Free Web NovelChapter 53: Chapter 53: More Disgusting Than Cecilia Quincy
Sonia Quincy’s acting was shoddy, but she made up for it in volume.
Her top-of-the-lungs shrieking succeeded in frightening Ms. Armstrong. Ms. Armstrong’s face went deathly pale as she stumbled back a few steps in a panic, her voice trembling.
"You’re lying! I didn’t even touch you! I didn’t harm your baby! You’re lying!"
Sonia Quincy clutched her stomach, grimacing in pain. "It was you! It was you! Counselor Kendrick, quick, grab her! Don’t let her get away!"
Miles Kendrick got up from the ground. "No problem!"
Ms. Armstrong looked at him, terrified. "Wh-what do you think you’re doing?"
Miles Kendrick said, "Ms. Armstrong, you knew my client was pregnant, yet you still manhandled her. Now she’s crying out that her stomach hurts. I’m afraid there might be something wrong with the fetus. As the assailant, you must come with me to the police station today! I’m pressing charges for intentional assault!"
"Get away from me! I didn’t intentionally assault her!" Ms. Armstrong was intimidated. Seeing that Sonia Quincy truly looked like she was in agony, she made a split-second decision and bolted.
"Hey—" Miles Kendrick took a few steps but didn’t give chase, shouting at her back, "Don’t run! The police will be here any second!"
"..."
Ms. Armstrong ran incredibly fast, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
"Cecilia, this neighborhood is a bit old. Are you sure you want to open your studio here?"
"Actually, I’m not so sure myself. I just thought this neighborhood seems quiet and good for creative work, so I wanted to check it out..."
"Alright then, I’ll take our time looking around with you—"
"OOF!"
Ms. Armstrong was running too fast and didn’t notice anyone beside her. Head down, she slammed right into Ethan Lockwood.
Ethan Lockwood stumbled from the impact but instinctively turned to shield Cecilia Quincy. Once he was sure Cecilia wasn’t hurt, he turned back and glared at Ms. Armstrong, his eyes filled with hostility.
Ms. Armstrong clutched her forehead and looked up at him. She was about to curse him for not watching where he was going, but his glare made her gasp.
"...I’m sorry, I’m sorry!" She took two steps back, bowing with a flustered expression to apologize to Ethan Lockwood. "I’m sorry, Mr. Lockwood, I didn’t do it on purpose, I’m sorry!"
Ethan Lockwood glanced at her coldly and said in a low voice, "It’s fine. You can go."
"Ah..." Ms. Armstrong didn’t dare disobey. Ducking her head, she scurried away.
「...」
"Sonia, are you okay?"
Miles Kendrick helped Sonia Quincy up, dusting off her clothes and asking nervously.
Sonia Quincy waved her hand. "I’m fine. I was just faking it to scare her."
"Whew..." Miles Kendrick put his hands on his hips, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked in the direction Ms. Armstrong had fled with a puzzled expression.
"That woman is so strange. She keeps demanding compensation but refuses to cooperate. If you tell her to go to court, she claims it’s a waste of time. If you tell her to listen to a lawyer, she worries we’ll team up to trick her."
"We’ve known each other for a while, sure, but as a lawyer, I do have some basic professional ethics."
"Exactly," Sonia Quincy agreed. "And strictly speaking, you know my husband, not me. How could we possibly be on the same side?"
Miles Kendrick: "Right..."
Sonia Quincy stroked her pregnant belly, carefully recalling Ms. Armstrong’s behavior. The more she thought about it, the more something felt wrong.
"This Ms. Armstrong... is she really after the money?"
"Huh?" Miles Kendrick didn’t understand what she meant. "Sonia, what are you talking about?"
Sonia Quincy tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her bright eyes narrowing slightly. "It’s been four full days since the incident. For four days, Ms. Armstrong has done nothing but camp outside our door, making a scene. She talks about wanting compensation, but her actions show zero cooperation."
"Her husband fell, broke his arm, and knocked out his front teeth. His injuries are that serious, yet we don’t see her taking any time to care for him at the hospital? Is she really worried about her husband?"
"Besides, most people seeking compensation would bring hospital reports or a police record. But her? She just brought a ridiculous banner."
"The way I see it, she isn’t here for money. She’s just here to cause trouble."
"Cause trouble?" Miles Kendrick’s mind raced. "You think she’s a mole from a rival agency? Your mother’s property is high-quality; a lot of agents must be eyeing it. It’s a house worth over three million. Closing that deal means a sixty or seventy thousand commission. Who wouldn’t want that?"
"Hmm..." Sonia Quincy nodded, thinking it made a lot of sense. "That’s a possibility..."
"Sonia Quincy?"
A cloyingly sweet female voice suddenly interrupted Sonia Quincy’s thoughts. Sonia turned toward the sound and, unfortunately, saw the last person she wanted to see.
Two of them, in fact.
"It really is you!" Cecilia Quincy clung to Ethan Lockwood’s arm, a sweet, surprised smile on her exquisitely made-up face.
"What are you doing here?"
"..." Sonia Quincy didn’t feel like talking to her, so she gave a perfunctory reply: "Just passing by."
"Passing by?" Cecilia Quincy blinked innocently and glanced up at Ethan Lockwood. "But just now, it looked like we saw you arguing with someone. You get into fights even when you’re just passing by?"
Sonia Quincy: "..."
That comment was dripping with passive-aggressive sarcasm. Sonia Quincy was already simmering with anger, and Cecilia’s words made her snap.
She turned to face Cecilia Quincy, her eyes curving into a smile that was both sweet and snarky. "That’s right, I can get into fights even when I’m just passing by... But what can I do? The world is full of messed-up people. I can be minding my own business, and some clueless idiot will still pop out of nowhere to annoy me. Like right now."
"...Sonia Quincy, what are you trying to say?" Cecilia Quincy wasn’t stupid; she could tell exactly who Sonia was throwing shade at.
Her carefully drawn, natural-looking eyebrows knitted together, and her expression immediately turned wounded. "I-I was just curious, that’s why I asked. If you’re unhappy, you could just say so. Why do you have to be so passive-aggressive with me? I didn’t even do anything to you..."
As she spoke, she tugged on Ethan Lockwood’s suit jacket, looking utterly pitiful.
Ethan Lockwood, as expected, couldn’t stand it. His face darkened as he snapped at Sonia Quincy.
"Sonia Quincy, why are you acting crazy again? You’re in this sorry state already, haven’t you learned any restraint?"
"..." Sonia Quincy was speechless.
She looked at Cecilia Quincy’s disgusting little act and, with a shift in thought, decided to be even more disgusting.
"What are you guys talking about?" She furrowed her brow, pouted her lips, and put on an expression even more wounded than Cecilia’s. "I was alluding to the person I was just arguing with, not you. Why are you being so hostile toward me?"
"Right, Counselor Kendrick?"
