The manager nodded. "That’s right. My sister spent some time in a psychiatric hospital for treatment. She recovered and came home, but now she’s like this again."
Nora Ainsworth nodded. "She needs proper treatment, but it must address the heart of the issue. Once her emotional wounds heal, everything else will fall into place."
"You’re right, Mrs. Grant. I’ll make sure my sister gets proper treatment."
When they returned with their bucket, Quentin Grant handed the fish they’d caught to the chef and had him prepare an all-fish feast for dinner.
There was sweet and sour, steamed, and pan-fried fish, and also a fish soup.
The family of four ate every last bite; they all thought it was a fantastic meal.
After dinner, once their two little ones were asleep, Nora Ainsworth and Quentin Grant left them in the care of an assistant and went out for a walk, just like a young couple in love.
Before long, they found a place filled with music and dancing, where many guests were singing and celebrating.
Everyone’s spirits were high.
As the couple drew closer, the host picked up a microphone and announced, "Quiet down, everyone! Our next event is a dance competition, for men only! And the prize is this... an exclusive, limited-edition set!"
Nora Ainsworth looked and saw that the host was holding a set of four adorable rabbit figurines. They looked just like her own little family, and she found them incredibly cute and whimsical.
She nudged Quentin Grant and pointed. "Honey, I want those."
Quentin Grant kissed her cheek. "Is that all? Just watch your husband."
With that, he got up on stage.
"I’m in."
As he stepped forward, a wave of cheers erupted from the crowd.
Two men from other countries also came up to compete.
No one was really competing for the prize, just for the fun of it.
The guests vacationing here were all either rich or powerful, so this was just a novel way to have some fun and show off their dance moves.
In all the years Nora Ainsworth had known Quentin Grant, she had rarely seen him dance—in fact, she was fairly certain she never had.
But tonight, she was absolutely mesmerized.
His dance moves were so breathtakingly cool that they completely overshadowed the other two men.
Winning the championship was a foregone conclusion.
When Quentin Grant stood before her, holding the set of cute rabbit figurines, Nora Ainsworth’s face lit up with a joyful smile.
"What other secrets are you hiding from me?"
"Plenty more. You’ll just have to discover them as we go." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they headed back.
"So, is there anything you can’t do?"
"Hmm..." He thought for a moment. "There is one thing I can’t do. I couldn’t do it if my life depended on it. Even if it were possible, I still wouldn’t be able to do it."
"What is it?"
He looked at her, his expression serious, but then a smile broke through. His tone, however, remained completely earnest. "Giving birth."
"Pfft." Nora Ainsworth burst out laughing, then playfully skipped in front of him and started walking backward. "You’re right, that’s definitely not a job for you."
"I may not be able to do that part, but you can’t have our children without me."
Nora Ainsworth threw her arms around his neck, and he caught her, lifting her up effortlessly. They headed back, lost in their own sweet world.
But just as they were approaching their villa, they heard a commotion of crying and shouting coming from their doorway.
As they got closer, they realized it was the distraught woman from the fishing spot that afternoon. Two small children were standing beside her, crying their eyes out. Across from them stood a tall, stylishly dressed woman and a short, stout man.
The manager saw Quentin Grant and immediately came forward to explain. "I’m sorry, Mr. Grant. My sister is having a confrontation with her ex-husband’s family—they’re vacationing here too—and now they’re making a scene at your doorstep."
Nora Ainsworth thought the man was a real piece of work. "Her ex-husband knew you were the manager and that your sister was here, but he still deliberately brought his mistress and the two kids on vacation..."
The manager sounded helpless. "Yes..."
Nora Ainsworth looked at the woman hugging the two children tightly, then at the arrogant scumbag and his mistress. ’This poor woman,’ she thought, ’has had such a terrible lot in life.’
"Did he get custody of the children in the divorce?"
"Yes. Her ex-husband argued that my sister was unfit to care for them. He’s rich, so he... bribed the judge."
After saying this, he turned, walked over to his sister, and said a few words to her.
The sister was emotionally unstable, but she seemed to take some of her brother’s words to heart.
Just then, the beautiful mistress spoke up. "Don’t pull this same old routine every time you see us—the crying, the screaming, the threatening to kill yourself. Even if you dropped dead, my husband would never get back together with you. And you’ll never get custody of the children. Besides, just look at the state of you. You look like a lunatic."
Seeing the distraught woman becoming agitated again, Nora Ainsworth couldn’t stand by any longer. She stepped forward and faced the mistress. "You can take her husband. You can even take custody of her children to twist the knife. But you’d better not keep tormenting a woman who has nothing left to lose. A desperate person is a dangerous one. Look, maybe you became a mistress because you thought you found true love. But to flaunt your victory in front of his ex-wife like this? That’s just shameless and vile."
"And who the hell are you? Mind your own business!" the woman shrieked. "You dare call me shameless and vile to my face? Do you have any idea who my husband is? He could destroy you in a heartbeat!"
Quentin Grant’s eyes narrowed, but he remained standing there, impassive.
"So what if you’re rich and powerful? There are plenty of people in this world richer and more powerful than you. If they all showed up, they could drown you in their spit. Let me ask you, if this man had no money and no power, would you still marry him? But I know that if he had nothing, this woman"—she pointed to the distraught mother—"would still want to build a life with him. But you wouldn’t. That’s the difference. You don’t need to know someone long to see their true colors. A person’s expression and tone of voice reveal everything about who they are inside."
"Who do you think you are, lecturing me like this? Do you have any idea who runs Veridia? My husband runs this city!"
Nora Ainsworth gave a faint smile. "I’m genuinely concerned for your intelligence."
Standing to one side, the manager watched as Quentin Grant’s expression grew darker and darker.
In a panic, he shouted, "You! Woman! Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?"
"I don’t care who she is! Here in Veridia, even a mighty dragon can’t crush a local snake. Now get your sister out of here. We want to go back and rest."
The husband, however, took a closer look at Quentin Grant. The moment he recognized him, all the color drained from his face, and he began to tremble.
Seeing that his wife was about to say more, the man—who was normally too cowardly to breathe a word out of turn—viciously slapped her across the face. The blow left his new wife reeling. "What the hell are you blathering about! Take the kids and let’s go!"
His wife, failing to notice her husband’s terrified state, was simply furious. "You hit me! How dare you! Fine! I want a divorce!"
The man was seething. He strode forward, grabbed one of the children by the hand, and turned to leave, ignoring his wife completely.
His current wife ran after them. "You get back here!"
They didn’t stop until they were in the car.
"So now you dare to hit me..."
"Stop making a scene!" the man said, looking at her seriously. "You shrew, do you have any idea who that woman and the man with her were?"
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