Chapter 434 Broken Inheritance
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Quinn couldn’t help but fly into a rage. “So your father wanted me dead–just to prove that you’re his mirror image? Did it never occur to him you might also die in that fire?”
The question dragged her back to the choking smoke, the blistering heat, the moment when a single delayed rescue would have meant a pair of unmarked graves.
“He doesn’t care,” Julius answered without hesitation. “My life has never mattered to him. He even planted explosives at the site to make certain the flames finished the job.”
Quinn stared at the man before her. Even as he spoke of a father willing to let him burn, his expression remained as smooth as still water.
Julius met her gaze. “Do you feel sorry for me? It’s okay. There’s nothing to pity. I learned the truth the day my mother died and I was kidnapped overseas. To him, I’ve become a broken tool, and since I’m no longer useful, I can be easily discarded.”
Alas, the man’s composure only deepened Quinn’s ache. She came from warmth–parents who cherished each other and their daughter.
Faced with Julius‘ scars, even the gentlest words felt thin, insubstantial, and hopelessly small.
“That’s why you shouldn’t stay with me,” Julius said, voice soft but undeniable. “My father could strike at you again at any moment. The safest course is distance–as though there was never anything binding us at all.”
Quinn lifted her chin. Under the trembling glow of the light, her eyes caught a defiant spark. “Are you afraid your father will come after me again?”
Julius‘ answer scraped the quiet like a piece of broken glass. “As long as he’s out there, that threat never dies.”
She took one quick step closer, voice bright with reckless certainty. “Then all the more reason I should stay right here with you!”
Color drained from Julius‘ face. He caught her shoulders, anger and dread tangling together. “Quinn, did you not hear a word I said? My father’s a madman. He set a blaze at the Whitethorn Group anniversary in broad daylight. Do you think there’s anything he won’t do? Do you have a death wish?”
Instead of flinching, the woman asked, almost gently, “Your father loved your mother, but has he ever loved anyone else?”
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Chapter 484 Broken Inheritance
The question stunned him. “What?”
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“I’m guessing no. You just said he was indifferent to everything until he met her. So, in his whole life, he has loved only your mother, isn’t that right?” Quinn pressed on, drawing a quiet breath and angling her words like a scalpel. “He knows you love me, and he thinks you’re just like him. If that’s the case, do you really believe that if I left you, he would think you’ve stopped loving me?”
Julius fell silent, lips parted but soundless.
Quinn lifted her hand and cupped his cheek. His skin was cold, as though the winter wind had seeped straight into his bones. The chill bled into her palm, yet she did not pull away.
“After our breakup, even Fabian and Dr. Huxley could see you still loved me. Do you honestly think your father missed it? If he truly wants my life, he’ll hunt me down whether I’m beside you or a continent away. Take the fire as an example. Didn’t it happen after we split? Isn’t that proof enough?”
Julius‘ mouth trembled. “Until he’s caught, I’ll have bodyguards protect you. You’ll be absolutely safe.”
She shrugged, fingers sliding down to the faint red mark at his throat–her mark–soft victory warming her gaze. “Then staying near you is safer still, wouldn’t you say?”
Julius sank into a heavy pause. Perhaps she was right. For now, her safest place might be at his side.
Yet if she stays, will I lose control and fall all over again?
“Aren’t you afraid I’m exactly like my father?” His voice dropped to a dark whisper. “I once schemed against you, locked you on that island, and stripped away your freedom. What if I go further this time?”
Quinn answered without a blink, “You won’t.”
He let out a brittle laugh. “And what makes you so sure? Do you truly know me? You have no idea how dark I can be-”
She pressed her hand over his mouth, stilling the self–loathing on his tongue. “Maybe I don’t know everything yet, but I’ll learn more with each passing day. You ask why I trust you? Because I choose to. Because I want to believe in you!”
Julius‘ pupils tightened to pinpoints.
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