Chapter 209: Chapter 207: As Long as I Want You, You Are Mine (13)

Jean Grant sat beside him. "I saw Ethan Ellsworth just now."

"And?"

"We exchanged a few words."

Quentin Grant looked at her. "Go back and get some sleep. It’s cold out."

Jean Grant stood up. "I’ll head back then."

Outside, Jean Grant looked up. Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, landing on her face with an icy touch.

She walked back to her villa nearby and closed the door. The housekeeper saw her and immediately came over. "Miss, why did you go out? It’s snowing, and it’s so cold. Be careful not to slip."

"I’m fine. I just went to see my brother." Jean Grant forced a smile.

"Come inside quickly, Miss. I just made you a late-night snack. I saw you weren’t in your room, so I came out to look for you."

"Okay." Jean Grant went upstairs, took off her shoes, and lay down on the bed.

She took out her phone and dialed Marlon Marshall’s number. The call connected quickly.

"Why aren’t you back yet?"

Marlon Marshall said, "I just left the campus gates. I’ll be home in a bit."

Only then did Jean Grant feel relieved. "Okay, I’ll wait for you."

Meanwhile, just as Marlon Marshall hung up, someone called his name. He turned to see it was Carol Young.

Her eyes were red, her face streaked with tears.

"What’s wrong?"

"My sister... she was in an accident tonight... she’s dead. She was my only sister." As soon as she finished, she broke down, unable to speak through her sobs.

Marlon comforted her, "Don’t be so upset. I heard about it. It was an accident."

"But I’m just so devastated." Carol Young wiped her tears and looked at him pitifully. "Are you heading home?"

Marlon immediately remembered what happened at the KTV. "About last time... I’m sorry. My wife told me about it, and that’s the only reason I know. I was drunk then, I don’t know what I did."

Her face flushed slightly. "I know you didn’t do it on purpose. I haven’t held it against you."

"That’s good. I should get going now. My wife is waiting for me at home."

He had just turned to leave when Carol Young called out again, "Marlon."

"What is it?"

"I’m just in so much pain right now. Can you just talk with me for a little while? For old times’ sake, as classmates."

He hesitated for a moment. Seeing her crying so pitifully, a veritable damsel in distress, he still agreed. "Okay."

"Can we walk for a bit?"

"I was just about to head home. My car is parked over there. Let’s get in, I’ll give you a ride back."

Carol Young followed him to a Ferrari. Her eyes widened in surprise. "This car must have cost a fortune, right?"

"It’s not that much." Marlon’s ego swelled instantly. "Just a few million, that’s all."

"Wow!" Carol Young looked at him. "I’ve heard for a while that your family is rich. I guess it’s true."

The two got into the car. Marlon wasn’t a very skilled driver, so he could only drive slowly.

"Tonight has just been too much of a blow for me." As she spoke, she couldn’t help but start crying again. "My mom fainted, and I almost passed out myself. My sister’s death was so tragic... and so senseless."

"Try not to dwell on it. Since it’s already happened, try to look on the bright side... I was shocked when I saw the news tonight, too. It happened at my mother-in-law’s place, which is a bit creepy."

Tears streamed down Carol Young’s face. She looked at him. "Can you pull over for a second?"

He stepped on the brake and stopped. "Are you getting carsick?"

She shook her head. "Can I... can I lean on your shoulder for a bit? Just for a little while, please?"

"Okay." Marlon didn’t think much of it until she actually leaned against him. Her faint, sweet scent made him a little uncomfortable.

She continued to cry softly. After a few minutes, she whispered, "Actually... at the KTV... do you know where you touched me?"

Marlon felt awkward, feigning ignorance. "My wife didn’t tell me."

She actually took his hand and placed it on her chest. "Right here. You even squeezed it a few times."

’A woman’s body is a woman’s body, there isn’t much difference,’ he thought, ’but the moment I realize this isn’t Jean, my breath quickens and my heart pounds in my chest.’ He glanced around and saw that the road was quiet, with almost no one in sight.

Driven by a flicker of curiosity, he didn’t immediately pull his hand away.

Her delicate voice made him feel an urge to protect her.

"Did I... did I really... grab your hand? I really... don’t remember much." Marlon’s words were a jumbled mess.

"Like I said, I’m not holding it against you. Besides, you didn’t do it on purpose." Her soft, mellow voice made his heart melt.

Marlon cleared his throat. The thought of his pregnant wife, Jean, sobered him up. "I have to get back now. Let me take you to your door, okay?"

Carol Young nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Marlon."

"It’s nothing. We’re classmates, after all. We should help each other out."

He sat up straight and prim, driving her to her doorstep.

Jean Grant’s call came in again.

"Why aren’t you home yet? It’s been almost half an hour."

Marlon put a finger to his lips, shushing Carol Young, then spoke into the phone, "I’m almost there."

He hung up. "You should get out. My wife is getting impatient."

Carol Young didn’t move. She took out her own phone. "Marlon, what’s your number? I don’t have it saved."

Marlon called her phone from his, then handed it back. "Just save it."

"Okay. I’ll get out now. Thanks for bringing me back." Carol Young closed the car door and watched the car slowly drive away. She glanced down at the number on her screen, a thoughtful expression on her face.

When he got home, he saw Jean Grant lying on the bed. He hurried over and took her hand. "Honey, I’m back late."

"What were you doing?" Jean Grant looked at him suspiciously.

"What’s with that look? What else could I be doing? Just now, I saw a girl from school get hit by a car at the campus gate. I was just being a good Samaritan and took her to the hospital before coming back." The lie rolled off his tongue without a second thought. But since it was his first time lying, he still felt a little guilty.

"Really? I never knew my husband was the type to play the hero and save a damsel in distress." Jean Grant didn’t overthink it and said, "Go take a shower."

"Maybe not today? It’s so cold."

"It’s cold outside, not in the bathroom. Hurry up. If you go a day without showering, you start to smell."

"Alright, wait for me." Marlon quickly went into the bathroom.

「The night passed in a flash.」

Sure enough, the headlines were filled with news of Quentin Grant’s fiancée dying in an elevator.

However, the reports only stated that after a police investigation, it was ruled an accidental elevator malfunction. Nothing else was mentioned.

When Nora Ainsworth saw this news, she remembered the scene that had unfolded before her eyes the previous night, and a lingering fear washed over her.

A vibrant life, gone just like that.

’Even if she wasn’t a good person,’ Nora thought, ’something like that shouldn’t have happened to her.’

Filming ran until four in the afternoon. By the time she was driven from the film studio to the upscale residential complex, it was already between five and six.

The sky had grown completely dark. The snow was still falling as the car stopped in the villa’s courtyard. Nora Ainsworth, wearing a hat and scarf, got out.

The moment her feet touched the ground, she saw Quentin Grant standing a few feet away, still dressed in a black overcoat. He was holding a black umbrella and smiling at her.