Chapter 102: They’ve Come Looking
It was already past eight by the time Vivian Lowell finished dinner.
Caleb Quinn called a cab, saying he was taking Eleanor Rhodes home.
"Okay, you two head out. Be careful on your way. Tanya, remember to message me when you get home safely."
Vivian Lowell reminded Eleanor Rhodes.
Eleanor Rhodes nodded obediently, waved at Vivian Lowell, and said, "Vivian, I know. I’ll be back at the vet clinic tomorrow morning. You should come by when you have time, too."
After speaking, Eleanor Rhodes leaned closer to Caleb Quinn and said in a low voice, "And you! Have you been skipping classes these past few days? You’re not allowed to come work your part-time job again this week!"
"Your classes at Aethelburg University are more important than making money, you know?"
Caleb Quinn pouted, a little unhappy. He was a sunny, cheerful young man, and the little gesture was actually quite cute.
Eleanor Rhodes looked at Caleb Quinn like that, stunned for a moment, but quickly said with a serious face, "Trying to act cute with me won’t work!"
"Be good, focus on your classes. You can come work here more during the winter and summer breaks, got it?"
"Got it."
Caleb Quinn said, nodding like a little puppy, and walked off with Eleanor Rhodes.
Watching them walk away, a knowing, fond smile touched Vivian Lowell’s lips.
Julian Faulkner drove up.
He stopped the car in front of Vivian Lowell, and noticing her expression, asked, "That ’little puppy’ you mentioned before, was that Caleb Quinn?"
Hearing Julian Faulkner’s question, Vivian Lowell snapped back to reality, nodded, and said, "Yeah, that’s him. He’s pretty good to Tanya, isn’t he?"
Julian Faulkner was noncommittal, but he couldn’t help but think...
’Aren’t I good to Vivian Lowell, too? Why hasn’t she noticed?’
The sudden thought startled even Julian Faulkner himself. Hadn’t Vivian Lowell made it clear tonight? They were just friends.
’What am I doing thinking so much about this?’
With that thought, Julian Faulkner said, "Get in the car. It’s getting late, let’s go home."
He still had some business to take care of.
"Okay," Vivian Lowell agreed and got into the car with Julian Faulkner.
The car drove toward the parking garage exit, and just as it passed through the payment gate, someone suddenly lunged out.
!?
Julian Faulkner slammed on the brakes. Vivian Lowell’s body lurched forward, and her phone fell into her lap. Thankfully, her seatbelt kept her from hitting her head.
"Why did someone suddenly run out?"
Vivian Lowell frowned and glanced ahead. ’It would be a hassle if this person was injured. The visibility at this parking garage exit isn’t very good.’
’If there was an accident, who knows how they’d rule on it.’
With that in mind, Vivian Lowell decided to get out of the car to check.
"I’ll go." Julian Faulkner had already unbuckled his seatbelt just as Vivian Lowell’s hand touched the door handle.
"..."
Vivian Lowell didn’t know what to say. She thought about how Julian Faulkner was tall and imposing; if the person was trying to stage an accident for money, it was indeed better for him to handle it.
Who could have known?
The thought had barely crossed Vivian Lowell’s mind when the person in front of the car suddenly charged right at her.
"Vivian, it’s me! I’m your mother!"
!?
The somewhat familiar voice reached her, and Vivian Lowell froze for a moment.
By the time Vivian Lowell recognized the speaker as Sharon Galahad, it was too late to close the window. Sharon Galahad’s hands were already gripping the windowsill.
"Ms. Galahad."
Vivian Lowell shifted her body, leaning back a little. She really did not want any contact with Sharon Galahad.
It had only been a few days, but after a trip to the relevant authorities, Sharon Galahad looked utterly haggard. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes had multiplied.
’Her hair is also coarse, and... is she not wearing any makeup?’
’That’s strange.’
In Vivian Lowell’s memory, Sharon Galahad had always been someone who maintained her "high-society lady" image to the very end. Even on the day she was taken away by the authorities, she had kept up a dignified appearance.
Even...
Her aura was so powerful that it almost made Vivian Lowell wonder if she had gotten it all wrong—that Sharon Galahad had never actually committed tax evasion or embezzlement at all.
Seeing Sharon Galahad now, Vivian Lowell almost didn’t recognize her.
"It’s me..."
Sharon Galahad leaned against Vivian Lowell’s window, sobbing uncontrollably. "Vivian," she said, "No matter what conflicts we’ve had in the past, we are still family."
"Your father and I raised you for over twenty years. There’s still a bond between us, isn’t there?"
?
Vivian Lowell rolled her eyes directly at Sharon Galahad and asked, "What? You came to find me today to say all this... what kind of act are you trying to put on now?"
"Or is it that the Lowell Family’s financial situation is so dire that you’ve come to beg me not to target the family?"
"Sorry, but I think you’re mistaken. From the very beginning, I was never the one targeting the Lowell Family. The fact that you embezzled funds is real, and the tax evasion is real, too."
"You’re the one who broke the law. Isn’t it perfectly normal for you to face legal consequences?"
"If you want to beg for leniency, you should be begging the police and the judge, not me. Do you understand? I have places to be. You should go now!"
As she spoke, Vivian Lowell forcefully closed the window.
’I don’t believe it.’
’Would someone like Sharon Galahad, who values her own life so much, really dare to keep her hand on the window, even if it gets caught?’
As expected.
Vivian Lowell had guessed Sharon Galahad’s thoughts correctly.
Sharon Galahad desperately tried to push the window back down, but it was useless. Once the window was closed, Vivian Lowell felt as if the entire world had gone quiet.
But apparently.
Sharon Galahad’s appearance here today was clearly premeditated.
After Julian Faulkner got out of the car, he was immediately grabbed by Robert Lowell—the man who had just run out and nearly been hit. The two of them seemed to get into some sort of argument, and Robert Lowell held onto Julian Faulkner, refusing to let go.
"..."
Vivian Lowell honked the horn.
Sharon Galahad also walked over to Robert Lowell, crying, and tugged on his arm.
Robert Lowell turned to look at Sharon Galahad. Julian Faulkner stopped paying attention to the two of them, turned around, got back in the car, and drove away.
This time, Robert Lowell didn’t try to block the car again. If he had, Vivian Lowell would have started to worry about how they were going to get out.
The car drove out of the parking garage.
Vivian Lowell leaned back in her seat and glanced at the rearview mirror.
Suddenly, a camera flash went off.
Vivian Lowell’s heart skipped a beat. The moment she turned, she saw someone in the corner with a camera, taking pictures.
"Julian Faulkner!"
Vivian Lowell shouted immediately!
Julian Faulkner looked over, his gaze questioning.
Vivian Lowell’s expression was grim. She said, "I think Sharon Galahad and Robert Lowell’s sudden appearance just now was a deliberate act."
"They hired a reporter to secretly take our pictures. What are they trying to do?"