Chapter 12 Torrential Storm

• Flash.
• A branched lightning bolt tore through the sky as the rain poured down in sheets.
• At this moment, in his room at the Yannopolis General Hospital, Joseph Quinn had already woken up. The Quinn family members were gathered at his bedside and they did not look good. Christine Wendel was crying, Yvonne Quinn simply kept quiet with her head down and Wyatt Cooper was kneeling apologetically in front of Joseph’s bed.
• After all, it was Wyatt’s gift that had sent Joseph into a fit of fright in the first place. The old man was in a severe state after the “surprise” and if he had not been sent to the hospital in time, he would have died.
• Luckily, Joseph managed to recover from the shock. Otherwise, Wyatt would have to bear a very heavy burden.
• “Dad, please find a way to help George and Liam. We haven’t heard anything from them for the whole night. Are they going to prison? Will they face the firing squad? Felicia is still a child. She needs her father.”
• The eldest daughter-in-law of the Quinn family was sobbing as she pleaded with her father-in-law. And Christine was also wiping tears away from her red-rimmed eyes.
• Although the Quinn family had many offsprings, the only ones who could shoulder the burden for the family were just George and Liam. Once they were gone, the family would simply collapse.
• “Stop crying! You only know how to cry. If you are going to keep crying, you can get out of my room!”
• Christine and her companions in misery were frightened by this violent outburst and promptly shut up.
• And then, Joseph took one look at the still kneeling Wyatt and said gravely, “You can get up.”
• “Grandfather, I am sorry. What happened yesterday.”
• Wyatt was going to continue when Joseph waved dismissively and said, “You don’t have to say anything. It’s not your fault. Someone else is targeting our family.”
• Joseph was an old-timer so he had already noticed the suspicious points in this incident.
• “What? Somebody is targeting our family?”
• “Who could it be?”
• “Summer Logistics hasn’t offended anyone powerful recently. And in Yannopolis, we don’t have any business enemies either.”
• “So who’s going after our family!”
• Once again, Christine and the womenfolk went into a state of panic. Their bodies shook as tears streamed down their faces.
• “Shut up!”
• “You women are useless here. You are only good for irritating me.” Joseph was already in a lousy mood and listening to the cries of the womenfolk only made him angrier.
• “Think carefully. Have you offended anyone?”
• “Enemies don’t just pop up out of nowhere. There must be a reason why they are targeting us like this,” Joseph declared as he looked at his family.
• Yvonne and Scarlet shook their heads. They did not remember offending anyone powerful. They did bully weaklings like Finley, but weak people like him were unlikely to have the power to retaliate against the Quinn family.
• “Wait, grandfather. It must be Mariette and that useless trash, Finley! It must be them. They attacked the Mr. Youngblood yesterday and, right after that, these calamities started happening to us. It can’t be a coincidence. The Shurmer family must have retaliated against us because of what Mariette and Finley did. This is the Shurmer family’s revenge against us.” Yvonne screamed out the facts that she had just thought of.
• Wyatt followed suit and said, “That’s right. The Shurmer family must have prepared the coffin in order to exact vengeance on us. They are one of the top-tier powers in Yannopolis, and they have the backing of Ernest Lemmon. In Yannopolis, there are few powers who are capable of orchestrating the events that happened yesterday. Very few, but the Shurmer family is definitely one of those groups.”
• “That b*stard Finley and that b*tch Mariette! It’s all because of them. It’s their fault that my husband was arrested. Dad, we must not spare troublemakers like them,” The red-eyed Christine said viciously.
• Everyone else followed suit and placed the blame on the couple as well.
• Joseph had a somber expression on his face as he coldly gave the order. “Go get that unfilial girl, Mariette, and bring her to me.”
• He was so angry that his voice shook as he spoke.
• When Mariette received the call, Finley was still making breakfast in the kitchen. As a live-in son-in-law, it was his job to take care of all the household chores.
• “Mariette, breakfast is ready.”
• A few minutes later, Finley had already finished setting the table so he started calling Mariette and her family to breakfast.
• “Stop shouting. Mariette has already left.”
• “Eh? Where did she go? It’s still early and it’s raining too,” Finley asked with a frown.
• Lily replied coldly, “What? Must my daughter report to you whenever she goes out?”
• Since his mother-in-law was angry, Finley wisely kept his mouth shut. But Mariette did not return for the rest of the day, and that made Finley very worried.
• Evening came and still Mariette did not return. Finley tried calling her but nobody answered the phone. His worry deepened as he looked at the pouring rain outside. Just as he was about to go look for her at the Quinn’s family house, his phone rang.
• The caller was Yvonne.
• “Finley, go to the Shurmer family manor and pick up your wife from the entrance. She’s not a princess but she’s as delicate as one. She only kneeled down for a while but she actually fainted on the spot? I am speechless! If you can’t do the time, then don’t do the crime. Now you’ve dragged us down with you. You guys are really jinxes!”
• Yvonne smiled coldly as she ridiculed Finley and Mariette.
• What?
• “Mariette went to the Shurmer family? And she fainted?”
• Finley’s face turned frosty when he heard the news.
• The Quinn family. It was the Quinn family!
