Second Chance: Marrying into Wealth Chapter 220

I was in a cab heading back, trying to get in touch with Christopher.

Paula had offered to drive me, but I declined.

I couldn't reach Christopher on the first try, so I sent him a message explaining the situation and quickly emailed Gearhead to find out what was going on.

But there was no immediate response from the email either.

I had never felt this anxious before.

Christopher was unreachable.

Gearhead wasn't responding. I even started to worry that Gearhead might have run off.

When my phone rang again, I grabbed it in a panic, hoping it was Christopher.

But to my surprise, it was Quinlan's number.

I suppressed my irritation and answered as calmly as I could.

"Quinlan, are you settled in? Which city are you in?" I asked with concern.

There was a pause on the other end, and I could sense her hesitation.

Then she spoke, "I'm sorry, Melinda. I lied to you. I didn't leave Starlight City."

I wasn't angry at all.

Quinlan, a person who had always lacked love, was particularly considerate and afraid of troubling others. She was anxious because I had helped her before.

To me, where she chose to go was her decision. I was more concerned about her safety. "You don't need to feel guilty. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters! Yosef and Yasmin wouldn't have thought you were still in Starlight City. They won't come looking for you now, so just live your life peacefully. You can visit me anytime, or give me your address, and I'll come see you when I can."

I was hoping for a callback from Christopher, so I wanted to keep the conversation with Quinlan brief.

"Thank you, Melinda!" Quinlan's voice sounded choked with emotion.

Just as I was about to tell her I'd call back later after handling things, Quinlan spoke again, "Melinda, I have something important to tell you. I'm really sorry."

I was puzzled. Given her character, I didn't believe she would betray or scheme against me.

However, after being betrayed before, if it weren't for Paula and Christopher, I might not have made it through. I wanted to believe in the goodness of people because of them. Now, I was inexplicably anxious, hoping Quinlan wouldn't let me down.

"Melinda, the emails from Gearhead were actually from me."

Quinlan's words left me stunned. I asked again to be sure, "You're Gearhead? You drew the blueprints?"

I remembered she wasn't in that field. Could she be a genius with such skills?

"No, I used Gearhead's name to email you, but the blueprints weren't drawn by me. They were drawn by Hayes Grey, Marlowe's brother. Although everyone says he has intellectual issues, he might just be autistic. He's incredibly focused and talented in areas he's interested in. I discovered his talent by chance when I saw his drawings."

"I'm sorry. He always wanted recognition, and Marlowe probably saw him as a burden and couldn't understand him. I wanted to help him and you, but it backfired." Quinlan's voice was full of guilt.

I didn't comfort her immediately. Instead, I asked, "So the blueprints Marlowe took were from Hayes?"

"She stole them!" Quinlan replied. "She must have realized their value during a visit to Hayes and took them. Although she cares about Hayes and got him out of the orphanage, I can tell she looks down on him and can't accept him. It's contradictory, right? That's why she rarely visits him."

I understood. Quinlan probably continued to secretly interact with Hayes during this time and even took the liberty of submitting his blueprints, thinking Marlowe wouldn't notice since she rarely visited.

But things didn't go as planned. Marlowe visited Hayes and discovered the blueprints.

"I'm sorry, Melinda. If you hadn't emailed me and I hadn't checked, seeing her steal the blueprints on video, it could have been a disaster. But Marlowe despises me, and with Hayes' condition, his guardianship and civil rights are in Marlowe's hands. You'll need to handle this."

She added, "I'm sorry. I didn't think it through. If I had known, I would have been honest from the start."

"You don't need to worry about the aftermath. I'll handle it." I sighed. Quinlan meant well but lacked experience and foresight. This was a lesson for her.

I hung up and called Marlowe directly.

After five or six attempts, she finally answered, probably annoyed by my persistence.

"Melinda, what do you want? My phone's about to explode from your calls."

Marlowe was clearly irritated. I could hear the anger in her voice.

I said, "Ms. Grey, remember when you asked for my help and said you owed me one? Do you still stand by that?"

There was a pause on the other end, then she spoke, trying to contain her anger, "Do you think I'm someone who goes back on their word? What do you want?"

At least she was willing to acknowledge it. That was a start.

"I want the blueprint you took from Hayes," I said directly.

Marlowe might not be in the automotive industry, but as an editor-in-chief, she would know which companies were competitors and what industries they were involved in. She would know that AutoForge Workshop needed that blueprint.

But she refused outright, "Sorry, that's not possible."

I frowned, about to remind her of her promise.

"The blueprint is already sold. In return, I got exclusive interview rights with Mr. Morris." Marlowe, despite not being fired from the last incident, had her reputation damaged. She was eager to restore it. 

The recent successful launch by Vanguard Motors, Inc., led by Jonathan made him a sought-after interviewee. She seized the opportunity.

My face fell, and I struggled to suppress my panic and anger. I reminded her, "Marlowe, Hayes is your brother. Have you ever thought about respecting him and considering his opinion?"

Marlowe seemed to think I was lecturing her and snapped, "Hayes' opinion? What does it matter? Who are you to question me? It's probably that meddling Quinlan who sent you. Hayes has no civil capacity. I'm his guardian, so the ownership is mine."

Mentioning Quinlan made Marlowe's voice even sharper, "If I hadn't found out, who knows how Quinlan would have exploited Hayes to make money. You know what that's called, right? Tell her if she goes near Hayes again, I won't hesitate to call the police!"