302 Expediting plans 3

"What happened here?" Joseph asked, unsure what to think about this scene. Brianna called and told him to come as soon as possible, and she sounded in distress so he rushed over. But he never expected something like this. Just… what is this?

"Daddy…" Brianna sobbed and threw herself into her father's embrace. "I came from work and I agreed to meet with Mr. Reynolds for dinner so that we can continue our talk from lunch. He came to pick me up, but I was not ready, so I asked him to wait. During that time, Tom came and started shouting that I'm sleeping with Mr. Reynolds… I said how that is not true, but Tom attacked Mr. Reynolds. I tried to stop him but…" Brianna whimpered, and her words were lost in sobs.

Joseph patted Brianna's back. "Calm down…" He wanted to hear more, but Brianna was crying relentlessly, so he decided to ask Quentin: "Is he dead?"

"No."

"How did Tom end up like that?"

Quentin frowned. "Miss Harper didn't tell you that Tom accused her of sleeping with me and with her other clients and that she is doing it so that she can be the next CEO. He insulted her and me. I told him that I arrived only a few minutes before him and that I was waiting for Miss Harper to get ready, but he was unwilling to listen. I said that he crossed the line. At that point, he lunged at me, and I hit him in self-defense."

Joseph glanced at Brianna. "Is that what happened?"

Brianna nodded weakly in response.

Joseph gritted his teeth while wondering it Tom could really do such a thing. He is aware that Tom is insecure since Brianna returned to San Francisco. Joseph lost count of how many times Tom voiced his disapproval for giving Brianna more responsibilities, no matter how good her performance is. Also, why would Brianna lie? What can she gain out of it? Mr. Reynolds and Brianna are confirming the same story, so… Joseph glared at Tom. How dares he accuse Brianna of sleeping for benefits? But that is something for family only, and he does not want to talk about that in front of Quentin.

"You hit him more than once." Joseph noticed.

Quentin could not deny the obvious. "I hit him once, but that only enraged him further. I had no choice, and I am not sorry. If you heard all the things he said and saw how he behaved, I'm confident that you could not stay calm either."

Brianna lifted her gaze and met her father's. Her chin shivered as she spoke: "Daddy… I will quit the company. I don't want to work like this. And I can't work with Cousin Tom and pretend that this didn't happen. What is the point of me working hard if my own Cousin thinks that I'm sleeping around in order to gain an advantage? What do other employees think? I'm just bringing problems, I should…"

Joseph looked at Brianna with a troubled expression. "I'm sorry for allowing the situation to escalate to this point. If I was sterner with him…" Joseph exhaled. "Did you call the police?"

Quentin responded: "I wanted to, but Miss Harper said that she should talk to you first, because this is a family matter, and she didn't want to cause a scandal."

Joseph looked at Brianna and his heart cracked. "Bri, Tom is your Cousin, but he came here with bad intentions. You need to think about your safety first and not about scandals."

Brianna looked at her father with big puppy eyes. "Do you think that we should call the police? I don't want to talk to them. Can we settle this within the family?"

Joseph was conflicted.

"I checked him. He is unconscious, and his life is not in danger." Quentin said. "However, he should still see a doctor."

Joseph looked at Brianna. "Are you sure you don't want to involve the police?"

"What will the police do? Mr. Reynolds and I will say what happened, but it's still our word against his. We will spend hours giving statements, and at most, Tom will get a restraining order; and those things don't really work. Also, the fact is that Mr. Reynolds hurt Tom. What if the police do not believe us? I don't want Mr. Reynolds to end up in jail because he ended up entangled into our family issue and protected me."

Joseph nodded in agreement with this analysis and looked at Quentin. "Do you agree that this should be handled without the police?"

Quentin arched his eyebrow. "This was a very unpleasant experience for me. But if you want to handle it within the family, that is fine with me." He looked at Brianna. "Miss Harper, I hope that you know what you are doing. Good night."

Quentin moved toward the exit and Brianna grabbed his hand. "Are you leaving?"

"I came here with an intention to continue our talk over dinner but now… Since the police will not be involved, you don't need my statement. And even if I neglect that, my appetite is spoiled my time would be better used on something else."