• They placed all the blame onto Mariette and him. They thought that the Shurmer family was responsible for the acts of retaliation and so they forced Mariette to go and apologize personally to the Shurmer family.
• But, Mariette, that silly girl. Why didn’t she tell him? Why did she go by herself?
• Was she afraid that he would suffer humiliation? Was she afraid that he would have to face persecution at the hands of the Shurmer family?
• But, Mariette, I am your husband. I am your man. I am supposed to be the one to brave the rain. Why did you, a woman, go face the troubles alone?
• At that moment, Finley’s eyes turned bloodshot and he clenched his hands so tightly that his fingers dug deep into the flesh. And flames of rage burned within his chest.
• “Yvonne, let me tell you. If anything happens to Mariette, there will be no place for the Quinn family in Yannopolis!”
• Finley’s words were cold and sinister. They rang like a crack of thunder to her ears and she was instantly stunned. Her face had also turned white as sheet.
• Very briefly, Yvonne wondered if she had dialed a wrong number.
• Was this still the useless trash of the Quinn family? Was this still the same submissive Finley?
• Why did she suddenly feel such overwhelming pressure? Yvonne shivered unconsciously, an unknown fear fermenting in her heart.
• “Yvonne, what’s wrong? You look pale.” Christine, who was standing beside her daughter, asked curiously.
• Yvonne shook her head and replied, “Nothing, mom. It’s just that Finley threatened me. He said that if anything happens to Mariette, he will take it out on the Quinn family.”
• When the Quinn family members heard this, they burst into laughter.
• “He’s just a piece of trash. He can only talk tough. There’s no need to take him seriously, right?”
• “He wants to take it out on us. Let’s see if he’s capable of doing so!” Everyone laughed. They didn’t give a d*mn about Finley and his family.
• “But we still have to think of a way to get your uncle and father out. Patrick, have you asked your father? Can he help?” Christine looked at Patrick. His father was a part of the city administration and had his own connections.
• Patrick shook his head. “Auntie, I did ask my father. But he said the Quinn family had offended a very powerful person. So my father can’t do anything.”
• When the Quinn family members heard this, they felt even more hopeless.
• “It’s all Finley’s and Mariette’s fault. Is it really all over for our family?” They couldn’t help but lament.
• “Wyatt, please think of something. Your father also has connections in Yannopolis, right? Why not ask your father and see if he can help us.” A red-eyed Yvonne tugged at Wyatt’s arm and pleaded.
• Wyatt looked troubled. “My father knows businessmen, but I’m afraid he doesn’t know any politicians...”
• “Wyatt, just call him and try asking. Maybe he knows someone?” The Quinn family members turned to look at Wyatt and they looked like drowning men desperately grasping for a straw to save their lives.
• Wyatt smiled bitterly. Since his father did not even want to acknowledge this marriage, he thought that his father probably wouldn’t want to help even if he could.
• But the Quinn family members looked at him so yearningly that Wyatt found it hard to turn down their plea for help. So even though he knew this endeavor was doomed to failure, he dialed his father’s number.
• “Dad, regarding the Quinn family’s problem...”
• Before Wyatt could complete his sentence, Ivan Cooper’s angry voice came roaring from the other end of the line. “You unfilial son. Don’t call me ‘dad’. As long as you do not divorce that manipulative b*tch, I will not allow you to set foot inside our house.”
• Dududu.
• Ivan had hung up.
• “Wyatt, how was it? What did you father say?” The questioning came immediately after the call.
• Wyatt laughed guiltily and told Christine, “Mom, don’t worry. My father said he will think of something and take care of the problem.”
• “That’s good, that’s good. At this crucial moment, we can only rely on Wyatt and Patrick. The people in Lei’s family are just useless troublemakers.”
• The Quinn family members smiled in relief and Joseph’s mood took a turn for the better.
• None of them suspected that Wyatt had been bragging earlier.
• Take care of the problem? Yeah, right!
• Even if the problem of Wyatt’s family being only second-tier and lower-ranking than the Shurmer family was ignored, Ivan was simply not interested in helping the Quinn family.
• At this moment, as the Quinn family members were digesting Wyatt’s words of comfort, Finley was on his way to the Shurmer family manor.
• When Finley arrived at his destination, Mariette was still on her knees. The lamps on both sides of the street glowed weakly and illuminated her limp figure.
• Through the curtain of rain that was as thick as an iron wall, Finley could see the small figure of Mariette. She was kneeling there all by herself, so small and forlorn like a single spark lost in the vast night sky, as if the world had abandoned her.
• “Mariette.”
• Finley hurried over and swept her into his hug.
• Mariette’s body was icy cold and her clothes had been thoroughly soaked through by the rain. Her face was as pale as paper but her forehead was raging hot. Because she had been kneeling for a long time, her porcelain legs were marred by bloody marks. As the rain poured down, the blood from her wounds was washed away.
• “You stupid woman. Are you an idiot?”
• “Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you come by yourself!”
• “They’ve already expelled you from the Quinn family, so why bother yourself with them?”
• “Why are you so stupid?” Finley howled angrily. The rain continued to beat down on him as he held Mariette in his embrace.