Chapter 358
“Hilda, serve the coffee and desserts,” Audrey said.
She greeted Quentin warmly, easing herself onto the sofa with Yann’s help.
Quentin glanced at the couple, especially at Audrey’s obvious curious stare, and slightly regretfed coming today.
‘But now that I’m here, is there still time to leave?‘ he thought.
Even if he wanted to leave, he had to first hand over the nutritional supplements Amelia had entrusted to him for Audrey and the baby clothes Cecilia had prepared.
“So, is that genius young forensic doctor your son or not?” Audrey asked.
Quentin thought, ‘Here we go–inevitable.‘
Quentin kept his head down, feeling Audrey’s curious, probing gaze and her resolve to get answers,
“Would he be that lucky?” Yann interjected before Quentin could speak.
Audrey said, “Life unfolds differently for everyone. If he were Quentin’s son, with genetic inheritance, he might really be a little genius.”
Yann said, “That’s not necessarily true. Sons take after their mothers”
Audrey said, “Look at Quentin’s looks and intellect. The woman who
a brilliant kid is already better than 90% of moms.
“If only I had one in my belly… Ouch, can’t say that. The babies might
meets his standards must be incredible. Not to mention, anyone who can raise such
“His son is impressive, but our children will be even more remarkable.” Yann rubbed her belly and asked, “What are you trying to say?”
Audrey said, “Maybe Quentin doesn’t want to talk about it. After all, the kid doesn’t acknowledge the connection. It’d be awkward.”
Quentin was at a loss for words. He thought, ‘You two are like a duo stand–up comedy team, bouncing lines off each other right in front of me.‘
‘Your kids are still in the womb. Wherever you go, they go. We’ll see how they turn out when they are born.‘
‘By then, they’ll probably be just like my kid–forming his own opinions from day one, totally out of control!‘
Audrey’s main aim was to gossip, not annoy Quentin, so she turned back to Yann. “So is he your son or not?”
Quentin cleared his throat and shook his head.
Audrey asked, “No?”
Yann said, “Absolutely not.”
Audrey said, “Then whose kid is that impressive? He not only knows forensic details but supposedly has amazing deductive skills!”
Yann said, “He’s indeed impressive.”
“Too bad if he’s not yours. He’s in your field. If he were your son, you could mentor him professionally. But who’s to say? With that kind of talent at such a young age, he might outshine you someday.”
“No way!”
“Enough,” Quentin snapped.
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Chapter 358
He thought, ‘They just won’t give me a break today. If I don’t stop them, they’d probably charge me for the “show” by the time have who weren
amateur banter?‘
“I haven’t met the kid,” Quentin said, cradling his coffee. After a moment, he gave them a quick rundown.
It had started months earlier, when he’d noticed something strange.
As a specialist in his field, Quentin got consulted on tough cases even when not officially called in. He’d found that every time he gave his input on a case the team would almost immediately get an anonymous letter.
༤༅།།
The advice in the letters matched his own exactly.
The recent case in the southern city had caused such a stir that the anonymous tipster had finally gotten noticed.
And the “genius kid” nickname? It came from the fact that after anonymous emails were opened, a chubby, wide–eyed pig image appeared, making everyone assume the sender was a child.
Quentin had someone trace the IP address and found it was mobile. The IP location matched wherever the case occurred.
But Quentin doubted a child could carry out such meticulous identity concealment.
“Genius kid“? He didn’t believe it for a second.
“Can I see that cartoon pig?” Audrey asked curiously after hearing his story.
It wasn’t a secret. Anyone who’d received the emails had seen it. Quentin passed Yann a screenshot from his phone, who then handed it to Audrey.
Audrey held the phone, tilting her head left and right.
She grabbed Yann’s hand to adjust the phone’s angle, studying it intently. “What does this look like now?”
“Like a pig,” Yann said.
Audrey tugged his hand to show Quentin the picture. “What do you think?”
Quentin also saw a pig. He wondered, ‘Will Audrey look down on me if I say that?‘
Noticing his hesitation, Audrey patted Yann’s hand to lower the phone, then traced her finger across the screen.
“These huge eyes–don’t they look like the letter Q?” She looked up at the two men, both wearing blank expressions.
She couldn’t help but think, ‘Do men really only think in straight lines?‘
She grabbed her own phone, opened the drawing app, outlined the pig’s features, and shoved it at Yann.
Yann’s eyes widened in shock before he passed it to Quentin.
Quentin held Audrey’s phone as if spellbound.
If not for his white–knuckled grip on the device, Audrey would’ve thought he’d zoned out.
Audrey thought, ‘This obvious provocation and hint must be from his son who only wants his mom.‘
Besides, with Cecilia’s extensive connections, she’d nearly caught the boy several times, only for him to slip away. He must have someone powerful backing him.
‘That someone could be the child’s mother, or maybe…‘ Audrey’s imagination went into overdrive.
Too many novels had taught her to think creatively. ‘Maybe Quentin’s son had a fated encounter with an organization and accidentally became a key
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Chapter 358
member?‘ she thought.
“Ow!” Audrey gasped as one of the babies kicked her stomach, jolting her out of her wild imaginings.
By now, Quentin was already gone.
“Hey, where’s my phone?” she asked.
Yann called out, “Hugo, go after him.”
Hugo, who’d been silently hovering in the background, turned and marched toward the door without a word.
Quentin hadn’t realized he’d inadvertently pocketed Audrey’s phone.
He’d entertained the thought that the “anonymous” tipster might be his son, but only fleetingly. The boy was only seven. Even if he’d started training as a toddler, there was no way he could master so much professional knowledge.
Besides, if the boy’s mother had hidden the boy’s existence and left without a trace, avoiding him, she’d never allow their son to reach out.
So even as hope tugged at him, he kept telling himself it was impossible.
But when Audrey had drawn that “Q” on the screen, his heart had slammed against his ribs like never before.
Sure, the resemblance was a stretch, but holding the phone at arm’s length, it really did look like a “Q“.
The more he thought about it, the more electrified he got, unconsciously flooring the gas as he tore toward home.
Behind him, Hugo groaned as he hit the accelerator to chase.
Hugo thought, ‘Just look in the mirror. One glance and you’d see it’s a Winifred family car. No need for a midnight “Fast & Furious” stunt!‘
The blaring phone ring snapped Quentin out of his frenzy.
He instinctively patted his pocket, pulling out two phones.
One screen flashed with an unlabeled caller, encased in a pink silicone cover.
It was not his phone.
AD
