novelraw Chapter 820: The Hoffman Family Still Wants to Negotiate Privately
Chapter 820: The Hoffman Family Still Wants to Negotiate Privately
"Yes, Mr. Zachmann, I’ve watched Phoebe Hoffman grow up since she was a child. She’s not the kind of person with a vicious heart. There must be some misunderstanding in this matter. She was only playing around with Ms. Quinlan, just trying to scare her a bit; she would never really intend to harm her," Lincoln Hoffman immediately found an excuse and said a mouthful in a humble tone.
"Grandfather..." Caryn Zachmann wanted to say something more, her eyebrows and eyes just beginning to move, when Mr. Zachmann swept a chilling glance toward her, and her voice trailed off, daring not to continue.
She bit her lip, feeling quite indignant.
"Mr. Zachmann, I know this time it’s our fault, even though Phoebe was just joking with Ms. Quinlan, she shouldn’t have made such a joke."
Caryn Zachmann dared not continue to speak for Phoebe Hoffman, but Lincoln Hoffman had no choice but to continue speaking against his will, raising his eyes with a look that was both urgent and embarrassed.
"I will definitely teach her a good lesson when I get back, but now the police have taken Phoebe away, and we don’t know what they want to do with her. Our families have had good relations for years, Caryn was right, we don’t need to make a big deal out of such a small matter. Mr. Zachmann, what I mean is... do you think our families could settle this matter privately?"
"We are willing to compensate Ms. Quinlan for all her medical expenses and for her mental distress. Please take this money for now; if it’s not enough, I’ll add more until Ms. Quinlan is satisfied. All this is possible, as long as Ms. Quinlan is willing to forgive Phoebe and explain to the police that the two of them were just fooling around..."
Caryn Zachmann lost her composure, having just been glared at coldly by Mr. Zachmann, and upon hearing the words, she eagerly chimed in, "Indeed, it’s just a matter of saying the word. Since no one got hurt, there really is no need to escalate this. If it blows up, it would be embarrassing for everyone."
Ericko Zachmann was not angered to death by Lincoln Hoffman, but he was nearly incensed by Caryn Zachmann. His gaze shifted from shock to disappointment and finally slightly drooped eyelids. He managed not to lose face in front of Lincoln Hoffman with his presence, but his tone was obviously colder and more distant than before, not even glancing at her as he looked directly at the anxious man, his gaze heavy with an oppressive force, not picking up on the previous conversation, but asking merely one question: "Phoebe Hoffman called seven or eight people with steel rods to have a ’joke’ with Nathalie. What kind of joke requires steel pipes?"
"I..." Lincoln Hoffman was suddenly asked into a flushed and embarrassed state, wishing he could dig a hole and crawl into it, his heart beating rapidly, clutching the bank card in his hand so hard that he nearly snapped it in half: "Mr. Zachmann, our families have always had good relations..."
The reason he dared to come to Ericko Zachmann to seek mercy was because he felt that the Zachmann family did not take this newfound blood relative from McKinney very seriously; otherwise, why didn’t they bring her home after recognizing kinship, instead of leaving her to study in McKinney.
In his heart, if Phoebe Hoffman had troubled Caryn Zachmann this time, perhaps there would have been no room for turning things around.
As for Nathalie Quinlan... before he came, he thought this affair could be settled.
Regardless of the facts, from an outsider’s point of view, Lincoln Hoffman, backed by the Red Alliance and with some influence in the domestic hacker community, had no shortage of people wanting to curry favor with him. He had lowered himself to come and apologize, hoping Mr. Zachmann would give him some face.
But before he could finish speaking, Ericko Zachmann interrupted him and issued an expulsion order: "I cannot help you, nor will I help you. Leave these words for Miss Hoffman to tell the police, and see if they believe her prank. If the police believe her, then I will too! I’m tired and not in good spirits, I need to rest. Someone, show the guest out."