Chapter 65 Apologize Now
“Is this a joke?” Chloe asked.
Brian didn’t seem like the kind of man who would ever joke about love. She couldn’t even imagine what he would be like if he truly fell in love.
“Maybe…” Brian slowly closed his eyes and breathed in the faint scent that lingered on her. It wasn’t perfume, but rather a scent that seemed to belong to her naturally. It smelled like sunlight mixed with
fresh herbs.
It soothed him.
He leaned his head against her shoulder and muttered, “Maybe I really am just kidding.”
For a moment, he wanted to stay wrapped in her presence. The wave of nausea that hit him after the
phone call with Liam was fading, replaced by her warmth.
Over the next two days, Chloe went to the Quall Family Memorial Hall daily. She would pay her respects
to her parents‘ urn, then stop by the rest of the family’s plaques as well.
When she reached the plaques for the fifth branch, her eyes stung. Her parents‘ plaques now sat beside her grandparents‘.
Once a family filled with life, they had been reduced to a row of names etched in wood.
But none of them had died in vain. They had fulfilled their duty. They sacrificed everything for their country.
Chloe lowered her head. “Mom, Dad, I’ll find Daniel. I’ll bring him back here with me, and we’ll stand before you and the rest of the Qualls.”
Five years ago, Daniel had disappeared. The military had searched for him, but came up empty. Chloe had even gone all the way to the border herself, but still found nothing.
Ever since, she had scoured the internet for any clues–missing person bulletins, online searches -but nothing ever came up.
Once she wrapped up what she had to do in Yarfdale and finished protecting Brian, she planned to return to the border. Maybe she would find something then.
Leaving the hall, she ran straight into Willow.
“Don’t think just because Great–Grandpa dotes on you that you can look down on everyone else,” Willow sneered. “Your whole side of the family was cursed. They’re all dead and you’re the only one left.”
She was still bitter over the humiliation Chloe had caused her in the hall, where she was forced to kneel all night in front of the plaques.
Chapter 65 Apologize Now
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Chloe’s face went cold. She stepped forward and slapped Willow before she could react.
The sharp slap echoed through the quiet hall.
Willow clutched her cheek in disbelief. “Y–You hit me!”
“You insulted my parents. Why wouldn’t I hit you? You could run to Great–Grandpa all you’d like, and I’d still hit you,” she spat. She wasn’t going to sit still and let anyone badmouth her family.
Willow’s face flushed with anger. She didn’t have the guts to tell Geoffrey, but she couldn’t accept the
humiliation either. “Don’t think you can hide behind him forever, Chloe! He just felt sorry for you, that’s all!”
“I hit you because you deserved it, not because of him,” Chloe snapped. “A true Quall would never smear
their own kin out of selfishness.”
Shame and rage burned on Willow’s face. She swung her hand in an attempt to slap Chloe back, but Chloe dodged and slipped behind her. She kicked the back of her knee.
Willow cried out as she stumbled forward, crashing to her knees. Right in front of her was Chloe’s parents‘
plaque.
“These people didn’t die because they were cursed. They gave their lives for Alverton and for the Quall family. If you can’t even respect that, you don’t deserve to call yourself a Quall,” Chloe said.
Willow struggled to get up. “I don’t need you to lecture me about being a Quall!”
Chloe pressed a hand to her shoulder, forcing her back down in front of the plaques. “Apologize to them.”
“Why should I?” Willow fought against her grip.
“If it wasn’t for them, the Qualls would probably not exist today,” a firm voice cut in.
Chloe looked up to see Wade in the doorway, his expression hard.
Willow froze. Of all people in the family, he was the one she feared the most.
“Willow, apologize to them. If not for their sacrifice, you wouldn’t have the life you have now,” he said.
Willow bit her lip. She had always believed she had earned everything she had today. She was the one
responsible for the Quall family’s current prosperity.
But with Wade here, she had no choice.
Wade’s voice rose. “Well?”
With shame burning her face, Willow lowered her head and muttered an apology.
Wade turned to Chloe. “You’re not alone, Chloe. The Qualls will always stand behind you, no matter what.”
“I know,” she acknowledged.
As Chloe stepped out of the hall, her phone rang. She picked up the phone, and Lena’s voice sounded,
Where are you now?”
“In Yarfdale,” she replied.
“I know that. I meant your exact location?”
“At the memorial hall’s entrance.”
“Cool. I’ll meet you there in half an hour,” Lena said.
Chloe’s eyes widened. “Wait, you’re in Yarfdale?”
“Just landed. See you soon!”
Chloe lowered her phone, a smile tugging at her lips at the thought of seeing her best friend again.
The hall sat in the middle of the city, right next to some restaurants. She slipped into one to wait.
Half an hour later, Lena showed up with Ethan. When he saw Chloe, he pulled her into a tight hug. “I
missed you so much.”
Chloe laughed and ruffled his hair like he was a big golden retriever. “Alright, alright. I get it. Why didn’t
you two say anything before showing up?”
Ethan grinned. He had wanted to see her genuine reaction to their surprise.
“Okay, I’m starving,” Lena cut in. “Why don’t we eat here?”
No one objected. They were at a local diner with a menu full of Yarfdale specialties. They ordered a few dishes and dug in.
“I heard from Lena what happened at the airport. I’m sorry I couldn’t go with you,” Ethan apologized. Something had come up, so he couldn’t send her off that day.
If he had known something like that would happen, he would’ve dropped everything to be there.
“What are you apologizing for? It wasn’t your fault,” Chloe laughed.
“Still, 1-”
Chloe’s phone rang again.
She answered. It was Brian. “Where are you?”
“At a diner near the memorial hall,” she replied.
There was a pause. Then his tone shifted. “Eating with the Hughes family’s heir, aren’t you?”
Chloe froze, then slowly raised her head. Brian was in front of a tall building across from the diner. He was staring at her through the glass walls.
Chapter 66 Jealousy
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Chapter 66 Jealousy
