanded onto the bed behind him, and walked over from the balcony with a smile.
"Sonia, you heard everything."
Charlotte Shaw watched him, her expression blank. "I heard every word. Willow Quincy, it seems like the whole world knows you kidnapped me."
"Just about," Willow Quincy admitted freely.
Charlotte Shaw: "I’m an internet celebrity. Once something like this starts trending online, it’ll be blown completely out of proportion. Willow Quincy, are you sure you can still get me out of here?"
"Of course." Willow Quincy stood before her, not a trace of panic on his face. "If I had the guts to kidnap you, I have the guts to get you away. You don’t need to worry about me."
"Hah," Charlotte Shaw laughed. "I’m not worried about you not being able to get me away. I’m worried you won’t even be able to get yourself out of this villa."
