Chapter 331: Chapter 331: Test Subject
Hearing the words "on the way", Ashley Shaw and Ariana Grant both nodded, turning to let Owen Sinclair head back first without needing to specially drop them off.
An imperceptible hint of disappointment and frustration flashed in Owen Sinclair’s eyes, but his smile remained unchanged.
"Alright, send me a message when you get home."
"Okay."
Ashley Shaw didn’t think there was anything wrong with that, but Xavier Quincy’s gaze deepened slightly.
However, remembering Owen Sinclair said he only had the care of a senior for Ashley Shaw, his expression returned to normal.
"Xavier, do you need a ride?" Shane Coleman asked.
Xavier Quincy was about to speak when he glimpsed a familiar car out of the corner of his eye and shook his head, saying, "No need, my family is here to pick me up."
"Oh, alright then, I’ll head off first. Ashley, Ariana, don’t forget to meet at the courthouse entrance at nine-thirty tomorrow."
"OK!"
Everyone got into their respective cars.
Ashley Shaw and Ariana Grant sat inside the car, where the air conditioning was already fully on, indicating that Assistant Lowell had been waiting in the car for a while.
"How are Zoe Hayes and her family doing?" Ashley Shaw asked.
Assistant Lowell appeared helpless, stepping on the gas pedal as he said, "Zoe Hayes got herself into trouble."
Ariana Grant’s gossip radar immediately went off.
"What happened? What kind of trouble?"
Assistant Lowell didn’t hide anything, truthfully describing the situation.
Zoe Hayes had a dispute with her parents while coming out.
Nobody knows what Hank Hayes said to Zoe Hayes, but she swung her bag at him.
Hank Hayes instinctively stepped aside to dodge, but the bag hit a well-dressed girl.
That girl wasn’t someone to be trifled with and instantly started arguing with Zoe Hayes because her hairstyle was ruined.
"By coincidence, that girl is the daughter of Westcroft’s second-in-command." Assistant Lowell glanced at the car’s rearview mirror as he spoke.
Ariana Grant suppressed her delight, gripping Ashley Shaw’s hand, she said, "Isn’t this what they call just desserts?"
Assistant Lowell thought to himself: What just desserts?
Zoe Hayes’ family shouldn’t have taken that route; it was Warren Prescott’s instruction to the "Palace Maid" to guide them that way, which led to the encounter with the second-in-command’s daughter.
Of course, Mr. Prescott Jr. wasn’t a fortune teller; the dispute could be considered partly an act of fate.
He just set the conditions in place.
Naturally, Assistant Lowell wouldn’t speak out about this.
Ashley Shaw shrugged.
"I thought there was no such thing as just desserts in this world. Seems like we need to be good people in the future."
Ariana Grant nodded repeatedly, "I became friends with you because I often help old ladies cross the street."
Ashley Shaw smiled with raised lips, "How many old ladies are there?"
"Then it must be the good deeds from my past life."
Ashley Shaw didn’t express an opinion.
She didn’t deny it.
In her past life, Ariana Grant indeed did many good deeds.
During their university’s military training period, a girl’s dormitory caught fire due to an illegal electrical appliance. Ariana braved the flames to save four people from the dormitory.
It even made the local news in Aethelgard at the time.
But with this memory came some painful recollections.
Ashley Shaw forced herself to suppress her emotions and turned to ask Assistant Lowell, "So Warren Prescott went to handle this matter?"
"Yes."
Ashley Shaw nodded slightly, thinking that with Warren Prescott involved, Zoe Hayes’ issue would likely be swiftly resolved.
So the so-called just desserts were merely illusory.
Yet, the major grudge from her childhood had already been avenged, so she no longer cared how Zoe Hayes fared.
...
On the other side.
After the cars with Mark and Owen Sinclair drove off, Xavier Quincy finally walked towards a black sedan.
The door opened to reveal Landon Joyce sitting inside.
"Curator."
"Come in."
Xavier Quincy nodded slightly, bending down to sit inside the car.
The car quickly merged into traffic, and Landon Joyce asked directly, "Did you gather anything from dinner?"
Xavier Quincy remained unfazed.
"No, the dinner was attended by more than just her. As you saw, besides those few people earlier, Warren Prescott was also there. With so many people, I couldn’t ask much."
Landon Joyce peered closely at Xavier Quincy’s face under the streetlight.
"Xavier..."
Xavier Quincy looked directly at Landon Joyce, "Curator, what I said is the truth. I initially wanted to confirm something minor, but Warren interrupted. If you don’t believe me, next time I meet with Ashley, you can bring listening equipment and hear for yourself."
Landon Joyce smiled.
"How could I not believe you? I’m just anxious. But ultimately, I was too impatient. Take your time confirming, there’s no rush from me next time, so you won’t be pressured."
Xavier Quincy said, "As long as you trust me, if you don’t, you can always have someone else keep an eye on her."
His candid demeanor made it difficult for Landon Joyce to determine if Xavier really cared about that girl.
No, since their experiment succeeded the second time, she wouldn’t be a girl anymore, but rather a woman.
Landon Joyce’s smile deepened.
"Of course, I trust you. You’re our two most successful creations. Who else could I trust if not you?"
Xavier Quincy’s expression subtly shifted.
"I’m not a creation."
Landon Joyce knew he’d misspoken, immediately laughing to gloss over the topic.
"A slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue."
Xavier Quincy tugged on his lips without speaking.
Landon Joyce was silent for a moment before he couldn’t hold back and asked, "I’ve been curious about something but wasn’t sure if I should ask."
"If you have something to say, please say it."
Landon Joyce weighed his words before asking, "I’m curious, after you returned... why choose her as our experiment subject? We could have chosen one of our own."
Xavier Quincy lowered his eyelashes, the dense lashes hiding the complex emotions in his eyes.
Why Ashley?
Because...
He wanted to save her.
Selfish as it may seem, be it public or private, all he knew was that he had to do it, or he would regret it for a lifetime.
Or rather, two lifetimes.
Xavier Quincy lightly inhaled, visibly holding his breath for a moment, and said, "Can I not answer this question?"
Landon Joyce raised an eyebrow, "Of course. If you don’t want to say, then don’t. However, I hope you’ll tell me if you discover anything."
Xavier Quincy looked toward Landon Joyce.
"Certainly, the experiment is ours together. Why would I hide anything from you?"
Landon Joyce felt reassured.
The car stopped in front of the Quincy Family’s house.
Xavier Quincy returned the card for The Nocturne, given by Landon Joyce, before getting out of the car.
Once out, Xavier Quincy’s face seemed shrouded in a layer of fog.
He was now a bit uncertain, uncertain if choosing Ashley as the experiment subject was truly good for her.
But soon, Xavier Quincy firmly shook his head.
No matter what, it’s better than seeing her remain comatose in the ICU.
As for Warren Prescott...he could only try his best to keep him from having too much contact with Ashley.
Once inside, the Quincy Family was already asleep. Feeling his way through the dark to his bedroom, he scrolled through his phone contacts, finally stopping at the note marked "Warren."