Free Web NovelChapter 401: Chapter 398: You... Don’t Get Any Funny Ideas...
Quentin Grant was taken aback. "Who did you hear that from?"
Nora Ainsworth smiled faintly. "My mother told me when she was still alive. She said the Grant Family lost a child once, but the news was suppressed, so very few people know about it."
"Your mother was well-informed, then. Yes, over twenty years ago, a baby girl was taken from my family’s home."
Nora’s heart skipped a beat. "Your sister?"
Quentin Grant nodded. "Yes."
Nora’s spirits sank.
"But she was just my god-sister. The daughter of my godparents."
Her head snapped up. "Really?"
"Of course. Back then, it was Jean’s first birthday party. We invited a lot of people, and my godparents came too. But their daughter was taken from my mother’s bedroom. There were no security cameras back then. She was only found a few years ago."
The joy that had filled Nora’s face froze, and she could no longer smile. "She was found?"
"Mmm, it’s Catherine. My mother has always felt guilty about what happened to her, so no matter what mistakes she makes, my mother will always forgive her."
Nora was completely stunned. ’Did my mother lie to me?’
’Or...’
"Her biological parents..."
"They haven’t been reunited yet, because they won’t come back."
Nora asked again, "Then how can you be so sure it’s her?"
Quentin Grant smiled. "Naturally, my mother has conclusive proof. But if my godparents come back, they’ll definitely still do a DNA paternity test."
Nora’s thoughts were a tangled mess. She was at a loss for words.
Noticing how weighed down she looked, he continued, "Nora, if something’s on your mind, just tell me. Don’t keep it bottled up inside."
"The time isn’t right to talk about it yet. I’ll tell you everything in the future." Nora was lost in her own emotions. Her previous resolve was wavering, but she was determined to find out the truth of the matter—whether her mother had lied, or if Catherine Callahan had.
「The First Lady selection process began in Harrowin.」
The event garnered attention from media both at home and abroad.
It had finally reached the final selection stage.
The ten finalists were all young ladies from high society and noble families.
Leaving aside their looks, their family backgrounds were all either wealthy or noble.
It was a system similar to how Concubines were chosen in ancient times.
But only three women would be chosen in the end.
After a rigorous, multi-layered selection process, the final decision rested with Lillian Bancroft.
When he went to make his choice, the row of women standing before him made him stare in a daze.
All ten women bore a striking resemblance to Chloe Marshall.
He could see the great lengths his subordinates had gone to.
"Bastards!" He stood up. "Are any of the women who weren’t selected still in the Imperial Palace?"
His secretary nodded. "They are."
"Take me to them. I’ll choose myself."
"Understood." The secretary, trembling with apprehension, led him elsewhere.
The meticulously selected finalists were left hanging.
Just as he was about to reach the door, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"We’re leaving the Imperial Palace."
The secretary didn’t dare question why he had changed his mind and simply followed him out.
He put on sunglasses and a mask. To the secretary’s surprise, he actually went to a dance hall.
"Supreme Leader... why are you here...?"
Lillian Bancroft shot him a glare. "Shut your mouth."
He had just walked in and hadn’t even had a chance to sit down when a reckless woman bumped into him from behind.
"Sorry, sorry," she said, quickly scurrying away.
He instinctively patted his pants pocket—his wallet was gone.
’A thief!’
"Stay here and wait for me," he told his secretary before striding forward.
He was in hot pursuit of the young woman who had just stolen his wallet.
Quinn Sullivan ran straight into the women’s restroom, entered a stall, and sat on the toilet lid. Giddily, she opened the wallet she had just snatched. The amount of cash inside made her eyes go wide.
’Tonight wasn’t a waste after all! I’ve caught a big fish.’
But a second later, the smile vanished from her face.
In her excitement, she had forgotten to close the restroom door.
The man she’d robbed was standing by the door, watching her with a leisurely air.
"What’s a grown man like you doing in the women’s restroom?" she glared at him.
"Who made a rule that men can’t enter the women’s restroom? Besides, it’s just you and me here right now. Hand over the wallet." He held out his hand.
She hugged it tighter to her chest.
"It doesn’t have your name on it. You... don’t go around claiming things that aren’t yours!" Quinn Sullivan flatly denied it.
"Who said it doesn’t? My business card is inside. See for yourself if you don’t believe me."
The moment she looked down, he reached out to grab it. In a panic, Quinn Sullivan shoved the wallet straight down her shirt. Then, she spread her hands and said with exceptional smugness, "Come and get it, if you’ve got the guts."
Lillian Bancroft let out a dry laugh and approached her step by step. "You think I wouldn’t dare?"
"If you want to go to jail, then come on," she threatened, her lips curling into a pout.
"You’re pretty good at playing the victim. But it doesn’t matter. I’ll show you who’s going to jail first." His hand shot straight into her shirt and calmly pulled out the wallet.
Quinn Sullivan stared with wide eyes at his shameless act.
"You... you..."
He snorted coldly. "Me what? So young and already trying to get something for nothing. You think money is that easy to come by? Go home and read a few fables."
Quinn Sullivan watched, furious, as the big fish she had just caught was thrown right back into the sea.
She went up and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, chuckling beside his ear. "Hand it back over, or I’ll snap you in two."
"You?" he said disdainfully. Then, with a flick of his hand, he slammed her hard onto the floor.
A jolt shot through her body, a raw pain tingling to her nerve endings.
"Mister!" She grabbed his leg. "Please, just give me the money. My family is so poor we can’t even afford to eat."
Lillian Bancroft crouched down and pinched her chin. "Keep acting. I saw right through you from the start."
She got up, looking bored. "Fine, you win."
With that, she started to walk out.
Lillian Bancroft called out, "Stop. Did I say you could leave?"
"Then what else do you want? Just say it so I can get going."
He slowly approached her. "You think you can just steal from me and walk away? Aren’t you a little too naive? Why don’t you spend a few years in prison first."
With that, he took out his phone to call the police. Quinn Sullivan quickly stopped him. "Mister, let’s talk this out! Seeing as it’s my first offense, be the bigger person and let me off the hook this one time! I’ll turn over a new leaf and become a new person, I swear!"
"Don’t worry, I’ll definitely give you the chance to become a new person," he said with a smile, locking the stall door from the inside.
"I’m not for sale! You... don’t get any ideas..."
Lillian Bancroft scoffed. "Oh, but I am getting ideas. You don’t look that old. Why are you stealing?"
