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Quinn

My dad remained silent for the rest of the car ride while I continued rereading Ace's letter. My tears had stained almost every part of it and I finally gently folded it and placed it in my back pocket with trembling hands.

Taking a deep breath and pushing my hair away from my face I finally had the strength to do what I needed to do. "Dad?" I called and he hummed in response with his eyes on the road.

"Take me to Ace's grandfather."

We almost had an accident as his hands slipped off the wheel due to my words but he quickly got back on track with heavy breaths and his eyes goggling between the road and me. "What? Why? Quinn don't do anything dangerous."

"Take me there or I'm getting down from the car right now and you won't see me at home."

He heaved a sigh and took a turn. I pressed my palm against my thigh, trying to muster as much strength as I could for what I wanted to do. The soft patter of rain against the window of the car took my attention off my nerves and I got lost in the rain. Soon it was pouring heavily and it weirdly made me feel calm and relaxed.

My father parked in front of the hospital and I didn't wait for another word to come out of his mouth before I dashed out and jogged to the sky-rise building under the pouring rain.

I was about to walk to the nurse behind the reception desk but my eyes captured something else. Carl.... And the blonde girl.

I swallowed as our eyes connected. They were standing opposite me. Carl looked composed as usual it didn't shake me but her... she looked as bad as I did. I tore my gaze away from them as Carl took long strides towards me.

"Quinn Manchester... I didn't expect to see you here," His dry voice came out and I tapped my fingers against the side of my tights before looking at him again.

"I came to see Mr Winston... am I not allowed to do that anymore since Ace was kept in jail?" I asked and he stared back at me with his sharp eyes before placing his hands in the pocket of his suit and pursing his lips together.

"Of course you can. I was just taking Miss Kim there. Care to join us?" He opened his arm towards the blonde, inviting me to join them.

What do I have to lose?

I slowly nodded and he began to lead the way toward the elevator. He stood in the middle of us, a little more forward than where she and I stood.

She was nervously biting her nails and occasionally let out exasperated sighs and stole glances from me. I refused to look at her and kept my head straight. The elevator finally opened and Carl led us to a private room where two couches were placed with a TV opposite them, a mini kitchen, and a coffee table with two seats.

He pointed at a door opposite us. "He's in there, he's still unconscious. I'll be here. You can go in," he clarified before stepping back.

"Do you-" I walked past the blonde before she could finish her sentence and went into the room.

She came in after me and shut the door. The room was quiet, only filled with the sound of a machine beeping beside the man lying on the bed with his eyes shut.

I had to see him myself. To tell him to get the fuck up before Ace's life is ruined.

"Can I ask you something?" She requested and I glanced at her before looking back at Mr. Winston.

"Do you really love Ace?"

Irritation crossed my face and I gritted my teeth. "No, I'm just here to waste my time."

My answer must have been too harsh because her eyes widened and she immediately looked away from me with her cheeks turning pink in embarrassment. I moved to sit on the chair beside his bed and watched him closely.

"Ace, he cut all ties with me... he said he didn't want to see or hear of me anymore because of what I didn't do at his office. I... I didn't know you and Ace were serious about each other. I honestly did think it was another one of his plays but his eyes when he talked about you... and the hatred when he told me to stay away. I realized that he really did take you seriously and loved you." She paused, waiting for my response but I didn't take my eyes away from Mr. Winston and replied to her with silence.

"I wasn't just pushing myself on Ace. I needed him, he's... he's my only friend. He's the only one who truly knows me. He's a pure soul you know. He was going to help me escape from the vines of my father. My father's company is a disguise for a drug-producing and selling company and he wants me to take over but even though I can't. I have no choice. But Ace said he could help me, he had a plan. But now, he's being accused for something he didn't do, and oh yeah he wants nothing to do with me. My life... my life means nothing right now, and I. I'm just so stuck and tired." She was strong while talking but with her last sentence, I heard her voice break followed by sniffles and held back tears.

I sighed and hung my head before slowly turning to her, only to see her crouched with her hands over her mouth trying to control her sobs. I carefully made my way over to her and bent down to her level. My hands hung over her back before I finally shook my head and placed it on her back. I slowly caressed her back and her sobs increased.  I bit the inside of my cheek to control myself as I watched her break down.

"It's okay, Nayoung," I said softly and she slowly raised her head for me to see her tear-stained face.

"You hate me don't you, everyone always hates me."

I roughly grabbed her arm before pulling her up, taking her by surprise. "Get a fucking grip of yourself! Everyone hates you? And so fucking what? I hate you! And so? What does that change? Look, we're all going through rough... terrible times right now. We're... we're all at our worst right now and all we can do is try to make this better as far as we can! So don't break down and start telling yourself terrible things! Or else I'll actually ruin your life with one post!" I said angrily.

She stared at me with her lips, downturned before wiping her tears and nodding. "Okay," she whimpered. "I'll be strong. I am strong. I- we can do it."

My breaths easily moved around my body with her words and I dropped my arm. "Don't let your past define you... it's the past for a reason."

With the little strength I had left, I walked back to Mr. Winston. I moved my head closer to his head to say what I came here for.

