Chapter 11 Turbulence

• In the Quinn family’s house, after Finley and Mariette’s departure, the remaining guests carried on with their feast. All Except for Joseph. The atmosphere at the feast had gotten too uncomfortable for him after his daughter’s argument with the family. So, he made up an excuse and left.
• “Joseph's family are totally useless.”
• “His daughter is too willful and his son-in-law is a useless piece of trash. They have completely shamed us.” After Joseph’s departure, George continued to sneer at his younger brother’s family.
• “Brother-in-law, why mention them? Today is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let’s not dampen our mood.” Christine joined in the conversation and tried to change the topic. Then she smiled warmly at her son-in-law, Wyatt. Wyatt, don’t you have some more gifts for your grandfather? What did you buy? Tell us about it. Your grandfather will be happy too.”
• “Yes, Wyatt, we are all curious. Tell us about it.” The youngest of the Quinn brothers smiled as he looked at Wyatt. The other relatives went with the flow and also prodded him for information.
• “Just wait and see. The gifts are on their way here. Once they have arrived, you will find out. I promise that Grandfather will receive a huge surprise,” Wyatt said confidently and Yvonne hugged his arm coquettishly.
• Since they did receive many valuable gifts from the Cooper family yesterday and those gifts did add significantly to her prestige, Yvonne was extremely satisfied with her fiancé.
• The atmosphere at the family house was slowly getting festive and the somber mood caused by the argument earlier was swept away.
• “It looks like Wyatt is feeling confident in his gifts. Well, are you confident enough to beat your brother-in-law? That year, he gave us a valuable painting made by a famous artist. Your grandfather was all smiles for several days. Now, the painting is hanging in his study. Your grandfather enjoys looking at it every day,” George said with a smile.
• Wyatt just shook his head. “Uncle, don’t say that. A gift should not be judged by how valuable it is. It’s just a token of my appreciation for Grandfather. As long the thought is there, no matter what I give, I am sure Grandfather will be happy with it.”
• “Hahaha! You are right, Wyatt. I am too shallow,” George replied.
• The other family members also praised Wyatt for his eloquence and high emotional quotient.
• But although they said that, they were still competitive when it came to such things.
• This was especially true for a vain woman like Yvonne. She had already told Wyatt that he had to give something valuable or she would lose face in front of her relatives.
• “Wyatt, it’s fine as long as the thought is there. Forget about the gift. There’s no need to spend extravagantly on my behalf. You becoming my grandson-in-law is already the best gift you can give me.” Jeremiah had already composed himself and now he had a smile on his face as he exchanged pleasantries with Wyatt.
• “How could that be? I have to give a gift or I wouldn’t be doing my duty as a grandson-in-law. Grandfather, just take a seat. My surprise will arrive soon.” Wyatt was confident.
• When the others heard this, they started another round of praise for him.
• “Wyatt is so thoughtful.”
• “He’s from a rich family and so filial. Liam, your family is so lucky to get a son-in-law like him.”
• “Yvonne has found a good husband!”
• “Felicia, look. When it’s time for you to find a husband, you must find someone like Wyatt. He’s a good-looking, talented, and promising young man. Come, let us give Wyatt a toast.”
• In the courtyard, the Quinn family members were having a merry and harmonious time.
• Things had gotten lively as the guests talked and laughed among themselves.
• Wyatt was smiling proudly in the face of everyone’s praise, and Yvonne’s vanity had been satisfied so she was contented. At this moment, both Wyatt and Yvonne, who had been placed on a pedestal by their relatives, felt infinitely glorious as if they were standing at the pinnacle of life.
• When he looked at his outstanding grandson-in-law, Jeremiah smiled so much that he barely had time to shut his mouth. It was a scene of domestic bliss.
• As everyone was enjoying themselves, the butler came in and announced that a car had just arrived.
• “It’s here, grandfather. The gift your grandson-in-law prepared for you is here.”
• Wyatt stood up with a smile and hurriedly ordered the servants to bring his gift in.
• “Whoa, it’s huge!”
• “Wyatt, what is it?”
• “Don’t tell me you’ve got a pretty woman in there. You even covered it up with a red cloth.”
• A short while later, several able-bodied men carried the gift into the hall.
• When the assembled guests saw this, they were stunned. The gift was around two meters wide and half-a-meter tall. It looked like a rectangular box but, as it was covered with a piece of red cloth, they couldn’t tell what it was.
• “Wyatt, don’t tell me it’s really a beautiful woman. Your grandfather is already an old man, so he won’t be able to use your gift.” George joked around with Wyatt and caused everyone to laugh. Jeremiah also chided his eldest son light-heartedly.
• But as the Quinn family members were laughing, Wyatt frowned. He thought there was something strange about the shape of the gift.
• It’s probably just the gift box. Wyatt guessed to himself and then smiled in response. “Haha, uncle, stop guessing. Just wait and I will reveal the answer to you.”
• Then, under the curious gazes of their relatives, Wyatt grabbed Yvonne and led her to the front. He faced Jeremiah who was seated at the seat of honor and said, “Thank you, Grandfather, for raising Yvonne to be such an outstanding woman. Please accept this gift from your grandson-in-law. To express my thanks, Yvonne and I would like to present Grandfather with an evergreen pine tree from Nusridge. May Grandfather enjoy immense fortune and live to a ripe old age!”
