After Betrayal - I Married a Handsome Tycoon-Chapter 39: Except in Bed, They Were Strangers
As she got out of the elevator, Moira Sloan quickened her pace. Thinking she had gone unnoticed, she walked to the hospital entrance to hail a cab and leave.
Connor Quinn saw her retreating figure. He watched her get into the taxi without a word.
Jade Quinn had actually noticed too, but she didn’t dare say anything at first. It wasn’t until the siblings were in the car that she started to mumble while fastening her seatbelt, "Bro, why didn’t you say anything to her just now?"
Connor’s face was impassive. "Say what?"
Jade said, "You could have at least walked her out."
"She can get a cab on her own," Connor said.
Jade glared at him in exasperation. "Her getting a cab on her own is not the same as you seeing her off, is it?"
Connor expressionlessly changed the subject. "What do you want to eat later?"
Unhappy with Connor’s attitude but not daring to protest openly, Jade mumbled under her breath, ’There he goes again, using that trick.’
Meanwhile, after Moira got into the cab, she stared blankly out the window for a while. Then, for some reason, the conversation she’d overheard in the elevator suddenly flashed through her mind.
From the sound of it, that girl was Connor Quinn’s sister.
She needed surgery, which would cost a lot of money.
For over a week now, she had been doing the most intimate things with Connor Quinn while maintaining her highest guard.
She had never thought to pry into his private life and had consciously tried to avoid it.
But now, under these circumstances, she’d unexpectedly gotten a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg of his private life.
She suddenly recalled what the matchmaker had said back when they were set up: Connor Quinn was an orphan, with only a younger sister he’d grown up with, the two of them relying on each other to get by.
Moira’s thoughts began to grow wild, like weeds.
She didn’t have feelings for Connor, so she wasn’t too concerned about letting her thoughts wander. In the end, she came to a fair assessment of him: ’Putting feelings aside, the man is actually quite responsible.’
The cab arrived at her apartment complex. Moira took out her phone, scanned the QR code to pay, and got out.
She had only taken a couple of steps and hadn’t yet entered the complex gates when the phone in her hand suddenly buzzed twice.
She glanced down at her phone. A message had popped up on the screen.
[Connor Quinn: You’re hurt again?]
Moira raised an eyebrow. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
After a few seconds of thought, she realized what he meant and texted back: You just saw me?
Connor: Yeah.
Moira: Uh-huh.
Connor: Hurts?
Moira: I was at the hospital to meet a client.
Connor: Got it.
Looking at Connor’s reply, Moira didn’t text back.
She stopped at the entrance to the complex and reread their text exchange from the beginning. A derisive smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
’Yeah.’ ’Hurts?’ ’Got it.’
From those few words alone, anyone who didn’t know better would think she was the one chasing him.
After a soft chuckle, Moira started walking again in her high heels.
Back home, Moira placed the design drawings on the coffee table and went into the bathroom to wash her hands.
Hospitals were crawling with germs, and she was a bit of a germaphobe.
After coming out of the bathroom, she curled up on the sofa to look at the drawings.
Two jewelry boxes and a dressing table.
They seemed simple, but a one-year timeframe was already pushing the limits.
The Northern Polished Lacquer technique was a complex process. Not only did it demand exceptional painting skills, but it also placed rigorous demands on the artisan’s hands.
This was because, in addition to painting designs on the lacquerware with a brush, there was a core technique: polishing by hand. The pressure and warmth of the artisan’s hands directly affected the final luster of the polished surface.
Moira was studying the drawings intently when the phone by her ankle suddenly rang at full volume.
Her concentration broken, Moira couldn’t help but furrow her brow. But after seeing the caller ID, her expression softened. She picked up the phone, pressed answer, and said in a warm, gentle voice, "Auntie."
The moment Moira spoke, a middle-aged woman’s joyous voice came through the phone. "Moira, are you busy right now?"
Moira set the drawings down and idly twirled a strand of hair with her slender fingers. "Not at all. What’s on your mind?"
The woman said happily, "I’m calling with good news! The whole business with those accusations against you will be resolved soon. Your Third Brother said he managed to contact your Eldest Brother. As long as he’s willing to come forward and back you up, you’ll definitely be alright."
