Overprotected By My Tsundere CEO

Chapter 295 - 193: Michael Quinn’s Secret [Part 2]

"He went out to play."

Blunt, yet dismissive.

Essentially telling the two: Even if I know Michael Quinn’s whereabouts, I won’t give you any answers.

Nora Scott wasn’t surprised, squinting her eyes, her voice cool and indifferent, "Save that for Sir Quinn."

Suddenly mentioning Bernardo Quinn, Joseph Sutton was momentarily stunned.

Nora Scott straightforwardly spelled it out, "Either tell us what you know, or we’ll find Sir Quinn and sort this out face-to-face. Whether to call the police or something else, we’ll decide then."

Joseph Sutton usually doesn’t say much, but he’s definitely not someone easily threatened.

If he doesn’t want to talk, even if they turn their dorm upside down or tear down all of Fenton University, he wouldn’t even blink.

Rumors and gossip mean nothing to him.

When it concerns Michael Quinn, only Bernardo Quinn can handle it.

Lowering his eyelids, Joseph Sutton looked at her with calm eyes and said, "You won’t say anything."

Nora Scott gave Laura Collins a faint glance, "I won’t, but she might."

"I don’t care."

Laura Collins’s expression was slightly cool, quickly taking over the conversation to express her stance.

Joseph Sutton paused, a light frown forming on his brow, feeling as though he was dealing with a full head of lawsuits.

According to Michael Quinn, the matter could certainly not be kept a secret, but they could hide it for a day if possible — Nora Scott and Laura Collins were not doing well recently, there was no need to add to their worries now.

But Nora Scott, she was naturally his nemesis, easily pinpointing his weak spots with a few words.

They understood each other too well, accurately hitting each other’s weak points every time.

The only thing that absolutely couldn’t be said about this matter was making Bernardo Quinn’s two elders truly believe that "Michael Quinn simply went on a long trip."

"Let’s talk over there."

After a moment of contemplation, Joseph Sutton made a decision, glancing toward a quiet spot near the car.

Laura Collins and Nora Scott weren’t so anxious that they couldn’t walk a few steps, exchanging a look before heading to the secluded place.

Around them, more than a dozen pairs of eyes were watching, expecting some dramatic scene — like a scoundrel being scolded or a beauty throwing a tantrum, a melodramatic love triangle, but the peaceful and harmonious scene that unfolded left them disappointed, feeling like their good mood from that morning was dissipating amidst such a dull scene.

The three arrived by the car.

There were people passing by, but they couldn’t hear their conversation.

"It’s true that he went out to play." The morning breeze brushed against his face, gently tousling his hair. After Joseph Sutton finished speaking, he paused and then added in a warm voice, "But he might not come back."

Laura Collins furrowed her brows, "’Not coming back’ meaning what?"

His gaze swept over her, Joseph Sutton said in a calm voice, "The literal meaning."

A wave of grief surged through her chest, accompanied by a bit of anger. Laura Collins wanted to step forward, but Nora Scott pulled her back, restraining her.

Raising her eyes, Nora Scott calmly asked, "What else?"

Looking at the two, Joseph Sutton paused for a moment. A gentle breeze swept past, bringing his steady voice, "He’s sick."

Laura Collins widened her eyes in astonishment, her dark eyes sparkling with disbelief.

However, Nora Scott, slightly paused, then took over the conversation, "What illness?"

"ALS."

"What?"

Laura Collins reacted with a start, stepping forward half a step, her posture slightly leaning forward, as if she didn’t understand his words.

Raising his hand slightly, Joseph Sutton habitually wanted to adjust his glasses, realizing midway that he wasn’t wearing any, so he stopped and put his hand in his pocket, clearly explaining, "ALS, also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or motor neuron disease."

"..."

Nora Scott didn’t speak, giving Joseph Sutton a glare, indicating there was no need for him to explain.

Joseph Sutton found it rather puzzling and, after thinking, kept silent.

Laura Collins stood still, shocked and confused, her face slightly turning pale.

Reaching out her hand, Nora Scott supported her, while also asking Joseph Sutton, "Confirmed?"

"Yes."

Joseph Sutton nodded affirmatively.

Gently furrowing her brows, Nora Scott’s voice, usually devoid of emotion, finally showed a hint of annoyance, "Running around instead of getting proper treatment, where does he think he’s going?"

"Just wandering around. Being the only child at home all these years, he’s afraid of worrying Sir Quinn and doesn’t dare to mess up or travel far, so he...," Joseph Sutton spoke slowly, with no emotional fluctuations, calm and composed, "took the chance to go out now."

"..."

Nora Scott remained silent.

