That drained the color from Alannah’s face. Suddenly, she laughed out loud.
Apparently, in Quincy’s mind, she was ruthless; she would even sacrifice her mother.
But the emergency surgery had been a race against time. Even if Alannah had found a way to sell those items, it would have been far too late.
Every fiber of her being trembled, her nails digging into her palm. “Quincy, Salem didn’t just hit my mom. He kept running her over! I will pursue this to the very end!”
Quincy’s face darkened further. He was about to argue with her when Pearl suddenly pushed the bedroom door open and walked in.
“Quincy, actually… my brother has intermittent mental illness. He did make a mistake in this matter.”
Her eyes shone with tears as she turned to Alannah. “Ms. Greensmith, my brother was indeed at fault. I apologize.”
“Whatever compensation you want, name a price,” she offered. “I know you’re upset that I didn’t offer enough earlier, but the company’s cash flow is really tight right now. Since Quincy put the finances in my hands, I have to be responsible…”
“That’s enough. You don’t need to apologize to her.” Quincy’s look toward Pearl softened into something almost tender. Even the way he spoke to her was gentle. “She’s only using her mother’s situation to ask me for money. Just give it to her.”
“Quincy, my brother is vulnerable. He can’t go to jail…” Pearl pleaded in a pitiable voice.
Quincy looked at Alannah and tore off a check, tossing it at her like a slap. “One million. Is that enough?”
Alannah bent to pick it up and stared at the string of zeros as if they were mocking her for the fact that she had ever loved this bastard.
When she didn’t react, he tore off another check and let it flutter to the floor.
“Two million? Three million? Alannah, name your number…”
She stooped and gathered the checks one by one.
Quincy took her silence for capitulation, and his face curled into a sneer.
What he didn’t expect was what came next. Calmly, Alannah tore each check into pieces and scattered the shreds at his feet.
She said nothing. She only looked at the two of them with a cold, hard gaze.
Surprise flickered in Quincy’s eyes. He snapped, “Hey! Don’t forget—your whole family depends on me! Before you pick a fight with me, maybe ask your father’s opinion first.”
Alannah’s father had once been a small-time trader.