Chapter 126: Chapter 124: Hurry Back for a Good "Exchange" (Part 4)
She took another, closer look and saw that it was, indeed, his car.
Nora tried to control her emotions, but it was clearly useless. She didn’t know why she still wanted to get close to him, even knowing she had nearly died because of him.
Why was it that she, who had only been with him under coercion, now found herself wanting to see him even more?
She couldn’t explain the reason for these feelings.
She clearly wanted to let go, but her feet wouldn’t move.
’So, just seeing him from the shadows is good enough.’
She threw on her coat, put on a headscarf, and went downstairs.
As she neared his car, she only confirmed the license plate number when she reached the entrance of Temptation. It was Quentin Grant’s car.
Nora walked inside without a word. She didn’t look back, heading straight for the VIP area.
Just as she got to the top of the stairs, a glamorously dressed woman came rushing toward her. The woman suddenly noticed her and grabbed her by the arm, startling Nora.
"Miss, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"
Nora was slightly on guard. "What is it?"
"We have a guest here who wants to listen to the piano, but our only pianist is out of town. Can you play?"
Nora nodded. "A little."
"Great. How about this: you help us out and play one piece on the piano. The guest will choose the song, and you can play it from the sheet music. As long as you play well, I’ll give you five thousand, cash on the spot."
Nora’s eyes lit up. ’Five thousand for one song? That’s not a bad price at all!’
"Okay," she readily agreed.
"I’m Ruby. Come with me to change your clothes first."
Nora shook her head. "Is it okay if I don’t change? I have to leave right after I play the song."
Ruby readily agreed. "Our VIP area cultivates an air of mystery. You don’t have to take off your headscarf. Follow me."
They went to her suite, where Ruby took out a white cloak and draped it over her head. "Let’s go."
Nora followed her, and they stopped in front of a room.
The moment she entered, Nora froze. This wasn’t just any room—it was Quentin’s.
He was the only one there.
There was a screen providing cover, which allowed Nora to relax a little as she sat down at the piano.
She peered through the screen and saw him sitting alone on the sofa, with several empty liquor bottles on the table.
"Play ’Auditory Hallucination’."
Nora didn’t know how to play this song, but by looking at the sheet music, she slowly began to play.
The air was quiet, with only the melody flowing through the room.
Nora kept her head down and focused on playing, not noticing that he had laid down and fallen asleep.
When she finished the piece, she sat there watching him lie quietly on the sofa, like a child.
Just as she was about to stand up, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Charlotte Young walked in.
Nora had seen her once before, so she recognized her immediately.
Charlotte didn’t seem to see her. She immediately bent over him and asked in a low voice, "President Grant? Quentin? Are you drunk?"
Only silence answered her.
Charlotte looked at him and actually reached out to stroke his face. Nora watched that hand, and for some reason, she had the urge to grab a knife and chop off that paw.
She had thought Charlotte would help Quentin home, but that was clearly not the case. The woman had ulterior motives.
Nora sat there, gritting her teeth. ’This Charlotte Young looks like such a lady, but she’s actually completely trashy!’
’If I hadn’t come tonight, would that mean Charlotte would have become his woman and then married him openly and justifiably?’
Nora was about to step out from behind the screen when she saw Charlotte go into the bathroom. A moment later, the sound of running water came from inside.
She slipped out carefully, closed the door behind her, and went to get her five thousand from Ruby.
When she returned to the door, she saw Charlotte undressing Quentin.
As Charlotte turned and bent over to pull off Quentin’s pants, Nora quietly pushed the door open, walked in, and kicked her hard in the ass. The result was predictable.
The kick was so forceful that Charlotte hit the ground before she could even scream.
Nora dragged her into the bathroom and jammed the door shut from the outside with a wooden stick.
Then she prepared to put Quentin’s clothes back on him, but she hadn’t expected him to be so drowsy from whatever he had been drugged with.
He slowly opened his eyes, and a blurry figure gradually came into focus.
"Nora, am I drunk and dreaming again?"
His gaze never left her.
Nora felt extremely uncomfortable under his stare. She prepared to get up and leave, but he grabbed her hand.
"Don’t even think about leaving. You appeared in my dream yesterday, and I couldn’t keep you. Tonight, I won’t let you go."
He lay there, exhausted, not wanting to close his eyes. Perhaps he was afraid that if he did, it would no longer be a dream when he opened them again.
But in the end, he couldn’t fight the power of the drugged drink and fell into a deep sleep.
Nora cleaned up the scene a little and then left.
Back home, she looked at the clock on the wall. It was already ten-thirty.
She poured herself a cup of tea, sat down in the hanging chair on the balcony, and drank it slowly.
Gazing up at the sky, Nora’s mood fluctuated. She hummed a song she had secretly sung to herself dozens of times.
"I’ll do anything, I’m willing to watch over you ’til dawn / And leave a piece of my heart in every corner / This is the strength I long for, to be an Iris Sterling / With so much life and so much love / In my world, I only have you / I just want to give you a special surprise / But you ignore me—"
’If I can’t let go and can’t walk away, isn’t it better to just let nature take its course?’
She had always said she was a strong woman, one who knew what she wanted. Before, she didn’t know his feelings, but now that she did, why did she need to run away anymore—
After sorting through her emotions like this, Nora suddenly felt as if everything had become clear.
Anyone who passed by the door to Quentin Grant’s room knew that a woman had been crying out in distress inside. Her cries had started the previous night and continued all the way until morning.
Right up until Quentin woke up.
When he opened his eyes and saw his surroundings, his mind was filled with scenes from the night before: Nora, wearing a veil, watching him from his side. He sat up in a daze.
He looked down at himself. His clothes were all in order.
He gave a bitter laugh. ’I really must be having hallucinations.’
He walked woodenly to the bathroom door, removed the wooden stick, and pushed the door open.
The scene before him was unexpected.
Charlotte Young was sitting on the floor with her hair disheveled, seemingly not feeling the cold at all. There were marks on her right cheek, as if she had been hit.
"What happened to you?"
Charlotte snapped back to her senses and burst into tears with a loud WAIL. "Quentin, you have to get justice for me! I came here looking for you last night, and a woman in a veil beat me up and locked me in the bathroom all night!"
Quentin’s eyes widened in shock, and his lips trembled uncontrollably. "What... what did you say?"
Charlotte’s eyes were full of tears. She was deeply moved by his expression, blinking through her tears. "Yes! Last night, a woman in a veil forced her way in, kicked me to the ground, and then locked me in the bathroom! WAHHH, are you okay?"
