Chapter 660 Quinlan Newman!
The taxi disappeared into the night.
From a distance, the "drunk" woman watched the scene unfold.
A woman in a suit now stood beside her—it was Ursa. She draped a black coat over the other woman's shoulders.
"Miss Newman, it's chilly tonight. You should wear this," she said respectfully.
The "drunk" woman was actually Quinlan Newman! She nodded and pulled the coat tighter around her shoulders.
Her eyes sparkled with intelligence. "You know, Ursa, that delivery man was quite interesting."
Ursa nodded approvingly. "His character is indeed excellent. Even with an injured hand, he still tried to save you from those thugs."
Quinlan shook her head. "But in the end, I had to save him. He's not very skilled."
"Of course he can't compare to you! But compared to most men, his character and fighting ability are quite impressive. Most importantly, he's just an ordinary delivery man with no background or family connections. He'd have no problem marrying into a family, and you could easily control him later."
"That's true."
Quinlan smiled. "But there's no rush. The family gave me a month to decide. I'll spend more time with this man. If everything seems satisfactory, we can register the marriage."
What Quinlan didn't tell Ursa was that from the first moment she saw this man, something felt different compared to her interactions with other men. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.
For now, though, she did need a husband she could control.
The Newman family stood above even the first-tier families of Aurora City. While those families might boast about their business empires, much of their reputation was exaggerated by the capital markets and media.
In the Newman family's eyes, these so-called first-tier families were nothing. Even the mainstream families of Capital City wouldn't dare challenge the Newmans.
Yet now, the Newman family faced serious internal and external threats.
Internally, they faced a succession crisis. Their only hope was Quinlan, the sole daughter of the main branch. Though she had been CEO for three years, most family members, led by the second branch, opposed the idea of "female leadership."
Externally, another top Aurora City family, the Wolf family, was eyeing them hungrily, hoping to absorb them. The Wolf heir had even proposed marriage to Quinlan, attempting to claim the Newman family's "future star" for himself. While they spoke of a union between the families, without Quinlan, the Newman family would quickly be devoured by the Wolves.
Xavier Newman, the family patriarch, was progressive and adored his granddaughter Quinlan. On one hand, he didn't want her to bear the family's burden; on the other, he didn't want to see the family's century-old foundation crumble.
Quinlan didn't want to see her grandfather's life's work destroyed, so she strongly expressed her willingness to take on this responsibility!
While Quinlan had inherited Xavier's business acumen and was capable of running the Newman Group efficiently despite her young age, most family members still didn't fully accept her.
To gain the family's trust, her first major task was to find a husband who would marry into the family. This would solidify her position as a true Newman.
But finding such a husband was easier said than done. Most men who met her requirements were either already in relationships, married, or even had teenage children.
Eventually, Quinlan instructed Ursa to prioritize good character over profession, family background, or appearance.
Now that both Ursa and Quinlan found Ryder promising, they couldn't let this opportunity slip away!
Ryder, of course, had no idea he'd caught the eye of Quinlan Newman, heiress to one of Aurora City's top families.
At the moment, he was in pain. His arm was bleeding, and his entire body felt like it was falling apart.
He couldn't go home like this—Sarah and the others would worry. So he directed the taxi driver to take him to the Breeze Club instead.
As Ryder was getting out, the driver couldn't help but offer some advice: "Sir, your girlfriend is really beautiful. Don't do anything stupid! The women in there aren't half as pretty as her. Don't do something you'll regret!"
"You've got it all wrong. I'm married, and that woman wasn't my girlfriend," Ryder explained tiredly.
"My goodness, sir! Your charm is truly remarkable—beyond belief!"
SLAM!
Ryder's response was to close the door firmly. With the driver's wild imagination, any further explanation would probably lead to even more outlandish conclusions.
Inside the Breeze Club, Ryder looked for Clara, the owner. As expected, Uncle Ryan was spending the night there.
