He Does Not Deserve My Devotion-Chapter 32: Bowing in Submission
Nina Walsh said, "The cut on the dress is clean and straight. It was obviously done with a sharp tool. It has nothing to do with Shelly."
"Exactly. You can check the security footage. I didn’t have anything in my hands when I got close. There’s no way I could have made a cut like that."
Michelle Quinn was so furious she’d forgotten to examine the cut herself.
Nina Walsh had seen through these kinds of frame-ups long ago.
"If anyone who touched the dress is a suspect, then the person who first discovered the damage is the most suspicious of all. Simple frame-ups like this happen all the time. For all we know, the weapon is still on the culprit right now. If you don’t believe me, search them!"
At these words, Clara Jacobs’s expression changed. She unconsciously hid her hands behind her back. She was clutching a small pair of scissors.
Just moments before, while trying on the wedding dress in the fitting room, she had deliberately cut the hem and then cried foul. She was just annoyed with Michelle Quinn’s attitude—’how dare a little nobody like her give me attitude’.
Shirley Thompson was her friend and naturally had her back, so she had been brazen from the start, not even bothering to put down the scissors.
She just never expected Nina Walsh to accidentally hit the nail on the head.
Clara Jacobs glanced nervously at Aiden Sinclair. If he sided with Nina Walsh and actually ordered a search, she would be exposed.
Aiden Sinclair saw Clara Jacobs’s furtive movement. He looked up at Nina Walsh. "Since you want a search, we’ll start with you two."
"Fine! Search me!"
To clear her name, Michelle Quinn held out her arms and offered herself up for the search.
Shirley Thompson went up, patted down her pockets, and then opened the bag she was carrying.
"Found it!"
Shirley Thompson pulled a small pair of scissors from the bag.
Michelle Quinn froze. "Impossible! Those aren’t mine."
Nina Walsh froze too, but she immediately remembered that Aiden Sinclair had just used Michelle’s phone to make a call. ’He must have messed with her bag.’
She turned to Aiden Sinclair, her voice filled with grief and indignation. "Was this you? Shelly never did anything to you! Why are you framing her?"
Aiden Sinclair turned to Clara Jacobs. "Go get changed. I’ll handle things here."
Clara Jacobs, who had been looking for a chance to ditch her own pair of scissors, quickly turned and darted into the dressing room.
Shirley Thompson glanced at Michelle Quinn, then, clutching the small pair of scissors, quickly followed Clara Jacobs into the dressing room.
Only then did Aiden Sinclair turn to Michelle Quinn. "The evidence is conclusive. Do you want to settle this privately or publicly? A private settlement will cost you five million. If you want to go public, I’ll have you handed over to the police right now."
Michelle Quinn said, "I’m innocent. I want to call the police."
Aiden Sinclair replied, "Are you sure? The police will run a background check. Everything you’ve done in the past will be dug up..."
Michelle Quinn felt as if a hand were closing around her throat, and she hesitated. Back in the orphanage, she often went hungry and had sometimes resorted to petty tricks to "find" food. She didn’t want that dark part of her past dredged up again.
Seeing Michelle Quinn’s hesitation, Aiden Sinclair pressed her again. "Have you decided? Pay the money or go to the police?"
Nina Walsh’s gaze faltered. The humiliation of kneeling at the hospital entrance swept over her again, wrapping around her like a wet, heavy blanket—airtight and suffocating.
She stared blankly at Aiden Sinclair’s cold eyes. "I paid for the three million by kneeling. For five million... should I kneel and kowtow three times? Would that be enough?"
As she spoke, her knees began to buckle, but Michelle Quinn grabbed her.
"Nina, stop! I’ll take responsibility for my own actions. This is my mess, and I’ll handle it."
Aiden Sinclair found the utterly hopeless expression on Nina Walsh’s face grating.
"Mr. Sinclair," Michelle said, "please be lenient. Give me three days. I’ll pay the five million."
Michelle Quinn dragged Nina Walsh out of the bridal shop.
"Shelly, I’m so sorry. I got you dragged into this."
Nina Walsh was overcome with guilt. ’If it weren’t for me, Michelle would never have been framed.’
"What are you talking about? You have nothing to be sorry for. It’s those awful people who are just too vicious and brazen. I’m not afraid of them. One day, I’ll make them pay!"
"Nina, promise me you’ll pull yourself together. I’ll figure out the money. Just don’t do anything stupid."
Michelle Quinn’s optimism was infectious; she was the type of person who could use the sky as a blanket even if it were falling. Her energy, combined with Nina’s own guilt, actually helped lift her spirits.
Forcing themselves to keep their spirits up, the two returned to their small apartment. Michelle Quinn nudged Nina Walsh toward the bed.
"Look at you, you’re pale as a ghost! You need to rest. You’re pregnant, you have to take care of yourself."
Nina Walsh couldn’t sleep, but not wanting Michelle to worry, she closed her eyes anyway.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she heard Michelle Quinn on the phone. Her voice was painfully deferential as she asked people to lend her money. She even called a real estate agent about selling their small apartment to cover the debt.
This apartment was Michelle’s home, her proudest achievement.
The ordeals of the last two days made Nina Walsh completely abandon certain principles.
’Dignity isn’t important. Principles aren’t important. Nothing is more important than money.’
...
Michelle Quinn hung up the phone, her face etched with worry.
A quick sale of the apartment would fetch a million at most, and she had only managed to borrow around four or five hundred thousand. She was still a long, long way from five million.
After turning it over in her mind, Michelle Quinn came to a decision.
She peeked into the bedroom and, seeing that Nina was asleep, quietly changed her clothes and left the apartment.
The moment the door clicked shut, Nina Walsh’s eyes opened, and she sat up in bed.
Following Michelle’s lead, Nina also opened the door and left the small apartment.
...
「Night fell, and the city lights began to glow.」
Michelle Quinn parked her car and rang the doorbell.
After a few rings, the door opened. Cameron Lawson stood on the other side, wrapped in a white bathrobe with his hair still damp.
Cameron Lawson’s eyes raked over the woman at his door. She wore a silk V-neck top tucked into a black leather miniskirt, revealing a hint of her collarbones. The outfit highlighted her curved waist and hips, and combined with her sultry red lips and ear-length bob, the look was both wild and sexy.
"I need to borrow some money," Michelle Quinn said bluntly.
Cameron Lawson frowned, then stepped aside. "Come in."
As Michelle Quinn stepped inside, a tall, curly-haired woman emerged from Cameron Lawson’s bedroom, wearing what was clearly one of his shirts.
The two women locked eyes for a moment before Michelle pressed her lips together and looked away.
Diana, the design director for the Lawson Group, simply smiled. She clutched the suit jacket slung over her shoulder and sashayed to the door. "Mr. Lawson, I’ll head out now. See you at the office tomorrow."
Even after the woman was gone, Michelle could still smell the nauseatingly strong scent of her perfume lingering in the air.
"How much do you need?"
Cameron Lawson poured two glasses of wine. He took one, sat down on the sofa, and watched her with a leisurely air.
"Five million."
Cameron Lawson raised an eyebrow. A knowing smile touched his lips as he seemed to consider whether this particular transaction was worth five million.
After a few seconds, he asked, "You won’t regret this?"
Michelle Quinn took out her phone, switched it off, and tossed it to the side.
Cameron Lawson drained his glass in one go. "Go take a shower."
"I already did."
Michelle Quinn walked over, leaned in, and sat on his lap. She lowered her head, her lips tracing over his brow, his eyes...