Michael Quinn indeed appeared carefree and reckless, but while he made small mistakes, he never made big ones, and he never got involved in dangerous things. Even when he got into fights as a child, he just yelled on the sidelines, and when the fight actually broke out, Nora Scott would be the first to charge in, and Joseph Sutton could hold his ground, while he would definitely be the one cheering "Go, fairy!"

He had been afraid of getting into trouble since he was a child.

In terms of "cherishing life," among the people Nora Scott knew, Michael Quinn ranked quite high.

Being the only child in the family, after both his parents and sister passed away at home, his grandparents cherished him more than their own lives. If anything happened to him, the two elders would have nothing to rely on.

He himself had a free and unrestrained character, but over the past two decades, he had followed the rules under the watchful eyes of his elders, and the only rebellious thing he did was open a tattoo shop.

Taking a deep breath, Laura Collins unclenched her tightly held fists, allowing her trembling voice to steady, "Where did he go?"

"I don’t know." Joseph Sutton paused slightly, noticing the slight redness in Laura Collins’s eyes. After a moment’s thought, he added matter-of-factly, "He wouldn’t tell me."

Laura Collins stepped half a pace closer, biting her lip lightly, and spoke again, "That night, when you picked him up and took him home, was it all coordinated?"

"Yes."

"Did he break up with me because he was ill?"

"Yes."

"Did he plan early on to help me fight for the family inheritance and deal with the Collins Family?"

"Yes."

"When was he diagnosed?"

"A week after you started dating."

Joseph Sutton answered each of Laura Collins’s questions one by one.

But as she questioned further, Laura Collins suddenly felt a sourness at the tip of her nose and couldn’t continue.

A week after they started dating...

She saw no signs of anything wrong with Michael Quinn, except that he went to great lengths to be good to her.

After a long while, Laura Collins looked up slightly and asked, "Did he leave any message?"

Joseph Sutton replied truthfully, "He said it wasn’t necessary."

"Let’s go."

Laura Collins turned around, murmured softly to Nora Scott, then bowed her head.

Nora Scott, who had been silent until the end, responded with a slight "mm."

This time, Laura Collins did not sit in the passenger seat but chose the back seat instead.

Before leaving, Nora Scott glanced at Joseph Sutton, furrowed her brow lightly, but, catching sight of Laura Collins in the corner of her eye, ultimately didn’t ask anything.

"Let’s go."

With those two words, Nora Scott turned and got in the car.

Joseph Sutton stood in place, watching them get in the car and silently watching as the vehicle departed.

After a good while, he lowered his eyes slightly.

Each one of them, saying "let’s go" and turning away with such ease, never looking back.

*

The journey was wordless.

Nora Scott did not speak, and Laura Collins remained silent.

The atmosphere in the car was quiet and solemn. Though the wind blew in, the air felt almost frozen, as if even the breaths were laced with heaviness.

Nora Scott drove to the unit block below Laura Collins’s home.

At that time, it was not yet nine in the morning.

Nora Scott glanced at the sky outside the window. The continuous rainy days had finally ended, replaced by clear, sunny weather. The sun was bright, and the clouds were fluffy and white against a backdrop of pure blue.

The sunlight cast a golden hue on the ground, perfectly warm and comforting against the skin.

"I won’t invite you up today."

Laura Collins opened the car door, paused slightly, and gently spoke to Nora Scott.

"Okay." Nora Scott responded, then as if remembering something, called out to her, "Wait a minute."

Laura Collins stopped her movement and looked back.

The delicate profile of her face fell in the sunlight, half lit, half dark. In the golden glow, even the fine hairs on her skin were visible.

Yet, no matter how vibrant the light, her aura remained cold, and the dazzling sunshine failed to impart any warmth to her.

Nora Scott opened her bag and took out an envelope.

"He asked me to pass this to you." Stretching her arm back, Nora Scott handed over the envelope. "It’s Henry Chapman’s signed photo."

This was something Michael Quinn had arranged in advance, but when Nora Scott received it that day, Laura Collins had just returned to Fenton City. After a series of events, Nora Scott had forgotten about it.

Michael Quinn had asked her to say, when giving it to Laura Collins, that she’d requested it from Henry Chapman herself, not to mention him.

But now...

There was no need to conceal it.

Laura Collins blinked, her dark eyes fixed on the envelope, not taking it, but rather staring blankly.

"Idiot, fool."

After a long while, she cursed softly, but before the last word could be uttered, her voice caught in her throat. She paused briefly, then looked up again, tears streaming down her face.

The emotions that had built up along the way finally erupted entirely at this moment.

She said, "Nora Scott, do you know, I posted something on social media that only he could see."

That post, Laura Collins intentionally mentioned how she met Henry Chapman but forgot to get his autograph, so regretful that she lost sleep all night.

Yet, it was visible to only one person.

She thought that if ever she received Henry Chapman’s autograph in any way, she would immediately go to him.

No matter the reason, she wanted to reconcile.