Simon only felt a pounding headache. The sensation of choking on water had been unpleasant, and his throat still burned with pain.He had nearly drowned, and Xavier had just watched it all unfold."Simon, are you even listening to me? What's going on with you? You're such a disappointment! You're just like your dad! What kind of spell have Lisa and Quinn put you two under?" Shania yelled hysterically.Lisa had ruined her life, and now Quinn seemed intent on destroying Simon's."Mom, this is between me and Quinn. Stay out of it. I'll handle it on my own." Simon finally spoke up, but his words only fueled Shania's anger."Handle it? How? Is she pestering you? She's just as crazy as her mother. I won't allow you to get involved with someone like that!""Mom, I'm an adult. I know what I'm doing. Can you please stop making decisions for me? You've always done that, and whenever I don't follow your wishes, you blow up at me. It's suffocating!"Shania looked at Simon in disbelief. "You
Quinn hugged Nadia tightly. "Nads, I'm back. Don't worry. No one can bully me," she said soothingly, knowing Nadia was concerned.Nadia had to go to school that day, so she couldn't accompany Quinn to Four Seasons Incorporated.As they entered the elevator, Quinn pressed the button for the underground parking garage."Quinny, my car hasn't been repaired yet, so we don't need to go to the garage," Nadia said."It's been fixed," Quinn replied, leading Nadia to her parking spot. There was a car covered with a dust cover in Nadia's parking spot."Why the dust cover? It's just an old car. Not worth the fuss," Nadia said jokingly."Just stand there," Quinn instructed.Nadia stood there as Quinn walked over and removed the dust cover, revealing a brand-new red sports car.Instantly, Nadia's mouth fell open in surprise. "Who am I? Where am I? Is this my car? It can't be!""It is your car." Quinn tossed the car keys to Nadia."Try it out. If something's not right, I'll have it modifie
Quinn made her way through Four Seasons Incorporated, only to find that no one seemed to acknowledge her presence.Now, the company was firmly under Maurice and Araminta's control.Since Quinn had been abandoned in the borderlands for five years, everyone figured she had likely missed out on college. She couldn't possibly compete with the shrewd Maurice and Araminta, who had graduated from the prestigious Dudore University.Early that morning, Maurice had learned that Quinn had been released from the police station.He had expected her to be detained for at least a while longer, so he was taken aback that she had managed to get out the very night before.But what difference did it make? These two projects were indeed challenging, but as the president of the company, Maurice had access to numerous people who could assist with even the most difficult of tasks.In contrast, Quinn had no one to support her. After all, she was just a naïve young lady."No matter what, you're still my
Quinn extended her hand to Luna. "I look forward to working with you."Luna shook Quinn's hand firmly.At the end of the day, Quinn was still Maurice's daughter, so he wouldn't let the employees see how embarrassed he was. He arranged an office for Quinn."Quinn, no matter what, you're my daughter. Do your best with this. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I won't ignore you just because we're competing."Quinn couldn't be bothered to respond. Anyway, Maurice didn't care. His project team was made up of the best talents from Four Seasons Incorporated. The project manager was the top of the line, so Maurice was confident in the project's success. As for Quinn, he intended to show her that, no matter what, he would always be her father.As Maurice left, he ran into Luna. "Ms. Lewitt, do a good job. Quinn is young and inexperienced. You have to help her out."Luna smiled. "Don't worry, Mr. Jowell. I will."Maurice gave a smirk and walked away. After that, Luna knocked
Luna took charge of the hiring process and posted job openings online. As the sole leader of the project team, she had to recruit the necessary members herself.After a rigorous screening process, she narrowed it down to five candidates. Quinn met with them personally. When the five candidates saw that both the persons-in-charge were so young, they couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy."Ms. Jowell, is it really just going to be the seven of us for such a big project?" On top of that, Quinn was a shareholder and wouldn't be personally involved, meaning there were really only six of them.At the moment, Quinn was flipping through the files with their information. As always, Luna's work was reliable. These five candidates had their own unique strengths, but they were all fresh out of college with no experience."Yes, just the seven of us." Quinn set down the files."This project is a tough one. Since our company launched it, it's been stalled for a long time. What are your thoughts?
Before 4:00 pm, Quinn left the office to meet Edgar.As soon as Edgar saw her, he went and poured her a glass of water. "Ms. Quinn, I'm really sorry I can't contribute to the project. I'm just not good at it," Edgar said, clearly dejected.Quinn gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Everyone has their own strengths. You've done plenty to help already. How's the research institute shaping up?" Quinn asked."We're all set for the first exam next month. I've got the exam plan ready," Edgar said, handing her a document.Quinn glanced over the plan. Seeing how Edgar had grown into someone reliable, she nodded in approval."Head over to Dudore and get everything ready for the exam. You'll be in charge of it from start to finish," Quinn said.After wrapping up her tasks, Quinn headed out to meet Nadia for their dinner.Nadia had been free in the afternoon, so she had shown up early to secure a spot in queue at the restaurant for Quinn.To Quinn's surprise, she ran into Xavier th
"Nads, I don't do well with trouble, and falling in love is the biggest trouble of all."Nadia had known that Quinn was skeptical about love, but she hadn't realized just how deep that skepticism ran."Quinny, not all men are like your father." Nadia wondered if Quinn was truly going to let Maurice's mistakes dictate the rest of her life. Would she let one man's failings cast a shadow over her future and forsake the possibility of love entirely?"Nads, I'm not going to invest my hopes in any man."Men would always be the same. They would be charming and attentive while they were trying to win you over, but once the novelty wore off, they would become completely different people.Quinn returned with the two dips, one of which she had deliberately spiked with extra hot sauce for Xavier.She handed him the spicier dip with a mischievous grin. "I'm not exactly a dip expert; I hope you don't mind."Xavier caught on immediately—she'd loaded his dip with hot sauce, while her own was
Quinn could taste the spicy flavor on Xavier's lips.Finally, he released her. She sat on his lap while he leaned against her chest, trying to calm the turmoil within him. Quinn couldn't deny that she felt something, too. She was only 20 years old, and they had been intimate before. Now, just a little teasing from him was enough to push her over the edge.Her body responded despite herself. Quinn instinctively tried to press her legs together."Do you want to? Should we get a hotel room?" Xavier asked, his voice husky with desire. "Quinn, isn't it better to be honest about what your body wants? Why hide it?"He could already sense her arousal.Quinn grabbed his chiseled chin, her grip firm. "Xavier, it's just a basic instinct."She tried to get off his lap, but his grip on her slender waist tightened. He refused to let her go. "Just let me hold you a bit longer," he murmured.He didn't want this either. But whenever she was closeby, his body refused to obey him.Quinn didn't