Chapter 423: Chapter 423

Why could Quinn Lockwood receive such an assertive affirmation of her identity from Elias Sinclair, and why could she enter the gates of the Sinclair Family without any obstacles?

Melody Shepherd recalled the scene when she first saw Grandpa Sinclair in Elias Sinclair’s office years ago.

She greeted him with the most graceful and gentle demeanor, but after a glance at her, his face instantly turned stern.

It was clear that he disapproved of her being with Elias Sinclair.

The flames of jealousy burned uncontrollably in Melody Shepherd’s heart at this moment, but she merely furrowed her brows slightly, without any other expressions manifesting on her face.

"Are you guys back? Did you find Miss Lowell? I’ve searched several times, but couldn’t find her." Melody Shepherd came running down from upstairs. Because she sprained her ankle, she wore no shoe on one foot, carrying a pair of nude pink stilettos in her hand, full of anxious concern.

With this, the last hope of the two men was dashed as well.

The wariness that lingered between them also dissipated in an instant, and their handsome faces turned conflicted.

Could she have already left, forgetting to take her phone because she drank too much?

Elias Sinclair and Cameron Grant exchanged a glance, then took out their phones to call the people Quinn Lockwood might meet.

Xenia Monroe, Sharon Shaw, Dylan Quinn, Nina Sinclair, Wade Lynch...

Quinn Lockwood hadn’t contacted any of them, nor was she with any of them.

The three of them searched the venue separately until the crack of dawn.

Quinn Lockwood lay curled up on the ground, her body soaked through by rain.

Beneath her was the cold concrete ground, a layer of cold rainwater accumulated on it. Quinn Lockwood wasn’t asleep now; rather, her body felt heavy like a mountain, her eyelids unable to lift.

She was so cold, like a fox imprisoned in an icy snow mountain, and her body hurt so much. Her head felt filled with something unknown, her temples pounding painfully, her head aching as if it would split.

"Is...anyone there..." Quinn Lockwood opened her mouth, trying to ask if anyone was there, but her throat felt as though it was burning painfully, as if slashed raw with a knife.

She couldn’t make a sound at all.

She opened her eyes slightly, her view filled with the hazy, misty morning sky.

So, she was still on the rooftop after all.

Could no one truly have noticed her disappearance?

Quinn Lockwood let out a small breath through her nose, the curve of her lips bitter. She slowly started moving her body from her fingers, trying to regain some warmth, yet every movement made her body ache fiercely.

It was the type of pain that occurs when one has a high fever.

The events of last night flooded back into her mind, each and every scene telling Quinn Lockwood just how burdensome she had become to Elias Sinclair.

He no longer needed her.

At this moment, he was probably happily enjoying some alone time with Melody Shepherd, completely forgetting about her existence.

Quinn Lockwood finally managed to lift her arm and touched her forehead; it felt warm, like a furnace.

She placed her frostbitten fingertips on her forehead as if holding a warming stove, and couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

It really was quite laughable.

Maybe because she regained some consciousness, with the movement of her joints, her strength gradually returned, although her face was dangerously flushed, her lips pale with peeling skin, and she looked so weak she might collapse anytime.

She used the door handle to help her sit up. As her hair lifted off the ground, the water accumulated in it flowed down in streams, and Quinn Lockwood could clearly hear the sound of the rainwater merging together.

Quinn Lockwood tentatively tapped the door twice, hoping to luckily encounter someone who could help open it.

She felt like she’d be steamed by the heat radiating from her body.

Even though her body was cold, cold enough that her teeth chattered uncontrollably, her head was dizzy as if it would crash hard onto the ground at any moment.

If it really came to it, she could only choose to jump off from here.

But it was the fifth floor, jumping would surely mean death.

Quinn Lockwood knocked on the door a couple more times, yet still got no response.

Now she truly felt despair.

If it really came to waiting here until someone noticed her disappearance and searched for her, who knows when that would be? By then, she’d have probably passed out and died from dehydration induced by the fever.

Just as Quinn Lockwood was about to lift herself up to the railing to check the height below, the door to the rooftop opened.

It was Cameron Grant, still in that blue suit, rain almost dried leaving patches of water stains. His hair clung messily to his forehead, his eyes slightly reddened.

"Big brother..." At the sight of Cameron Grant, Quinn Lockwood’s heart gave a sudden tremble; a faint light flickered through her dull eyes.

She opened her mouth to call out to Cameron Grant, but as soon as she uttered the first syllable, her throat felt a tearing pain.

"Savannah!" Cameron Grant looked at Quinn Lockwood, filled with incredulous shock.

He was stunned for two whole seconds before accepting the scene before him.

The man took off his half-dry coat and draped it over Quinn Lockwood, embracing her tightly, his shoulders trembling unceasingly. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel⁂fire.net

The woman he treasured so dearly had been trapped here all night, and he hadn’t even noticed.

At the moment he embraced Quinn Lockwood, Cameron Grant immediately felt the unnatural heat radiating from her body, and his heart sank suddenly, raising himself up to look at her as his large hand felt her forehead.

"You have a fever. Why are you so hot? I’ll take you to the hospital." Cameron Grant’s brows drew tightly together, and the redness in his eyes deepened.

Quinn Lockwood shook her head, brushing off Cameron Grant’s hand resting on her. She whispered, "It’s fine."

She supported her steps along the wall, striving to keep her dizzy mind somewhat clear.

Cameron Grant’s gaze dimmed slightly, following closely behind Quinn Lockwood, his arm hovering near her shoulder.

Quinn Lockwood dragged her heavy feet forward, swallowing hard to ease the searing pain in her throat.

"Savannah, let’s go to the hospital first, okay? Once you recover, we can go home together."

"Return to the Lowell Family." Cameron Grant looked at Quinn Lockwood cautiously, with his arm never leaving more than five centimeters away from her shoulder.

She looked truly too frail, like she’d sway and fall at any moment. Cameron Grant wanted nothing more than to lift her up and rush her to the hospital, yet feared that any force from him might break Quinn Lockwood’s emotional balance.

"Big brother, you don’t need to worry about me." Quinn Lockwood managed to say a little, her eyes having lost their focus—empty like a mysterious, deep black hole in the universe, devoid of emotion yet brimming with every emotion.

She stopped at the entrance of the banquet hall, just about to push the door open when Cameron Grant stepped forward to open it.

Outside stood Elias Sinclair and Melody Shepherd by the car. Were they about to leave? Quinn Lockwood wondered.

Somewhere in her heart tightened immediately, the turbulent emotion she’d barely suppressed surged again, making her feel like she was drowning.