Quinn had no idea what went through Liam's mind when he saw her standing upstairs, but his expression suddenly turned ugly.
"Well, well. I never knew Miss Walker enjoyed spying on other people's private moments." His voice was cold, dripping with mockery. "What's wrong? Wishing you were the one in her place?"
Quinn hadn't expected him to be quite so vicious. It took her a moment to recover before she replied, "If you two like that sofa so much, transfer half a million to my account and take it somewhere else to have your fun."
"That much?" Riley gasped almost immediately.
Liam, however, was staring at Quinn in surprise. Of all the reactions he'd anticipated, this certainly wasn't one of them.
As far as he could remember, Quinn had always greeted him with a smile. Even when he'd only been fooling around with other women, she'd never been particularly happy about it. After what he'd just said to her, he'd expected her to be shocked and hurt, perhaps even demand to know why he didn't treat her like his fiancée.
At least, that was how he'd imagined she would react.
He studied her face more closely, searching for some trace of the distress he was sure she must be feeling. But Quinn merely looked down at him from the upper floor, her expression revealing nothing except that familiar, untouchable air of superiority.
God, he hated that look.
As though she'd been born above everyone else, while he was nothing more than a rat that had crawled out of the shadows to reach her.
"Come downstairs."
The command came abruptly, without explanation. Liam kept his eyes fixed on her as he repeated, "Come down here and talk to me."
Quinn felt sick.
The absurd scene unfolding below was revolting enough, but remembering how she'd spent the past three years made her stomach turn even more. How many times had she followed Liam around, smiling pleasantly as she sent one woman after another packing?
She could still remember their tearstained faces and their desperate insistence that he loved them.
"Mr. Grant promised he'd marry me!"
Marriage. The one thing Quinn had dreamed of since childhood, the one subject Liam had stopped bringing up with her after their engagement.
Yet he'd apparently spent the past three years promising it to countless other women.
She'd simply chosen not to care, or at least pretended she didn't. She'd refused to acknowledge what those promises really meant.
Worse still, she'd laughed at those women for being so naive, for humiliating themselves over a man who would never marry them.
And now, looking back, she realized she'd been the most naive and humiliated of them all.
Quinn turned her face away, hiding the redness gathering around her eyes. "Liam, don't forget to pay for your girlfriend."
Riley immediately bristled.
"Miss Walker, we're talking about half a million, not fifty dollars!"
Her voice rose with indignation.
"Do you have any idea how many girls from poor mountain villages could have a chance at a better life with that money? How many books and art supplies it could buy for underprivileged children?"
She was so worked up that her entire body seemed to tremble.
"Of course you don't! To someone like you, it's just a number! All you know is that whenever you're unhappy, you can make Liam spend a fortune to cheer you up!"
Every word was filled with outrage and barely concealed contempt for people like Quinn, who had been born into wealth.
For the first time, Quinn took a proper look at the scholarship student who had caught Liam's attention.
Despite everything she'd been doing with him, Riley was still wearing that faded T-shirt. With her simple appearance and stubborn demeanor, she certainly looked like a modest, determined young woman who'd had to fight her way through life.
"So?"
Quinn tilted her head slightly.
The question caught Riley off guard, but she quickly recovered. "Well, if you're that rich, you should obviously donate more money to people who need it!"
Quinn smiled. Apparently, Liam's taste in women wasn't particularly impressive after all.
"Alright, then. I'll give it to you."
"What?"
Riley looked confused.
"The half a million. I'll give you all of it."
Resting her hands on the railing, Quinn looked down at her and continued, "Now that you have half a million, how much are you planning to donate?"
"I..."
Riley's eyes flickered, and for the first time, she hesitated.
"Enough!"
Liam had recognized Quinn's mockery immediately and cut her off before she could continue.
"If you're so desperate for that money, I'll have my assistant transfer it to you."
His expression hardened.
"But once you take it, you'd better understand one thing. I'm never going to marry you."
He paused before continuing. "You have fifteen days to announce that we're no longer together. I suggest you do it yourself. Otherwise..."
Liam stared up at Quinn, his resentment growing stronger with every second. He couldn't stand having to look up at her like this, so he abandoned any attempt at subtlety.
"Otherwise, when I publicly announce my proposal to Riley online for everyone to see, don't come complaining that I've humiliated the Walker family!"
With that, he turned away without bothering to see how Quinn reacted. He carefully scooped Riley off the sofa and strode toward the door, carrying her in his arms.
Quinn remained upstairs, watching him leave without a single backward glance.
A faint ache stirred in her chest. It felt as though the boy she'd known and loved in her youth was slowly slipping further and further away.
Fifteen days.
That worked out perfectly. It was just enough time for her to settle everything before leaving for her training.
Only after the front door slammed shut did Quinn make her way downstairs.
Among the shards of the broken vase, Quinn spotted the little crystal cross. She bent to pick it up, surprised to find it still in one piece. Fine cracks spread across its sparkling surface like a spiderweb, leaving it looking as though it might shatter at the slightest touch.
At least it hadn't broken completely. She could still use it to get back the emerald pendant Catherine had left her, which was in Liam's possession.
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