Chapter 37 No More Mercy
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Quinn stared coldly at the bouquet in front of her and let out a mocking laugh. “Mr. Xavier, I don’t deserve this. Save it for your precious baby sister.”
What surprised her was that Xavier didn’t get angry at her sarcasm. Instead, he gently tucked the bouquet into the crook of her arm, his expression filled with concern.
“Are your injuries healing okay? Don’t be so reckless next time. Take better care of yourself.”
Quinn glanced down at the vibrant flowers in her arms. They weren’t tulips–Olive’s favorite–but baby’s breath, her favorite.
After a brief pause, Quinn looked up and smiled at him, then shoved the flowers back. “You take the wrong meds this morning? If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. If not, get out of my way.”
And with that, she walked off without looking back.
At first, she’d wondered if Xavier had really.changed–but the moment she found out that his company and hers were bidding for the same major project, she understood exactly what he was playing at.
Quinn threw herself fully into the competition. Trying to beat her at her own game? They were dreaming.
Outwardly, she appeared fully focused on the project. But privately, she was still digging into the identities of the men who had drugged and kidnapped her.
So far, she’d only traced them to Southeast Asia–no exact location yet.
And then there was that voice–so familiar, yet impossible to place.
To uncover the truth, she needed to find those people.
The day of the bid.
Quinn arrived with her team fifteen minutes early, but something was off–the elevator wasn’t coming down.
She waited several minutes, repeatedly checking her watch. Only five minutes until the bidding began.
Almost immediately, she sensed what was going on. The Fairchilds are behind this. They’re trying to keep me from showing up.
She let out a cold laugh. If they had control over this elevator, the others were probably disabled too.
That left only one option–take the stairs. Unless they’d locked those up as w
“The stairs? Boss, that’s twenty–eight floors!” one of her teammates said in disbelief.
“Then we climb.”
Quinn turned to a younger colleague and ordered, “You’re the fastest. Run up first. Stall the hosts until I get
there.”
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Chapter 37 No More Mercy
Quinn and another teammate followed closely behind.
By the time they reached the conference hall, gasping for breath, the presentations had just begun.
In the front row sat Xavier. The two seats beside him were empty.
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Quinn scoffed quietly and marched straight up to take the seat next to him. The moment she sat down, the bidding officially began.
When it was the Fairchild company’s turn, their proposal was indeed impressive–but Quinn didn’t blink. Not because she was arrogant, but because she knew she had them beat.
The real showdown began when Quinn took the stage.
“Our company is answering the call of the times. Unlike previous proposals, we’re focused on breaking tradition and integrating emerging technologies. For example…”
Though she’d arrived late, her powerful delivery and innovative plan quickly won over the crowd. The applause was thunderous.
Back at her seat, Xavier watched her with a strange expression. Afterward, as she gathered her documents, he approached.
“Quinn, the results come out in three days. Do you really think you’ve got it in the bag?”
She met his gaze, calm and unwavering. “Mr. Xavier, there’s still three days to go. Why so anxious? Or are you… scared?”
“So the little tricks didn’t work on you after all.”
Quinn crossed her arms, staring him down without the slightest flinch. “Keep trying.”
Xavier cleared his throat awkwardly, remembering what Colton had told him. Testing the waters, he said, “The Fairchild family can offer you a bigger platform. Coming back would give you more space to grow. Think about it?”
“Would you have said that to me three years ago?” she asked in return.
“If I didn’t have value to you now, would you even bother looking my way? Offer me an olive branch?”
To Quinn, it was just pity wrapped in business terms.
She thought back on everything Xavier had done to her in the past. “Don’t show up in front of me again. Just seeing any of you makes me sick to my stomach.”
She didn’t even look at him again.
“And you’d better take good care of Grandpa. If anything happens to him, I swear–I’ll drag every last one of you down with me.”
. “She really said that?”
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Olive sneered. “So what? If she’s out, she’s out. It’s not like the Fairchild company can’t run without her.”
“Shut up and eat,” Colton snapped, out of patience.
How had he never noticed before? Olive was all surface–nothing underneath.
