The Quinn household was in an uproar, and not in the way anyone expected. When Ste returned, everyone thought Xander would be the first to cause a scene over her. But it was actually the mysterious document that set Xander aze this time. The situation was a chaotic mess, and poor Yvonne was caught right in the middle of it all, unable to detach herself.


    Across town, in the vi, Susanna Tucker was still reeling from the shock. It had been two hours since Ste left, and Susanna was left stunned by Hull''s revtion about her mother''s whereabouts.


    "The ck Gate?"


    What kind of name was that? Sounds like something out of a bad movie.


    Hull set down his coffee cup and nodded solemnly. "ording to the leads, your mother was indeed taken by people from the ck Gate."


    "What exactly is the ck Gate?"


    She had heard whispers about it, enough to know it was bad news, like the kind of organization that dealt in all sorts of illegal activities. But the specifics were beyond her.


    Hull nced at her. "Think of it as a group that''s into all things illegal-robbery, arson, you name it."


    Susanna cringed at the thought. That kind of ce?


    "No way. My mom''s a respectable businesswoman. She wouldn''t be caught dead with people like that. She always attaches importance to social norms."


    Her mother, as Susanna knew her, was the epitome of discretion and courteousness. She was nothing like Ste''s shy mom, Cloudia, who unted her wealth like she was on a reality TV show. Susanna''s mom remained humble and amiable, even when she made a fortune.


    Hull added, "We''re still verifying if she''s there."


    Susanna''s instinct was to call Ste immediately. She reached for her phone, ready to dial. But before she could, Hull snatched the phone from her hand.


    She looked at him, bewildered. "What are you doing?"


    Hull gave her a cold stare. "Susie, you thinking of kicking thedder away and ditching me?"


    Susanna twitched her lips. What? Susie? He...


    "No, it''s not like that. I just thought I shouldn''t trouble you anymore."


    As she spoke, Hull''s expression darkened further, making her voice trail off into a whisper. His re was enough to make anyone second-guess themselves.


    Did what she did count as kicking thedder away? It seemed... yes. But... If she left with Star earlier, she assumed Star would also be willing to track her mother down. Or if Ronald asked Hull, wouldn''t he spill the beans?


    Hull tossed her phone onto the bed. "It''s no trouble. You''ve already been plenty of it."


    Susanna sighed at his reply.


    "I''m sorry aboutst night. I really didn''t mean to cause any issues."


    Hull stated, "Until we clear that up, you''re not leaving here. You can just forget about that."


    "Not even if Mr. Quinn himselfes to fetch you," Hull added.


    Susanna''s face fell at this. Even if Ronald himself showed up, it wouldn''t matter. Here, in Ferrond, she was just another nobody, while Hull held significant sway with Mr. Quinn. Not even Star''s influence could change that.


    She shot Hull a frustrated look. "How long will your people take to figure this out? I''m telling you, I won''t do anything anymore."


    This was absurd. They''d forced her to care for Hull despite her ipetence, and now they were pinning the me on her for the fallout.


    Feeling indignant, Susanna crossed her arms. Last night''s fiasco wasn''t entirely her fault, and it irked her to be med for it. She couldn''t shake off the feeling of having been wronged. What a mess!