LOGINAs far as Talia was concerned, Quentin had more money than he knew what to do with. When she didn't reply, he went ahead and video-called her instead.She answered the call to find him still in bed, wearing a gray silk pajama set with his hair falling carelessly across his forehead. He hadn't made any effort to clean up, yet he was unfairly handsome.The sight of him caught her off guard. A flush crept up her cheeks before she could stop it, and she glanced away, suddenly too flustered to hold eye contact.Quentin didn't seem to notice. "Please, honey. Come car shopping with me. We'll pick one you like."Talia frowned. "Why do you need a new car all of a sudden?"He lied without missing a beat. "I got into an accident. The car's totaled."Her eyes went wide as she asked, "You were in an accident? Last night? Why didn't you tell me?"The genuine worry on her face sent a small sting of guilt through him, causing him to come clean a second later. "Okay, that's not what happened. Mo
The silence between Monica and Quentin stretched, taut and suffocating.But Monica refused to give in. She swallowed her fear and met Quentin's gaze head-on. Even though the look in his eyes was fierce enough to devour her whole, she didn't back down an inch."I'm not getting out," she told him stubbornly. "This seat should've been mine in the first place."Quentin watched her plant herself in the passenger seat, and he shrugged like it meant nothing to him. "Suit yourself. I'll just buy a new one."He pushed the door open and stepped out of the car. Only when Monica realized he was actually leaving did she scramble after him. "Quentin, wait!"He didn't so much as glance back. He walked away without a second of hesitation, as if he hadn't heard her at all.Monica wanted to chase him, but Quentin had already flagged down a cab. When it pulled over, he climbed in, and the car started to roll away right in front of her.Then the rear window slid down. Quentin leaned into view, his
Once he had buckled his seatbelt, Quentin floored the gas, and the car pulled away. The thugs watched the vehicle disappear down the road, each of them spitting after it in disgust.Inside the car, Monica kept stealing glances at Quentin. His eyes were fixed on the road ahead, and his hands were steady on the wheel. Something about it made her smile to herself.But the next second, the car slammed to a hard stop.Monica hadn't bothered with her seatbelt. The sudden brake threw her forward, and she almost hit the windshield before she caught herself against the dashboard.Before she could even adjust herself, Quentin's voice cut through the silence, low and flat. "Get out."Monica went rigid. She turned to stare at him, disbelief written across her face. "What?"He stared at her, unblinking, his expression cold and distant. He repeated himself with measured patience. "I said, get out of the car."But Monica still didn't move. She said, "You do care about me. I know you do."Quen
Quentin slammed the car door shut behind him.The sound cracked through the quiet street like a gunshot, and the men circling the woman all froze. They turned to look.When they saw that it was just some guy stepping out of a luxury car, they weren't intimidated. One of them sneered. "Hey buddy, don't think that you can play the hero just because you've got a nice ride. This isn't your fight. If you know what's good for you, walk away."Quentin didn't flinch. He pulled out a cigarette, shook it loose from the pack, cupped his lighter against the wind, and lit it.He took a long drag, then looked at the men through the smoke with one brow raised. "I'm making it my fight. What are you going to do about it?"That was Quentin. Unapologetically bold, unreasonably stubborn, and not the least bit interested in playing nice.The men scoffed. "You're not doing a damn thing, pal. Get lost before we make you."Quentin acted like he hadn't heard a single word they had said. Instead of backi
Quentin kept grinning between bites.Talia couldn't help herself. She said, "Stop smiling and eat."That only made him grin wider. "Yes, ma'am, wifey."He went back to eating with gusto. When he was done, he carried everything to the kitchen, washed up, and came back out.Talia stood and said, "I'll walk you out."Quentin nodded. "Okay."He didn't want to leave, but he agreed anyway. Staying any longer would've been pushing it.When they stepped outside the Stewart residence together, Quentin didn't get in the car. He just stood by the curb, clearly hoping to stretch the moment a little further.Talia smiled faintly. "It's late. Go home."Quentin turned to look at her. "I really don't want to."Talia smiled at him, then brought a bag out from behind her back and held it toward him. "Here. Take this."Quentin looked down at it, puzzled. "What is it?"She pressed it into his hands. "Wait till you get home to open it."The mystery of it was killing him, but since she'd made t
Talia looked so serious that Quentin felt a flicker of unease. Nevertheless, he kept his composure."Go ahead."Talia hesitated for a long time before the words finally came out. "I've never met your father. Is he—"The light left Quentin's face almost instantly, and his eyes turned red. "He's dead."Talia immediately regretted asking. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."But she'd been so curious, so eager to know more about him, that the question had slipped out before she could stop it.Seeing the guilt on her face, Quentin softened his demeanor. He gave her a faint smile. "He's not actually dead. He just left us."That only surprised her more. "Why? Where did he go?"Quentin started to answer. "He's in Bry—"Then he stopped himself. After a beat, he simply said, "I don't know."Talia caught the way he'd pulled back, but she didn't press. Just then, the soup on the stove started bubbling over.Talia reached for the ladle, but Quentin's hand got there first. Her fi
When the elevator arrived, the group stepped inside. Talia stood beside Millie, but her gaze fell on their reflections in the elevator's metallic walls.In the reflection, Quentin was smiling. Millie was smiling too. Only Talia looked confused and uncertain.Quentin clearly came from such a privil
Talia gave a faint smile and said, "Thank you, Mrs. Henderson."Millie waved a hand dismissively. "There's no need to be so polite. We'll be family soon anyway."Talia wasn't sure how to respond, so she turned to Quentin.Seeing her look at him, Quentin shrugged nonchalantly. "I simply mentioned
Talia turned and glanced at the hospital bed. Yvonne's face was rosy, and her eyes were wide and bright. She didn't look sick at all.As she thought it over, she figured that Yvonne was probably faking it.And so, feigning helplessness, she turned to the doctors and said, "In that case, let's go a
When Henry locked eyes with Talia, he quickly smiled.Talia returned a soft smile, then pressed her lips together before asking, "Is there something urgent?"Henry didn't want to hide it from her, so he answered truthfully, "There's an emergency surgery I need to do."Talia looked at him with con







