Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Nina sighed quietly. She knew she’d been a little too outspoken today, and it might make Yvonne worry.
So she lowered her head and said, “I won’t act like that again, Mom.”
But Yvonne just smiled. After paying for a box of vanilla Häagen-Dazs, she walked with Nina to a nearby seating area and sat down.
“Silly girl, I’m just glad you’re not easy to bully,” Yvonne said, pushing the ice cream toward her.
Nina looked surprised. “You don’t think I went too far?”
“Why would I?” Yvonne’s eyes were full of warmth, almost overflowing. “I might not be very smart, but even I know-if you’re too soft, people will walk all over you. So what you did today was right.
“When someone treats you unfairly, you fight back hard. Especially if you’re in danger-never hesitate. If anything happens, your dad and I will handle it.”
Nina froze for a second, then hugged Yvonne tightly. “Mom, it’s so good to be your daughter.”
Even though Yvonne looked gentle and fragile, she could be strong for her daughter. Life was hard for her, money was tight
-but she still wanted to be Nina’s rock.
Meanwhile, Charles had been beaten up so badly his face was swollen and bruised. He leaned against the wall in the stairwell, gasping for air, his voice almost cracking. “Y-you’ll regret this!”
He couldn’t believe that Robert-his weak, spineless little brother-had actually hit him.
“Want me to help you call the cops right now?” Robert said coolly.
He grabbed Charles by the chin and looked down at him with a cold, almost mocking smile. “I’ll be happy to tell them exactly who I am. And your boss, your family-everyone-will know you were never an orphan. Should be fun to watch.”
Charles stared at him like he was a stranger, a chill crawling up his back. He couldn’t believe this was the same brother he’d bullied for years.
Panicking, he shook his head wildly and clung to Robert’s leg, begging, “No! Don’t do this, Robert. I’m sorry. Please, I’m begging you!”
“Then go do what you’re supposed to do,” Robert said with disdain, kicking him off and brushing the wrinkles from his shirt. He walked out calmly, his face quickly shifting to a warm smile.
Right away, he spotted Yvonne and Nina waving at him not far off. He sped up to join them, grinning. “From a distance, you two looked like you were having a great time. What were you chatting about?”
Nina just shared a smile with Yvonne. “It’s a secret.”
“All right then,” Robert chuckled, giving her shoulder a pat. “Let’s keep shopping.”
What the Edwards family didn’t know was that not far away, in a restaurant, Timothy was sitting back, smoking slowly, watching their every move with keen interest. With a smirk, he said, “She sure knows how to play sweet.”
“Timothy, got something.” Quinn said, slurping on a smoothie with a satisfied hum. His dentist had told him that cold drinks helped stop bleeding and heal the wound faster after a tooth extraction.
Chapter 22
Timothy squinted and took another drag. “Say it.”
“This couple’s had it rough. No wonder the man threw a punch earlier,” Quinn said. “His name is Robert Edwards. Only made it through middle school. Met his wife, Yvonne, while working out of town.”
“Their daughter Nina went missing when she was two,” he went on. “Robert and Yvonne have been looking for her for sixteen years. Just got her back from an orphanage yesterday.”
After reading the text he’d just gotten, Quinn couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. “But here’s the weird part-there’s no trace of the girl’s life at the orphanage.”
“So she’s got sixteen years of her life unaccounted for,” Timothy said with a low chuckle that slipped out with the smoke. “Now that’s interesting.”
