Bankrupt Tycoon? No Problem – This Villainess Will Make Him Rich Again

Chapter 184: Chapter 187: This Is What We Owe Sonia Quincy

Ethan Lockwood emerged from the conference room and hurriedly took the elevator to the underground parking garage.

The rumors outside were spreading like wildfire. If he didn’t leave immediately, he probably wouldn’t be able to get away at all.

"CLICK-CLACK-CLICK—"

The sound of rapid footsteps echoed relentlessly through the empty parking garage. Ethan Lockwood hurried along, heading straight for his parking spot.

But in the next second—

"Mr. Lockwood!"

"Mr. Lockwood, please wait!"

"Mr. Lockwood, can we ask you a couple of questions?!"

Speak of the devil. Before Ethan Lockwood could even get into his car, a horde of entertainment reporters had caught up to him.

The chaotic patter of footsteps swarmed him from behind. Without daring to look back, Ethan Lockwood broke into a dead sprint.

"Mr. Lockwood! Please wait!"

"Mr. Lockwood, we just want to ask you a couple of questions!"

Those detestable voices haunted him, nipping at his heels. Ethan Lockwood pulled the car key from his suit pocket and, just before the reporters could surround him, swiftly got into his car.

"SLAM!"

The car door slammed shut. Confined to the small cabin, Ethan Lockwood felt surprisingly secure.

"Mr. Lockwood!"

"Mr. Lockwood, can you come out and say a few words?"

"Mr. Lockwood, why are you running? Is it because you have a guilty conscience now that your dirty laundry has been aired?"

A dozen or so gossip reporters swarmed Ethan Lockwood’s car like flies, the dark maws of their cameras pressing against the window, practically on his face.

His expression was grim, his brow tightly furrowed. Ignoring the people swarming the front of his car, he slammed on the accelerator and lurched forward.

He wasn’t going fast, though. The impact from the front of the car was just enough to gently nudge the reporters aside without causing any real harm.

"VROOOM—"

Once free, the Cullinan shot out of the parking garage, leaving the pack of flustered reporters in its wake.

"Damn it!"

Someone cursed in frustration, "He actually got away! I didn’t get a single line for my story!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Hot tip!" another reporter suddenly yelled. "The other party in the affair, Cecilia Quincy, is at the entrance of the Serene Jewels studio right now! And that studio is right next door to this building!"

"What?!" At this, the other reporters immediately hoisted their cameras onto their shoulders and sprinted in the direction of the studio.

"Hurry up! If we’re late, she’ll get away!"

...

「Meanwhile, at Aethelburg Concord International Hospital.」

The private room was quiet and bright. Willow Quincy lay on the hospital bed, scrolling through his phone with a blank expression.

#SoniaQuincySoTragic#

#CeciliaQuincyTheHomewrecker#

#EthanLockwoodSocialClimber#

#SoniaQuincyIsBloomPreston#

#ARetrospectiveOfSoniaQuincysBrilliantDesigns#

...

Countless trending topics dominated Willow Quincy’s phone. He didn’t need to watch a livestream to grasp the full extent of this farce.

[Sonia Quincy has it so rough. I wouldn’t be able to handle even one of the things that happened to her!]

[No joke, if I were Sonia Quincy, I’d hang myself from the Quincy family’s front gate! If everyone wants to bully me, then I’ll make sure none of us has a happy ending!]

[Cecilia Quincy, get out of Aethelburg! There’s no place for scum like you in this city!]

[Starting today, I’m boycotting everything from the Lockwood Group and Quincy Enterprises! I won’t stop until they issue an apology!]

[Cecilia Quincy can get lost, the Quincy family can get lost, and as for Ethan Lockwood, he can crawl away and die in a ditch for all I care!!]

The comments under the trending topics grew increasingly vicious. Ethan Lockwood, Cecilia Quincy, and the entire Quincy family had become public enemy number one. Their situation was ten thousand times more difficult than Sonia Quincy’s had ever been.

But as Willow Quincy thought about all this, he didn’t feel the least bit of anger or anxiety. On the contrary, he was actually quite pleased.

’Sonia Quincy suffered so much at the hands of the Quincy family. Now that she’s had her revenge and cleared her name, she must be very happy.’

"BAM!"

The door to the hospital room was slammed open without warning. Fiona Dalton and Mr. Quincy rushed in, their faces dark.

Willow Quincy continued to stare at his phone, not even bothering to look up at them.

"Willow, have you seen the news?" Fiona Dalton lunged toward the bed, her eyes red as she stared at Willow Quincy and asked urgently.

"I have," Willow Quincy replied flatly, putting his phone away.

"Willow!" Fiona Dalton burst into tears. She grabbed Willow Quincy’s wrists, her crying pitiful and grief-stricken. "Willow, you have to figure out a way to save your sister! Not only is she being slandered, but she was beaten up by people Sonia Quincy sent!"

"I just managed to drag her away from the reporters, and her face is covered in handprints! When I saw her, my heart just about broke!"

"..."

Fiona Dalton was hysterical, but Willow Quincy’s only reaction was one of weary frustration.

"Mom." He looked up at Fiona Dalton, his gaunt face appearing exceptionally pale in the warm winter sun.

"How do you expect me to save her?" he asked bitterly.

"Wh-what do you mean by that?" Fiona Dalton’s crying came to a halt. She didn’t understand why Willow Quincy would ask such a question.

Willow Quincy heaved a heavy sigh. "Mom," he said, his voice weak, "Sonia Quincy has proof that Cecilia harmed her. What do we have?"

"..." Fiona Dalton was left speechless.

She dazedly released Willow Quincy’s hand and stood by the bed, her shoulders slumped.

"...Th-that evidence is all fake!" she finally choked out, her voice lacking conviction. "Sonia Quincy forged it all to frame Cecilia! Cecilia never did those things!"

"Heh, is that so?" A cold sneer played on Willow Quincy’s lips. "So the evidence was forged by Sonia Quincy. What about the recordings?"

"Th..." Fiona Dalton stammered, unable to form a response.

Willow Quincy continued, "I had them authenticated. The recordings Sonia Quincy released show no signs of editing or doctoring. Every word was spoken by Cecilia Quincy herself."

"Mom, Cecilia herself admitted to doing those things. Are you still going to cover for her?"

"...If I don’t cover for her, what else can I do?!" Fiona Dalton’s fragile composure completely shattered.

She angrily grabbed a handful of her hair and shrieked, on the verge of a breakdown, "Cecilia is my only daughter! What else can I do besides cover for her? Should I send her back to Xenning and bring Sonia Quincy home? Do you think that’s even possible anymore?"

"..." Willow Quincy watched her with a frown, the corners of his mouth turned down in a mocking sneer. He said nothing.

Fiona Dalton stomped her foot in desperation. "It’s too late, Willow! It’s completely and utterly too late! Sonia Quincy is never coming back to the Quincy family, and it’s impossible for Cecilia to sever ties with us. Whether you like it or not, Cecilia is your only sister! If you don’t save her, who will?!"

"Hmph..." Willow Quincy laughed again. "Mom, this is what we owe Sonia Quincy."

"The Quincy family owes her. You and Dad owe her. And I... I owe her more than anyone."