Chapter 27
The owner sighed sympathetically, pushing the bowl closer to Quinn. "Eat it while it's hot; it tastes better that way."
Quinn wiped her tears and managed a weak smile. She picked up her fork and began to eat, her actions revealing a hunger that suggested she hadn't eaten in days. Tears continued to fall, mixing with the spaghetti in her bowl. The Spaghetti shop was run by a middle-aged couple who had lost a child in a traffic accident years ago.
Since then, they dedicated their lives to their shop, occasionally offering free meals to those in need as a way to honor their child's memory.
Quinn stayed in the shop throughout the afternoon, lingering there even as night fell. Observing her, the woman turned to her husband with concern. "This poor child seems so lost. Don't you think she has nowhere to go?"Her husband speculated quietly, "She's mute, probably came this way to look for work."
As the evening ended and the last customers departed, the owner's wife approached Quinn gently. "Sweetheart, where's your home?"
Quinn shook her head, her expression somber. She'd been without a home since she was five.
With a kind sigh, the woman offered, "If you've nowhere to go, why not stay and help out around here? We have a storage room you can sleep in. Just help with dish washing and a bit of cleaning during the day." Quinn looked at her in surprise.
The woman smiled wryly. "Mind you, we don't make much here, so there's no pay."
Quinn nodded in agreement, silently expressing her gratitude through gestures. The woman looked at Quinn thoughtfully, her gaze distant. "If my daughter were still here, she'd be around your age," she mused. Quinn lowered her gaze, staying silent.
The woman prepared the storage room for her, arranging a metal frame bed that was there for nights they stayed up too late.
That night, Quinn slept in the cramped room. It was nothing like Alexander's villa, but she felt safe and secure. She touched her belly, pondering if Alexander didn't come looking for her,, she might just stay here until the baby was born. Meanwhile, Alexander returned home to find the villa empty. It was nearly midnight, and Quinn hadn't returned.
He searched the kitchen and then the upstairs bedroom, but found no sign of her. As Alexander checked each unopened door, his unease grew. Something prompted him to check the walk-in closet.
Opening it, he saw that Quinn's clothes were still there, which slightly softened his expression. Back in the living room, he pulled out his phone and called his assistant, "Find out where Quinn is."
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"Quinn's missing?" the assistant asked.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
Alexander lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and his expression was unreadable. "Getting clever, isn't she?"
Sensing his mood, the assistant quickly agreed and ended the call.
Finding her wouldn't be difficult; pulling up the surveillance footage from outside VX Games would reveal where she had gone.
The footage showed her getting off at the last bus stop and heading into the old district. The assistant glanced at Alexander, who was intently staring at the computer screen, his face emotionless. Tentatively, the assistant asked, "Should I bring Quinn back?"
"No, freeze all her cards," Alexander ordered as he switched off the monitor, his voice carrying a trace of coldness. "She'll learn her lesson and come back home once she's faced some hardship."
But things weren't going to unfold as smoothly as he'd anticipated.