"Wake the fuck up fast and don't die because I have to fucking kill you myself."

~~~~~♡♡♡~~~~~

"Stay here, your mum will be here soon," my father said as I sat on the couch and rolled my eyes feeling a margarine forming at the base of my skull.

He placed his coat on the hanger and my mum appeared from the top of the stairs. Her moves were silent as she walked down the stairs but that wasn't what had me shook. What caught my attention was the blood-red long fitted gown she was wearing with her signature red lipstick and brown hair flowing over her shoulders. Her dress was designed with diamonds, glistening with her every move and the tail flowed behind her. Her red lips curled into a dangerous smile and an unbelievable gasp left my lips.

She looked like the devil herself dressed like that when she knew everything that was going on.

"What is this?! What are you doing!" My dad yelled once she got to the bottom of the stairs and my heart beat with each step she took towards me.

A million thoughts had been running through my head and I had a feeling that the one I wished for to be just a theory was coming true.

I clutched my phone dangerously tight in my fingers as she passed my dad and got to me. She smiled and moved down to give me two air kisses on my cheeks before sitting beside me. All this while I was frozen.

"What's wrong with you?" My father asked with a tired and strong voice and sat beside her while still looking at her clothes. "Why? Marie?"

"Because," her loud voice boomed and I actually flinched as the tear slipped from my eyes. "We've won. The Manchester's revenge has been a success."

Her words which stabbed my heart were followed by her rich laughter. I decided to end this, go straight to the point, and break the little trust I had left in my mother.

"Mu-mum... did- did yo- you do this? Everything that's happening?" My voice trembled as I held my breath waiting for her answer.

She smiled at me like I just won an Olympic medal and tears glistened in her eyes. "Yes darling, I ruined them. For us, for Angus."

A gasp left my lips and I could feel my pupils shaking at the way she boldly said those words and the psychotic smile on her face. My harsh breaths kept on coming as she stared at me with pure happiness on her face and then a tear left her eye.

I was crying because my mother just ruined my life and she was crying because she was overfilled with happiness of her revenge being a success.

My dad was silent as I saw him shutting his eyes before placing his face in his palm.

"And you see Quinn, you won't understand this now because you claim you're in love with him but darling you can have sex with many other guys, and when time passes you'll thank me for getting Justice for our Angus," she gasped with joy and clasped her hands.

"This can't be happening," I mumbled as my vision began to blur.

"His grandfather should die any day from now. And Ace? I'm going to arrange for him to get bullied and killed in prison and then I'll shoot both his parents dead." She spoke with so much joy like a little girl talking about her favorite Barbie. The scene before me made a toe-curling scream escape my lips.

"I know you're so kind that this might be too much for you that's why I've arranged a getaway for you darling," she placed her hands on my head and I couldn't even shake her touch away due to the shock I was feeling from the whole situation.

"What?" I managed to ask.

"It'll be for a year, we'll tell your fans that you needed a break after your fiancé went to prison and died. When you come back you'll have a perfect life, you can be with that Jason boy, his mum is one of our best sponsors she'll be glad to have you as her daughter-in-law."

Her words seemed to be like a hazy dream and I couldn't bring myself to focus. "I'm not going anywhere, and I'm going to save Ace." I stood up immediately and raised the hand my phone was in the air before pressing the stop button.

"Quinn! What's that? Don't tell me-" my father finally spoke up once he saw my phone and a smile masked my lips.

"Yes. I've been recording this whole ridiculous conversation and I'm going to the police straight. You both need help!" I cried and my mother simply laughed before my father rushed at me in an attempt to get my phone and I moved back.

"No no, nobody needs to stress," my mother said and the doorbell rang in the hair. "Quinn, your ride is here. Come in."

Confusion masked my face at her words and I turned to the door to see two men in scrubs and two women coming in and my eyes widened.

"Take her." My mum gestured to me.

They immediately grabbed me and I began to shake my head, screams for help left my lips and I struggled to get out of their grip but it was to no avail.

"We'll come and visit you, darling. You need help, they'll help you. I'm doing this because I love you," my mother said softly from her seat and told them to get moving.

"No no no! NO! LET ME GO! GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs and looked at my father. "DAD! Dad help me!"

He collected my phone from one of the nurses and kept it in his pocket before nodding towards the door. Mya face paled.

Is he letting her do this? Is he letting her send me away? No! No! Ace needs me. She's going to kill him! I can't leave him!

The tears continued to roll down my cheeks at how helpless I was. They carried me outside and into a car, they used something to hold my hand together and my hair formed a curtain around my tear-stained face. I prayed so hard for a miracle to happen.

Just as the car started moving I looked out the window to see my dad standing at the porch with tears rolling down his face.

Hatred filled my heart and I began to wish I never trusted him or anyone. I began to curse everything that led me to that situation.

The car was quiet throughout the ride and my heart felt heavy with each breath. I had my eyes shut trying to think of how I could escape that situation when the car suddenly came to an abrupt halt and our bodies collided with the front of the car.

"Peter! What's wrong?" The woman beside me yelled as she made me sit back straight and I opened my eyes to see a black car in front of us. Before he could reply a large group of men emerged from the car and surrounded us.

Instantly they opened the car and dragged all the nurses and the driver out, leaving me in the car feeling terrified and confused.

How much more shitty can my day get? I couldn't believe I was about to be kidnapped again.

Then a young man with glasses and brown hair peeked at me and let out a breath of relief like he was glad to see me. My eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Miss Manchester?" He asked and I nodded.

"Do I know you?"

"I'm Alex... I'm from Ace."

~~~~~♡♡♡~~~~~

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