Semua Bab When She Turns Her Back: Bab 461 - Bab 470

Even though Talia ignored him, Quentin continued his playful attempts to engage with her. He wanted to see her smile.The car soon pulled into the restaurant's parking lot.The moment they arrived, Talia spotted Christian's car. It had just parked as well, but Christian was already unfastening his seatbelt and climbing out. He walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, ducked his head to shield Nancy from the car roof, and helped her out, taking her hand.Watching the scene unfold, Talia felt her heart clench painfully. Throughout their five years of marriage, Christian had never shown her such attentiveness. Yet with Nancy, every gesture of care seemed to come naturally to him.After Henry parked, he went around to open Talia's door. On the other side, Quentin had already gotten out and extended his hand toward her through the open door.Both men spoke at the same time. "Come on out."Their synchronized invitation caught Talia off guard. She pulled her attention away

After everyone had eaten a little, Shawn raised his glass to propose a toast. That night's gathering was an annual tradition, though Talia had never attended before.Her glass was filled with liquor. She felt a flicker of surprise when she picked it up, but said nothing.As a doctor, she understood the toll her recent procedure had taken on her body and knew she shouldn't be drinking. Still, she had no choice but to raise her glass with everyone else.Christian noticed this too. He glanced at Talia with confusion, but when she didn't object, he let it go.After the glasses clinked together, Shawn spoke. "I'm honored you all came tonight. Let me drink first as a sign of respect."With that, Shawn downed the small shot of liquor in one go.Everyone present worked in medicine, which meant frequent social obligations and drinking. A single shot was nothing to most of them. Besides, if Shawn had already drunk his, who would dare refuse?Talia stared at her glass and frowned. As she w

Talia knew that showing no fear was the only way to avoid being pushed around.Christian sat across from her, watching. He hadn't expected her to be so forthright, much less to lay out her situation so openly for everyone to hear.After Talia finished speaking, the murmurs around the table grew louder than before. But those voices didn't matter much to her.What hurt more than their disdain was Christian's role in it. He'd thrown her under scrutiny just to salvage Nancy's dignity.The chatter around them grew louder."Starting a PhD now? She won't finish until she's 33.""That's if everything goes smoothly. If not, she might not finish at all.""Does it even matter if she finishes? By then, she'll be too old. Who would want her?"They spoke without restraint, completely ignoring Henry's presence beside her. Across the table, Nancy watched Talia being mocked, a small smile playing at her lips. She glanced over at Henry.Henry had his head turned toward Talia, monitoring her rea

Outside the private dining room, Quentin sat in the restaurant's lounge area, working through emails on his phone. He had neglected his work these past few days to stay with Talia, and the backlog was piling up. Now that he had some free time, he wanted to tackle what he could.While typing out a response, Quentin heard a male voice from the direction of the host stand. "Do you have any private rooms available?"The voice sounded vaguely familiar. When he looked up, he saw Connor.Quentin's expression turned cold. But since they were in a public space, he forced himself to swallow his rage.Connor requested a private room and followed the server inside. About half an hour later, he emerged from the dining room. Quentin tracked his movements and watched him head toward the public restroom in the main hall.After Connor went inside, Quentin followed. He positioned himself in front of the mirror and lit a cigarette.By the time he'd finished one, Connor still hadn't come out. Halfwa

As soon as Christian called, Connor's hoarse voice came through. "Chris, I got beaten up."Christian frowned as he asked in disbelief, "Where are you? Who did this?"Before Connor could respond, Quentin set down his coffee cup. He turned his head slightly and said to Christian in an offhand tone, "He's in the restroom. I did it."He spoke as casually as if he were talking about what he had had for lunch. Christian's frown deepened. Without uttering a single word, he turned and headed toward the restroom.Quentin stood and followed at a leisurely pace. The moment they entered, Connor's voice rang out. "Chris, it was Quentin, that bastard. You have to kill him for me."The blood on Connor's face looked horrifying. He hadn't bothered to clean it off, letting it stay smeared across his skin.Christian stared at his brother, stunned.Before Christian could speak, Quentin laughed coldly from the doorway. "Christian, I beat your brother, and I'm standing right here. Let's see how you p