For a few seconds, Quinn held Ariel''s gaze before extracting her phone to type out a message. "If I give you the money, will you let Juliete back?" she asked.


    Ariel responded with a chuckle. "Of course. Having someone else take care of her expenses would be one less burden for me. Given your close rtionship with my mother, you shouldn''t have any problem helping her out, right?" Quinn hesitated momentarily before continuing to type. "Bring Juliet here, and you''ll get your money."N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    Ariel''s smile faltered at her words, and he grumbled in response, "She''s getting old. It''s not easy for her to move around. Give me the money first, and I''ll bring her over afterward."


    Quinn didn''t trust him. Juliet had warned her about his insatiable greed. If she gave him the money now, he wouldn''t bring Juliet. Instead, he would continue to exploit her to extract more money, and Quinn would be left with nothing. "Bring her, then you get the money."Ariel''s growing anger was evident. It was clear he had never intended to take the half-million and leave. ''For the Kennedys, a family of considerable wealth, half a million is but a drop in the ocean. Why settle for that when I can push for five million, adequately rewarding my efforts?'' Ariel thought.


    "If this is how you want to negotiate, fine. I won''t mince words. Give me a t rate of five million. If you can afford it, I''ll bring her over immediately. If not, forget the whole deal!" Quinn was momentarily taken aback, not expecting such audacity in his demand.


    Seeing her reaction, Ariel knew she couldn''t produce five million. So, he pressed further, "Name the date. When can you give me the money? I''ll bring my mom over then." Quinn was at a loss. Even the initial half-million was borrowed from Abigail. How could she possibly find five million to pay him?


    Ariel stretched out his hand, disying five fingers. "Five days, can you manage that? I''lle to you after five days." Quinn typed swiftly, "I can''te up with that much money."


    Ariel furrowed his brows, "Who are you trying to fool? The Kennedys are loaded, and you can''t give me five million? You think I''m buying that?"


    "Look, I don''t care. You have five days. If you don''t have the money by then, you can forget about seeing my mother!" With that, he spun on his heel, hopped into his Volkswagen, and drove off.


    Suddenly, Quinn''s abdomen began to ache again. Clutching her stomach, she hurried into the vi and took out the medicine prescribed by the doctor, washing it down with a ss of water.


    The medicine didn''t seem to help, so she found the painkillers, pouring a handful out and popping them in her mouth like they were candy beans. One or two pills no longer did the job. She needed a good number of them to alleviate her pain.


    After taking her medication, she exhaled deeply, but as she was exiting the room, she suddenly felt the world spinning, and her vision went ck. Quinn copsed, rigid as a board. Quinn drifted into a dream, but not one filled with memories of Alexander. This time, she was engulfed in red. The entire world was a stifling shade of crimson, choking her with its singr hue.


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    She ran frantically through the red mist, desperate to escape the suffocating color, but she couldn''t break free. The air was being siphoned away, making breathing more and moreborious."Quinn."A voice called out to her, ethereal and seemingly from the edge of the heavens. She looked up, following the sound, and in the next moment, she stumbled into a void, the sensation of weightlessness overwhelming her.


    Quinn''s eyes snapped open as she gasped for air, lungs greedily inhaling the air around her. The feeling of suffocation was terrifyingly real as if it had followed her from reality into her dream.


    "Did you have a nightmare?" The voice came from above her. Quinn stiffened and turned to meet Walter''s eyes. She scrambled off the couch and gestured, "What are you doing here?"


    Walter smiled, "I came to see Alexander. The door was open, and I thought he was home. I found you passed out instead, so I tried to wake you up."


    Only then did Quinn realize she had ended up on the couch. Remembering Alexander''s words and looking at Walter''s face gave her the creeps. ''If he knows everything and still acts nonchnt, his fa?ade is terrifying,'' she thought.