"Gregory Quinn! You... you... you've already had a child with her?!" Brooke Osborne couldn't help but cry out, unable to accept this reality.
Gregory Quinn, quick on his feet, immediately put on a stern face and shouted at Brooke Osborne, "What are you saying?! Keep your filthy thoughts to yourself!"
"My sister just had a slight complication with her pregnancy. When did I ever say it was my child?!"
As he spoke, he turned his head and glared at Grace Day.
Grace Day, frightened, didn't dare say another word, and could only awkwardly lower her head but couldn't help rolling her eyes.
Brooke Osborne was so angry she was short of breath, feeling like Gregory Quinn was making a fool out of her.
But now in front of so many people, if her parents found out, wouldn't they be even more disappointed in her...
She shuddered, clenching her fist tighter, her smile more unpleasant than tears, muttering, "...It's not your child? Really not your child?"
"Of course not!" Gregory Quinn said righteously, straightening his back, "I said it's not, so it's not! Don't throw all kinds of dirty stuff at me!"
Brooke Osborne bit her lower lip even harder, looking a bit shaken.
Lawrence Winters couldn't stand it anymore, holding Brooke Osborne's arm, gave her a reproachful look, and lifted his gaze to calmly say to Gregory Quinn, "Oh, Mr. Quinn, so it's not your child? — Then are you happily taking up the role of dad?"
Gregory Quinn hurriedly nodded at the first half, "No, no..."
Then he heard Lawrence Winters say he was "happily taking up the role of dad," which was a way of saying he was being cuckolded!
How could he tolerate that?!
But the speaker was Lawrence Winters, and her uncle is Nick Zeller, so even if he didn't want to, he had to endure.
Especially Nick Zeller, who is a famous "Great Heavenly Master" in River City, often an honored guest among the elite.
Can't afford to mess with him, can't afford it.
He could only awkwardly force a smile that's even more unpleasant than Brooke Osborne's current expression, "It's you, Lawrence... This matter's rather complicated, don't meddle in it..."
This was a warning for Lawrence Winters not to meddle in other people's business.
Earlier, Gregory Quinn was being abusive and deceptive to Brooke Osborne, and Nick Zeller could still watch coldly.
But Gregory Quinn veiledly insulted Lawrence Winters, and Nick Zeller couldn't tolerate that.
He strode forward, grabbed Gregory Quinn's other arm too, and lifted it, roaring angrily, "Who are you saying is meddling?! I think you have a death wish! If our Lawrence says you're happily playing dad, then you're playing dad! If you don't agree, go for a DNA test!"
Gregory Quinn was startled at heart and immediately looked at Brooke Osborne.
He initially intended to muddle through this matter and never admit it's his until Grace Day gave birth to the child.
But if they do a DNA test, how can he keep it secret?!
Lawrence Winters watched Gregory Quinn being raised in mid-air by two tall men, like being on a gallows, and couldn't help but want to laugh, clapping his hands, "Sister Brooke, my uncle is right, there's no use in talking nonsense about whose child it is, just go to the hospital for a DNA test."
"In this day and age, can you really get away with saying whose is whose? — Is this someone who hasn't undergone nine years of compulsory education, or are they deliberately bullying others?!"
Grace Day was secretly delighted to hear about the DNA test, quickly making a grievance face to Gregory Quinn, eagerly saying, "Brother Quinn, don't you know whose child this is? I've only ever been with you from the beginning to the end, I was still a virgin when we were together..."
With Grace Day saying this, Brooke Osborne couldn't possibly deceive herself anymore.
She closed her eyes, loosened and tightened her fist, and said softly, "Alright, we'll go to the hospital for a DNA test tomorrow. Dr. Liu from the OB-GYN department of the City Hospital is my aunt..."
Gregory Quinn really didn't expect Brooke Osborne to be this strong.
He squinted at her, took a deep breath as he looked at the two men holding his arms, and said, "Can you two let go of my arms first? I have something to say to Brooke."
Kenneth Osborne and Nick Zeller exchanged a glance and released their grip.
Gregory Quinn rubbed his arms, frowned, and said to Brooke Osborne, "Since you've seen it, I won't say anything. I originally planned to come clean with you after the New Year, but you're going too far, don't blame me for being unkind!"
"Kindness? You first have an affair and an illegitimate child, then hit my sister in public, and this is still considered kind? If it wasn't kind, would you have killed someone?!"
Kenneth Osborne is seven years younger than Brooke Osborne, almost raised by her since childhood, and he respects and loves his sister greatly.
Seeing his sister being bullied like this in front of him, how can he not beat the other party harshly?
Kenneth Osborne sternly rolled up his sleeves.
Brooke Osborne was moved to tears by her brother's gesture.
"Kenneth, don't dirty your hands." Brooke Osborne quickly held him back, then turned to Gregory Quinn and said pacifyingly, "It's almost New Year, everyone's busy. Since things are like this, we have nothing more to say. After the New Year, when the Civil Affairs Bureau starts working, we'll go through the divorce proceedings."
Gregory Quinn originally planned to settle this after the child was born; he was still consulting a lawyer on the best split of marital assets.
