Chapter 375 Vigilance
After Sebastian took off, Isabella loaded the dishwasher. Just as she finished cleaning up the table, she heard a car engine revving next door.
Peeking through the kitchen window, she saw Quentin's car pulling in.
Without thinking twice, Isabella headed out to find Quentin.
Quentin had just stepped out of his car and was about to head inside when he spotted Isabella and paused. As she got closer, he said, "I know what you're gonna ask. Come inside with me."
With that, Quentin walked into the house.
Isabella hesitated, then slowly followed. She stopped at the doorway, too scared to go in.
She knew Quentin was bad news and didn't want to be alone with him unless she had to.
Once inside, Quentin tossed his coat on the sofa and went to the water cooler to pour a glass. When he turned and saw Isabella still at the door, he walked back with the glass in hand.
"Why aren't you coming in?" Quentin asked, sipping his water. He looked chill, just like when Isabella first met him and thought he was a nice guy.
But the more she got to know him, the more she realized Quentin wasn't as harmless as he seemed.
The Black Family was no joke. Growing up in that mess, Quentin couldn't be a simple guy.
Isabella was too naive, always seeing the good in people.
"Mr. Black, I just have a few questions," Isabella said.
Quentin took a couple more sips, still all polite and gentlemanly. "Come in and sit down to talk."
He walked over, bent down, and pulled out a pair of brand-new slippers from the shoe cabinet, placing them in front of Isabella.
Just as Isabella was about to speak, Quentin's phone on the coffee table started ringing.
Quentin gestured and walked over to answer, "Hello, yeah, I just got back from the hospital. Mom's fine, Elodie."
Isabella strained to listen but couldn't catch what Quentin said next.
The call dragged on. Even after two minutes, Quentin showed no signs of wrapping it up. The convo was still about Esme and Elodie.
From Quentin's tone, it sounded like he was talking to an elder in the Black Family, and there might be info Isabella needed.
As Isabella debated whether to go inside, she suddenly felt something furry brush against her calf.
Isabella looked down and saw the cat named Cheese circling her feet. Its upright tail brushed against her calf, giving her the creeps.
When Isabella looked down, the cat seemed to sense it and slowly lifted its head, its eerie eyes locking onto hers.
Cheese suddenly bared its teeth, its cry both shrill and fierce. In the next second, it bit Isabella's calf.
Isabella didn't even have time to react before the sharp pain shot up her leg, deepening her dislike for cats. "Cheese!" Quentin's voice sounded near her ear, making the cat dart away, disappearing around the corner.
Isabella felt a tight grip on her wrist as Quentin yanked her into the house and slammed the door shut.
Everything happened so fast. Isabella didn't even have time to react. Seeing the door closed, she panicked and instinctively reached out to open it, but it was locked. She twisted the knob a few times with no luck.
Isabella turned to look at Quentin, her eyes full of fear.
Quentin looked at her and grinned. "Why you so scared of me?"
Isabella was speechless.
But her face gave her away; she had this weird mix of dislike and fear for Quentin.
She pulled her hand back from his grip, trying to keep it cool. "I just wanna ask about Mom and Elodie. I don't wanna bother you."
Quentin's eyes drifted to her bleeding calf. "Before you ask, can I help you with that bite?"
Isabella shook her head. "No need."
Quentin insisted, "Cat bites can be nasty. You sure you don't wanna handle it now?"
Isabella pressed her lips together, feeling like he was pushing it. "I'll get a shot after I ask my questions."
Quentin didn't push further, just nodded. "You wanna know how Mom and Elodie are doing?"
"Yeah." Isabella nodded. "Sebastian and I went to the hospital, but the floor where Elodie is staying is locked down. We couldn't get in. Mom's phone is also unreachable. I'm really worried about her. Can you tell me how she is now?"
Quentin said, "Mom's fine. The doc said she fainted from exhaustion while taking care of Elodie. She's okay now, so don't stress too much."
Isabella let out a small sigh of relief. "That's good. What about Elodie?"
Quentin's eyes darkened, and his tone got serious. "She's not doing well."
Isabella's heart skipped a beat. "What's wrong?"
Quentin said, "She knows about her paralysis and couldn't handle it. She tried to off herself but was stopped."
Isabella's lips moved, but she didn't know what to say.
Even though it wasn't Nina's fault, she couldn't dodge the blame. No matter how she looked at it, Isabella was on the side of the one who caused it. No matter how many times she apologized for Nina, it felt pointless.
Quentin said, "Bruno already knows about this. You can see the situation. I'm afraid Nina's in deep trouble this time."
Isabella's eyelashes trembled, and she asked urgently, "Has Nina been taken by Bruno Black's people?"
Quentin nodded. "Yeah."
Isabella asked, "Where is she now? Can I see her?"
Quentin sighed. "Sorry, Bella, I can't help you with that. Honestly, I don't even know where Nina is."
Isabella knew things were bad, but she didn't think it was so bad that even Quentin couldn't help.
Her mind was racing. "What will Bruno Black do to Nina? This is a law-abiding society. How can he just take someone and lock them up?"
Quentin looked at her, his gaze intense. "Bella, you probably don't get how powerful the Black Family is."
Isabella really didn't get it.
Before this, she was just a regular person and had never heard of the Black Family in Silvercrest. And she didn't know much about Bruno either.
Isabella had asked Sebastian and learned that the Black Family had serious clout in Silvercrest, and Bruno was a ruthless guy.
To get rid of Nina, or even kill her, the Black Family probably had a thousand legit ways!
"Don't worry," Quentin said again, "I've heard that Richard is on his way back. He should be back by tonight at the earliest. He'll talk to Bruno."
Isabella kept her distance from Quentin, avoiding eye contact. "Thanks. I won't bother you anymore. I'll leave now."
She said this, but the door was locked. Whether she could leave was up to Quentin.
"Mr. Black, could you please unlock the door?" Isabella asked.
Quentin paused, then stepped forward and unlocked the door.
Isabella immediately opened the door and left.
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