Chapter 178 There Is a Misunderstanding
Lauren glanced at Quentin, worry etched in her eyes, but it quickly vanished.
"Mom, I didn't do this," Quentin said calmly.
"Don't call me that. You and Lauren are divorced. We have nothing to do with each other anymore," Kimberly snapped, not even looking at him.
Kimberly had only trusted Quentin because he was Lauren's husband. Now that they were divorced and Lauren was hurt again, she couldn't stand it.
Lauren felt stung by Kimberly's words. She stepped forward and said, "Mom, don't be mad. The reporters are gone now. I don't think he did it. This has affected him too."
"Lauren, why are you still defending him? Have you forgotten how scared and helpless you were?" Kimberly said angrily. She hated how kind Lauren was, even now.
Lauren said, pained, "Mom, I'm just telling the truth."
Quentin didn't want Lauren to argue with Kimberly, so he said, "It's all my fault. Kimberly, blame me. Lauren is the victim. Please don't be mad at her."
Kimberly was enraged. Quentin knew how to care for Lauren, but he never did before.
"Lauren is my daughter. I can treat her however I want. It's none of your business," Kimberly said.
Quentin listened to Kimberly's complaints without getting irritated. Since they were divorced, Lauren couldn't say anything about Quentin's behavior.
Ethan ran in, spotting Lauren's open door and fearing something was wrong. He was amazed to find no reporters and Quentin there.
"Lauren, are you okay?" Ethan asked, ignoring Quentin and heading to Lauren's side.
Lauren shook her head. "I'm fine, Ethan."
Seeing Ethan, Kimberly treated him warmly, completely different from her cold attitude towards Quentin earlier.
"Ethan, you're finally here. Thank you so much," Kimberly said.
Ethan smiled at Kimberly. "Don't mention it. Sorry for being late."
"Ethan, no need to apologize. We're all family," Kimberly said, glancing at Quentin. Quentin showed no reaction.
Lauren said awkwardly, "It's all fine now, Ethan. Get back to work. Mr. Robinson, you should leave too."
Ethan said, "The reporters might come back. I'll stay here and keep watch."
Quentin didn't object. He had to deal with company matters and discuss with Noah how to handle it at the afternoon press conference.
"Then I'll go first." Quentin glanced at Lauren and then left.
Lost in thought, Ethan watched Quentin leave. After Quentin left, he snapped back to reality.
"Was it Quentin who drove away those reporters?" Ethan asked.
Lauren nodded. "Sort of. Ethan, I'm really fine here. You can get back to work."
Lauren was wiped out. She just wanted to rest and forget everything.
Seeing how tired she looked, Ethan didn't want to bother her anymore.
But Kimberly spoke up, "Lauren, why are you rushing to send Ethan away? Quentin announced a press conference for this afternoon. Don't leave! Ethan, please help me convince Lauren. Since everyone knows you're divorced, avoid Quentin."
"Mom, why are you bringing this up again? Don't worry about it. I have a plan," Lauren said, feeling extremely annoyed. She really didn't want to discuss it anymore.
Ethan stepped in. "Kimberly, don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt her while I'm here."
Kimberly nodded in satisfaction. After seeing Lauren's indifference, Ethan left, then called Quentin.
"Let's talk," Ethan said coldly.
Quentin looked at his watch and said, "Meet me at Harmony Haven in twenty minutes."
"Okay," Ethan agreed.
Quentin arrived at the hotel room first. While waiting, he got a call from Noah.
Noah had used this time to find out who was behind the incident. He sent the detailed information to Quentin.
Quentin looked at the info, his face darkening like a storm was about to break.
Ethan walked in briskly, knocking on the door before entering. He didn't notice Quentin's unusual demeanor.
"Quentin, what exactly is going on?" Ethan asked.
"Shouldn't you know better than I do?" Quentin said coldly, his gaze as fierce as an eagle's, like he was about to tear his prey apart.
Ethan raged. Quentin was definitely to blame, yet he was shifting the blame. It was ridiculous.
"What does that mean?" Ethan asked again.
"Who is Sarah?" Quentin suddenly asked.
"Sarah? She's a friend," Ethan replied.
"Ethan, admit it. Don't you know Sarah called media outlets overnight and uploaded the evidence online?" Quentin said sarcastically.
Quentin couldn't believe Ethan would stoop so low to win Lauren over.
Ethan quickly said, "Did Sarah do all this? That's impossible. Sarah may be evil, but she lacks the intelligence and resources."
"So, she had someone behind her. And that person is you, isn't it?" Quentin said.
"Of course not, Quentin. You can't accuse me. What would I gain from it? Don't forget, this incident also implicated me. I wouldn't be so foolish as to bring trouble upon myself!" Ethan continued.
But Quentin just laughed.
"I never believed you were simple. Are you trying to trick me? Your plan is great, though. You broke up my connection with Lauren, framed Robinson Conglomerate, and made her feel guilty towards you. You just want to gradually win her over. Your plan is really well thought out,," Quentin said, clenching his fists tightly.
Although Ethan didn't want to explain further, he refused to silently bear this accusation.