Both Ryan and Clara were shocked by Ryder's disheveled state. After hearing what had happened, Ryan praised his bravery while Clara focused on treating his wounds and giving him a full-body acupuncture session.
An hour later, the treatment was complete, and Ryder felt like a new man. Clara's medical skills were truly miraculous!
During this time, Sarah had called to check on him. It was the usual concern of a wife when her husband was out late.
Ryder understood this perfectly. Not wanting to worry her further, he asked Clara to arrange a car to take him home as soon as the acupuncture was finished.
By the time Ryder arrived home, another hour had passed. It was already past midnight.
He assumed Sarah, Rex, and Barbara would be asleep by now, but he noticed the living room lights were still on.
As he opened the door, he saw someone sitting on the couch.
"Sarah, you're still up?"
Sarah turned toward the door when she heard it open. Upon seeing Ryder, she immediately became irritated.
"Oh, so you decided to come home after all! I thought maybe you were planning to spend the whole night taking care of your first love!"
"How could that be? She just missed her dog this afternoon, so I brought it over. That's all!"
Ryder approached Sarah, who sat on the couch with her arms crossed, deliberately looking away from him.
She began her interrogation: "Oh really? And while you were there, you fed her dinner, got your clothes dirty, and then took a shower in her bathroom? Is that what happened? Be honest."
Her tone was accusatory.
Ryder was surprised. "Wait, how did you know my clothes got dirty?"
Had Sarah planted a tiny camera on him? Surely not! And if she had, her account wasn't even accurate.
"So it is true!" Sarah's voice rose noticeably.
"No, it's not like that at all!"
"Then why did you leave this morning wearing a plaid T-shirt, but now you're in a plain white one?" Sarah's eyes showed a flash of hurt.
Ryder had no choice but to sit down and patiently explain everything that had happened:
- Taking the dog to Saskia
- Having dinner with his old classmate Zane
- Getting injured while trying to help the drunk woman
- Getting treatment from Clara
Sarah was alarmed to hear about his injury and immediately began scolding him: "Who gave you permission to play hero? Can't you stop showing off? Do you think you're the only one who suffers when you get hurt? Don't you consider how I feel, how your friends feel? Don't you know we all care about you... mmph!"
Ryder, watching Sarah's non-stop moving lips, kissed her directly!
Partly to stop her talking, and partly because tonight, Sarah seemed especially enchanting. He couldn't help himself!
"Mmph!"
At first, Sarah resisted, but as Ryder's passionate advance continued, her body softened in his embrace. She surrendered to his lead.
After the kiss, the woman in his arms was much calmer, no longer like a prickly little hedgehog.
She then confessed about her phone call with Saskia that afternoon.
What?
Ryder was shocked to learn that Saskia had answered Sarah's call to his phone while he was in the bathroom! But there was no record of it in his chat history!
Sarah, however, had evidence. The call was logged in her history, and she'd even recorded it. She played it for Ryder:
"Oh, it's you, Ryder's wife! The fact that you're saying these things proves you're actually scared, doesn't it? Let me tell you something—a man's first love holds an irreplaceable position in his heart. What good is your beauty? Ryder prefers the playful, cute girl from his past.
And you? I've heard about you. You've been quiet and introverted since childhood, and now you just run a company—rigid and without any sense of fun! Ryder could never truly like someone like you."
Listening to the recording, Ryder didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Saskia was truly hypocritical!
When the recording ended, Ryder gave Sarah a thumbs up. "That was clever of you."
Hearing this, Sarah's expression changed. "Are you saying I'm calculating? Unlike your pure, innocent, playful first love?"
"Not at all! I'm actually glad you're so smart. In a way, it reassures me that you won't be easily hurt."
Sarah pouted. "That's better."
Ryder looked at Sarah with a teasing gaze. "That nightgown looks beautiful on you. Did you buy it because she said you were rigid and had no sense of fun? Did you wear it specially for me?"
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