Less than a minute after the call ended, 800,000 dollar was deposited. Watching my mother being smoothly wheeled into the operating room, I leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh of relief for the first time.
My phone vibrated at that moment; it was an unknown number.
As soon as I answered, a young boy’s panicked voice came from the other end, “Is this Spencer’s sister? Come to the South District bar quickly! Something’s happened to him. Someone has accused him of harassment and molestation.”
My vision blurred and I almost dropped my phone. “Who is he harassing? Spencer couldn’t possibly...”
“It’s true! Spencer said that woman’s name is Quincy...”
I couldn’t hear the rest; my ears were ringing. I hung up and rushed into the elevator. I called Griffin over a dozen times along the way, but no one answered.
But when I arrived at the bar, I witnessed a heartbreaking scene. Griffin was gently comforting Quincy, his arm around her shoulder. Quincy leaned against him, her eyes red and swollen, looking utterly terrified.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up and a fleeting, almost defiant smile flashed in her eyes as she met my gaze.
“Suzy!” Spencer’s eyes instantly turned red when he saw me. “I didn’t do it, I really didn’t touch her, she framed me...” Before he could finish, Griffin’s bodyguard covered his mouth.
“Suzy, you really have surprised me.” Griffin’s voice followed, filled with undisguised anger and disgust.
“Just because I didn’t pay you immediately after your mother’s surgery, you instructed your own brother to use such despicable means to retaliate against her? How could you be so vicious!”
Instructed? Me, vicious? My blood rushed to my head. Looking at the man I’d shared a bed with for five years, he felt utterly estranged.
“Griffin, I didn’t ask Spencer to do anything. My mother just went into the operating room, I...”
“Enough!” he shouted sharply, not wanting to listen at all.
“A waiter witnessed it firsthand, the evidence is conclusive. I called you here only to inform you that the lawyer is preparing the materials. Spencer must pay the price for his actions!”
My heart felt like it had been stabbed by a dull knife. Looking at his resolute gesture in protecting Quincy, I suddenly felt that the past five years had been a ridiculous joke.
At this moment, Quincy, who had been sobbing quietly, suddenly tugged at Griffin’s sleeve.
“Griffin, please don’t be like this,” she choked, her voice filled with reluctance. “Spencer is, after all, your brother in law. I don’t want you two to hurt your relationship because of me. But, I’m really scared…”
She looked at me timidly, tears falling again, “If Suzy and Spencer are willing to kneel down and apologize to me in front of everyone, admitting their mistakes, I can forgive them and not pursue the matter.”
These words further solidified the accusation that Spencer had harassed her and that I had instigated him. A murmur rippled through the crowd, countless gazes piercing like needles.
Griffin looked at Quincy, his eyes softening instantly, filled with heartache, but when he turned back to me, his expression returned to its icy coldness.
“Did you hear that? Quincy is kind and willing to let you off the hook.” He stared at me, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Hurry up and do as she said!”
“I did nothing wrong, what’s there to apologize for!” Spencer roared, his eyes bloodshot. “You blind man, Griffin, this woman framed me. Suzy, don’t listen to them!”
“Shut up!” Griffin glared at Spencer, then fixed his gaze on me. “Suzy, do you want your brother to bear the charge of indecent assault, ruining his future, or do you want to apologize? The choice is yours.”