Unfortunately, Grace Day revealed it too early, forcing him to change his plan.
Otherwise, with Brooke Osborne having her strong younger brother's support, Gregory Quinn worried he wouldn't get the best benefits.
Moreover, he just discovered that Brooke Osborne also has a Grand Cherokee, which wasn't counted in the communal marital property; how could he let the Osborne Family take advantage?
He straightened his clothes, nodded, smiled, and said, "Alright, after a marriage of one night comes a hundred days of grace. Since you want to wait until after the New Year to handle the formalities, I'll let you. You all have a good New Year."
As he spoke, he put his arm around Grace Day and waved at them, "I've got things to do, excuse me."
Lawrence Winters couldn't understand, he looked at Brooke Osborne, whose face was calm, then at Gregory Quinn, who was walking away, "Sister Brooke, are you just going to let that pair of cheating bastards walk away?!"
If you're not kicking a man like that to the curb right away, are you really keeping him for the New Year?
Brooke Osborne felt deeply embarrassed.
She was a government worker in River City, enthusiastic in her job, kind to others, doing tasks nobody else wanted to do, persisting through the toughest assignments, and getting along with everyone at the workplace.
Neighbors would always praise her.
But with Gregory Quinn, she didn't know what she did wrong for him to not want her anymore...
Helplessly rubbing her forehead, Brooke Osborne softly said, "Lawrence, let me be for a moment, just a moment, okay?"
She was moved by Kenneth Osborne's act of shielding her just now, worried about his loss, and impulsively mentioned divorce.
But is she really going to get a divorce?
She's already twenty-nine, and she'll be thirty after the New Year.
She's been with Gregory Quinn for seven years, seven years of her youth...
Lawrence Winters still wanted to say something, but Nick Zeller gently shook his head at him and waved a hand, "Lawrence, let's get in the car first. This is, after all, a personal family matter. Let's discuss it after the New Year."
Initially, he wanted Lawrence Winters to stop interfering.
But seeing the righteous anger in his niece's eyes made him hold back his words.
A little sense of justice in a girl is good, especially in their line of work as Heavenly Masters. More help begets more help, and helping others is helping oneself. He didn't want to discourage her.
Of course, the most important thing was that Gregory Quinn was a low-life!
Daring to insult his Lawrence for meddling!
Did he not want any peace for the rest of his life!
Nick Zeller was a very vengeful person. In his mind, he had already made a note of Gregory Quinn in his little book.
Kenneth Osborne didn't speak anymore either, boarded Nick Zeller's Grand Cherokee with his sister, and left the place onto a side road.
...
The night deepened, and there weren't even streetlights on the side road.
The cold wind howled, whistling past the car windows, those trees with only bare branches clawed at the night sky like monsters released from Hell to ravage the earth.
Besides the softly flowing music, no one spoke inside the car.
Brooke Osborne leaned her head against the car window, constantly thinking about how to explain to her parents after returning.
She, this daughter, would once again disappoint the elderly...
At that moment, Nick Zeller, who was driving, suddenly slammed on the brakes.
The people in the car were propelled forward by inertia.
If it weren't for the seatbelts, they would have flown against the front windshield.
"What's the matter? What happened?" Kenneth Osborne snapped out of his thoughts, quickly leaning forward to take a look.
Nick Zeller's face was ashen, shouting forward, "…Are you trying to die?! It's almost New Year's, why are so many people looking for death!"
"If you want to die, can't you go somewhere else! Why do it right here, and why at my expense!"
Lawrence Winters, who had been almost dozing off, was abruptly thrown forward by the sudden braking, the seatbelt nearly making her gag.
"Uncle, what's wrong?" She opened her eyes and saw in the bright headlights of the Grand Cherokee a person sitting askew by the roadside tree root, and another person standing in the road with their hand raised to stop the car.
Kenneth Osborne also saw it, frowning as he said, "…Are they trying to hitch a ride?"
"It's fine if they want to hitch a ride, but don't just jump out suddenly! It's the middle of the night, aren't you trying to scare someone to death!" Nick Zeller was very displeased and punched the steering wheel.
Lawrence Winters squinted her eyes and laughed, "Uncle, you're a Great Heavenly Master, and you're scared of this?"
"I'm a Great Heavenly Master, not lawless." Nick Zeller confidently puffed out his chest, "Even in a car accident, you have to bear legal responsibilities. I am a Great Heavenly Master of the new era born in the new society and raised under the red flag!"
Lawrence Winters clicked her tongue, "Uncle, your survival instinct is really strong."
Brooke Osborne also sat up and looked forward at this time, immediately got up and said, "The person sitting there seems to be hurt."
She almost subconsciously pushed open the car door to check on the person slumped by the tree root.
Kenneth Osborne had no choice but to get out of the car as well.
The person who ran out to block the car was a young woman who seemed to have a good background.
Kenneth Osborne glanced at her and saw her coat was from an internationally renowned brand known for its high price.
And the man sitting crooked by the tree seemed a bit older, with a bloodstain on his forehead.