• Jeremiah’s smile grew so wide that his lips nearly touched his ears. He exclaimed, “Splendid! Splendid indeed! Wyatt, you are so thoughtful.”
• Everyone else followed his example and cut loose with yet another round of praise for the couple.
• Yvonne tilted her chin proudly and looked at her fiancé joyfully.
• Both Christine and Liam felt distinguished as they basked in the reflected glory of their son-in-law.
• “Remove the cloth!”
• Amidst the praises of the guests and the happy laughter of Jeremiah, Wyatt waved his hand and gave the order haughtily.
• But unexpectedly, when the red cloth was removed, it turned out that there wasn’t an evergreen pine tree underneath. Instead, they saw a coffin.
• A pitch-black and heavy coffin lay quietly on the floor.
• Whoosh…
• All of a sudden, the door to the hall opened by itself and the cold wind howled like a devil. As it passed through the hall, the wind lifted the piece of cloth and caused it to flap about noisily.
• A pitch-black coffin and a bright red cloth.
• At this moment, within the hall, everyone was scared witless.
• Christine’s eyes were wide open with fear. Scarlet and her family screamed in terror, while the children simply burst into tears.
• Wyatt was rooted to the spot as he stared unbelievably at the scene before him. It was supposed to be an evergreen pine tree, so how did it change into a coffin?
• As for Jeremiah, he was scared witless the moment he saw the coffin when the cloth was removed. He trembled violently and his face turned pale as a ghost. When he opened his mouth, frightened growls could be heard.
• “You… You... You are trying to curse me to death!”
• Jeremiah’s body went limp and he started screaming in fear.
• Wyatt actually sent Grandfather a coffin on this day of celebration. Even a young woman like Scarlet found it hard to accept such a twist in the plot, let alone an old man like Jeremiah.
• Finally, Jeremiah fell off the chair he was sitting on and landed on the floor, where he lay gasping for breath.
• “Grandfather!”
• “Father!”
• “Quick, call for an ambulance!” The Quinn family members were in a state of confusion as they ran toward the head of the family to help him up.
• The eldest of the Quinn brothers was so angry that he sent Wyatt flying to the ground with a kick. “You scoundrel. If anything happens to my father, I will kill you. Get lost.”
• “Look at what your son-in-law has done.” After berating Wyatt, George turned to Christine and pushed her away.
• “Grandfather, I… I… really don’t know what’s going on.” Wyatt was overwhelmed with confusion. After he was kicked to the ground, he could only lay there quivering as snot and tears streamed down his face.
• I truly have no idea what just happened. I have prepared an evergreen pine tree, so how did it turn into a coffin?
• There was this saying that good fortune never comes in pairs and trouble never travels alone. So, just as the Quinn family members were milling about in confusion, the butler came in with more bad news.
• “There’s trouble. There’s big trouble. Our Summer Logistics is under investigation. Our ten warehouses have been sealed! The Quinn family assets have been frozen!”
• He added, “The company executives have been taken away by the police for questioning. It’s over. It’s all over for Summer Logistics!”
• What?
• All of a sudden, the thunderstruck family members stood rooted to the ground.
• Fear and shock were growing in their wide-opened eyes.
• What is happening to our family? Could it be punishment from the gods?
• However, as they were still struggling in a state of panic, several police cars had already stopped outside the family house. Police officers got out of the vehicles and pushed open the gate to the house.
• Once inside, the officers showed their identifications.
• “Good evening, we are from the Yannopolis Public Security Bureau. Summer Logistics is under suspicion of committing economic crimes, illegal business conduct, and other offenses. We would like General Manager Liam and Chairman George to follow us and assist in our investigation.”
• When they heard this, George’s face turned pale and Liam collapsed right on the floor as his legs had turned to jelly.
• “I won’t let you take my husband!” Christine cried and pulled on Liam and refused to let go but her efforts were futile.
• Finally, both George and Liam were taken away by the police.
• In just one night, nearly all the pillars of the family had fallen.
• Jeremiah was admitted to the hospital. The two most capable brothers were taken away by the police. Their warehouses had been sealed and Summer Logistics was in a state of paralysis.
• The Quinn family had fallen in just one night.
• Who would have thought that a celebratory event would end with the death knells of the Quinn family.
• The previously haughty Yvonne and Christine were now like defanged tigers and the splendor of their former selves had completely vanished.
• “Who did we offend?”
• “Why did the heavens treat us this way?”
• In the Quinn family's house, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. The whole family was in a state of grief.
• However, all these happenings were unknown to Mariette.
• After she had been chased out of the family house last night, she went home and slept.
• After the troubles had hit the Quinn family, a text message was sent to Finley’s phone: Sir, the Quinn family has fallen. Those who have offended you have been punished. Are you satisfied with my gift?
• Before the floor-to-ceiling window, Ernest smiled as he admired the wine glass in his hand.
• Outside the window, the sky was dark and the clouds were billowing as the wind blew.
• It looked like a storm was coming.