13:58 Sat, Oct 11
Chapter 302
Chapter 302
Karen’s body tensed slightly.
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Suddenly, long–buried memories crashed over her, scenes from the past flashing before her eyes. For a moment, it felt like time itself had frozen.
Seeing Karen’s dazed look, Rebecca thought to herself, “There’s definitely some history between her and Max. Otherwise, why would she react like that?‘
“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” Rebecca said, her tone gentle. She was mostly trying to get a better picture of who Max really was from someone else, since up till now, she still had a hard time believing he’d had anything to do with what happened to her mom back then.
“Yeah, I know him,” Karen said at last. “We used to be really close back in the day.“.
“I see,” Rebecca replied quietly, not wanting to dig up any old wounds. ‘If they really used to be that close, no wonder just hearing his name hit her so hard,‘ Rebecca thought.
Karen took the initiative and asked, “What’s up?”
Rebecca shrugged, “It’s nothing.”
“I’m fine,” Karen replied, her voice steady. ‘It’s just… it’s been ages since I heard that name–brings back memories, that’s all.’ Then she added, “Ask me anything you want. If I know, I’ll tell you.”
Rebecca studied her for a moment.
Seeing that Karen truly wasn’t just putting up a front, Rebecca went ahead and asked, “So, what kind of person is he?”
“He’s got a strong sense of justice, extremely loyal to his friends, and always respectful to his elders,” Karen replied, every word filled with admiration. “You could really call him a good person.”
Rebecca nodded.
She hadn’t spent much time with Max, and her only impression was that he always drew a clear line between work and personal matters–and there was something cold and distant about him.
‘The Max Karen described is totally not the same guy I know, Rebecca thought to herself.
“But it’s actually been years since I last saw him, so honestly, I don’t really know what he’s like now,” Karen added, a bit concerned that her words might mislead Rebecca. “Are you looking for him about something?”
“No,” Rebecca replied, making up an excuse on the fly. “He’s my cousin, so I just want to know more about
him.”
She couldn’t just tell anyone about her mom’s incident.
It wasn’t just personal–it involved the Quinns too.
13:58 Sat, Oct 11
Chapter 302
Karen blinked, then it hit her. “Oh, right! Mark mentioned earlier that your grandpa is Mr. Sebastian Quinn. So that makes you and Max cousins.”
Rebecca had always considered herself part of the Jensens and Hansons, so when she asked about Max, it hadn’t even occurred to her that they were family.
Rebecca just nodded.
Karen smiled at her. “Don’t worry. Max is always good to his family. Even if he’s got a tough side, it’s only for people who have bad intentions.”
“That’s a relief,” Rebecca replied.
Karen flashed her a soft smile.
*A moment passed.*
Her gaze lingered on Rebecca, words hovering on her lips. After wrestling with herself for almost a minute, she finally blurted out, “What made you suddenly want to ask me about him?”
Not even Stephen knew she’d once been close with Max. No wonder Rebecca’s question came out of nowhere for her.
“He asked me about it when we were in the car together,” Rebecca said, not hiding anything.
Karen’s fingers twitched slightly. “What did he say?”
Rebecca told her exactly what had happened.
When Max first asked about Stephen, Rebecca didn’t think much of it–just figured it was casual small talk. But when he asked whether Stephen had a girlfriend, that’s when it hit her: Max clearly had an ulterior motive.
Now that she thought about it, the world really was a small place.
‘The world really is a small place,‘ Rebecca thought.
Karen listened to the whole story, her eyes shifted slightly. “Is he doing well?”
“Yeah, he’s doing great,” Rebecca replied, keeping it objective. “He’s the CEO of Quinn Group now, and he’s got a lot of say in the family. Some people even say his dad’s a little intimidated by him.”
The tightness in Karen’s chest slowly eased. “That’s good to hear.”
Rebecca grabbed her phone, tapped around, then handed it to Karen. “This is his social media info. If you want, you can add him.”
If it was just one–sided longing, Rebecca wouldn’t have bothered meddling in this kind of thing.
But with Max asking, Karen definitely feeling something, and Stephen still being a jerk, Rebecca figured it was better to let Karen make the call.
13:58 Sat, Oct 11
Chapter 302
Karen checked out Max’s profile feed.
There wasn’t a single post.
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“Thanks,” Karen said–for some reason, it felt like she’d been saying that a lot tonight. She handed the phone back to Rebecca, then added, “I’ll skip adding him. After losing touch for so long, suddenly reaching out would be pretty awkward–he’d probably think I’m just looking for cash or a handout.”
Hearing her say that, Rebecca could tell there was some real history between the two of them.
But Rebecca was someone who respected boundaries–she wasn’t about to poke her nose into it.
That night, Rebecca slept soundly, but Karen couldn’t find peace in the guest room. Sometimes she dreamed of being trapped under Stephen’s shadow, powerless to break free; other times, memories of Max–the boy she hadn’t seen in forever–would slip into her dreams.
Somewhere between all those swirling emotions, Karen grabbed her phone, opened up her browser, and typed “Max Quinn” into the search bar. Instantly, article after article about his successes flooded in. The latest headline announced he’d just clinched a huge international partnership.
She paused, then tapped on one of the photos, lingering over it for a moment.
There was Max, looking sharp in a tailored suit, his features more mature and striking than she remembered from years ago.
Ever since they’d parted ways, Karen had made sure to steer clear of anything related to him, all just to keep her feelings in check. She didn’t want the giant tree of emotions she’d managed to uproot years ago to start taking root again.
But tonight, she just couldn’t stop herself, no matter how hard she tried.
And in a blink, morning had arrived.
When Rebecca got up, she found Karen downstairs on the couch, looking exhausted. Even with a touch of makeup, she couldn’t hide the tired, bloodshot eyes.
“I should go,” Karen said, standing up. Her gaze toward Rebecca was full of gratitude and a trace of complicated emotion. “Thank you for last night. I’ll treat you to dinner sometime.”
“If you head back now, Stephen will probably be able to tell you haven’t slept,” Rebecca reminded her.
“I’ll be fine,” Karen said calmly.
Rebecca raised an eyebrow.
She hadn’t expected Karen to suddenly become so optimistic.
“You’re right. I’ve been trapping myself,” Karen said, a spark of determination in her eyes. “I’m going to go
back and have a real talk with him.”
“Just give me a call if anything comes up,” Rebecca said, always respecting others‘ choices. “I’ll be in Jelasburg
Chapter 302
most of this half month.”
Karen said “Okay,” and left.
Rebecca arranged for a driver to take her home.
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As the car disappeared from sight, Rebecca sent Jack a message: [Are you absolutely sure it was Michael and his two sons who set up Mom?]
Jack called her right away.
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