Joseph panicked. Are they losing Mr. Reynolds as a customer? Ah, they left a bad impression. Blasted Tom! Ah, and all the other customers who would come in with Mr. Reynolds. If Tom is not unconscious, Joseph would hit him a few times!

Joseph was relieved to see that Brianna is not sitting idle. Even at a time like this, she is thinking about salvaging their business connections. She is a gem.

Brianna looked troubled. "I know how you feel, Mr. Reynolds, and I understand. But… how about if we have a drink first, and then see if the mood gets better? There is a nightclub nearby, I hear that it has unique cocktails…"

Quentin thought for a few seconds before his gaze moved on Tom. "What about him?"

"I will take care of him." Joseph said. He got his phone and instructed his driver to come upstairs.

Two minutes later, the driver carried Tom outside.

"My personal physician will examine Tom, and I will handle this. Please… the two of you continue with your evening." Joseph encouraged them and then headed out of the apartment.

The door closed after Joseph, and a second later, Quentin clicked his tongue.

"Your acting skills are amazing, my fiery Goddess…" Quentin murmured while pulling Brianna into his embrace.

"My dad has a soft spot for me." Brianna said smugly.

"So, do I…" He gave her a long slow kiss. "You performed beautifully."

"You were not bad yourself."

"Can we have our dinner now? I'm hungry." Quentin admitted.

Brianna made a face. "When we agreed to call my dad over, I instructed security downstairs to keep the food for themselves."

Quentin grimaced. "What about us?"

Brianna giggled. "Let's order again."

Quentin pouted. "It will take more than half an hour for the food to arrive."

"I can think of several things we could do in that half an hour." Brianna winked at him playfully.

Quentin approved. "Let me place an order…"

After placing the order, Quentin remembered… "Will your dad suspect something?"

"I don't think so. You saw him, he bought our story, which is close to the truth, so whatever Tom says, it will be perceived as Tom is twisting it to his agenda. Tom will claim that I'm sleeping with my clients, but other than you, I didn't see anyone outside my office."

Quentin's lips lifted into a smile. He is confident that he is the only man in her life, but it still feels good to hear confirmation.

Brianna saw the change in Quentin's expression, but she didn't want to comment on it. She knows that he is happy that he is getting special treatment, but she will give that to him because they are dating.

"You told my father that we met in Seattle before I came here. So even if he has someone to check on me, it will only confirm your story. I made sure that security in this building is outside my father's influence so as much as he knows, I am here by myself, and I'm seeing you only for business. And soon, I will announce that our relationship evolved into beyond professional."

"You thought of everything." Quentin praised Brianna.

"Soon, I will introduce you to my father, and to the rest of my family as my boyfriend." Brianna said proudly. She already knows that her dad admires Quentin. 

"When you come to Seattle, I will introduce you to my family. As my girlfriend. They will be shocked; I never brought a girl home before. Not as a girlfriend at least."

Brianna paused. Quentin lives on his own, and so far he never mentioned his family. Now that she thinks of it, Reynolds publishing is not his company, he only works there. And Quentin mentioned that his father is the main figure. Ah, she has no idea about Quentin's family!

Quentin chuckled. "What are you panicking about?"

Brianna looked at him suspiciously. "What makes you think that I'm panicking?"

"Maybe you can fool your father, but me… not so much." Quentin said in a voice lower than usual and pulled her into his embrace. "From day one I knew that you fell for me, and you stayed away on sheer stubbornness."

Brianna snorted. "When I hear you talk like that, I would think that you didn't fall for me as soon as we met."

"Oh, my fiery Goddess. I fell for you before we met. But from that moment, I knew that staying away would be suicide. While you… resisted the inevitable."

Brianna enjoyed small kisses that trailed along the edge of her jaw. She smiled. "I was foolish. But now I acknowledged that I fell for you, and I will not let go."

"Hold on tight, my Goddess. Because we are up for a wild ride…" Quentin murmured while pushing her down on the shag area rug.

Brianna gripped his shoulders and moved as Quentin commanded. Because she knew that the ride with him will be wilder than she ever imagined. And she wouldn't want it any other way.

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