Chapter 81

At 2:00 pm that afternoon, Quinn arrived punctually at The Oasis, the cafe Zoe had mentioned. Quinn looked around, but there was no sign of Zoe. An waiter came up to greet her. “How many in your party, miss?”

“I’m not sure. Probably him.” Quinn was unsure if Zoe was asking to meet her alone or if she would bring Caleb with her. “Right. Let me show you to a seat,” the waiter said, leading her to a table near the window that could seat four.

Quinn ordered an americano and glanced at the time again. Five minutes had passed since 2:00 pm, their agreed-upon time. Her coffee was served, and after she had taken a few sips, she saw Zoe emerge in a branded dress. She wore huge sunglasses and very tall heels and walked in very flamboyantly. Behind her was a woman in her thirties; the two of them looked like a celebrity and her assistant as they walked along, one after the other.

Zoe had seen Quinn sitting by the floor-to-ceiling windows the moment she walked in. She walked over, took off her sunglasses, tossed them onto the table, and sat down. She turned and looked at the woman behind her. “Ivanna, give it to her.”

The woman, Ivanna Brown, immediately pulled out a pink card from her bag and held it out to Quinn. “Ms. Lawson, this is the invitation to the engagement ceremony of Jakeman and Mr. Zeller. Please accept it.”

Quinn looked at the invitation, which had their vows of love printed on it. She felt a lump in her throat, and her bright eyes flickered slightly: “What… what do you mean by this?”

“It’s very simple. I just want you to attend Caleb’s and my engagement ceremony,” Zoe said arrogantly.

Quinn did not accept the invitation. Although she couldn’t understand why Zoe wanted to invite her, she clearly remembered that Caleb had said he never wanted to see her again. If so, why should she go?

“I won’t go,” she said abruptly. She was under no obligation to go and watch such a farce.

Zoe hadn’t expected her to refuse. She immediately looked displeased and said, “Why? Are you afraid you’ll feel upset because you’ll see Caleb’s love for me? Or are you still pining after Caleb? Are you trying to get him back?”

“You’re overthinking it. Things between Caleb and I were over long ago, and I no longer feel anything for him,” Quinn replied calmly.

“Really? Prove it to me, then. Now that you mention it, I look forward to getting your blessings. After all, there must be no greater engagement present than the well-wishes of your fiancé’s ex-girlfriend,” Zoe said, raising an eyebrow.

“I told you that I won’t go. Please stop imagining those silly scenarios.” Quinn felt that the two of them were on completely different wavelengths. Zoe always gave her the impression of being single-minded and obsessive. She acted as if everyone would cater to her whims. It was definitely a mental condition that needed to be treated.

Quinn got up to leave; she could not be bothered with talking to her any longer.

“Don’t you want to see the wreckage of a mother who abandoned her husband and kids?” Zoe asked again.

Quinn stopped in her tracks.

Zoe continued casually, “I wonder if she’s getting karma for taking someone’s husband. She seems to be quite severely ill. What does she have again?”

“Lung cancer,” her assistant Ivanna supplied briefly.

“Oh, right! Lung cancer. That’s a terrible disease. She coughs all day. Tsk tsk. As her daughter, aren’t you planning to go and visit her?” Zoe asked gleefully.

When Quinn heard the phrase “lung cancer,” her expression froze. She was in a complete daze. She barely had any impression of her mother, but getting such sudden and tragic news about one’s mother would shock anyone.

When Zoe saw that Quinn seemed rooted to the spot, she stood up slowly. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Your visit might be the last time you’ll see her. After all, if your mother really does die, our family is definitely not going to hold a memorial service for her.”