Shattered Vows: Call Me Auntie Now novel Chapter 56

The moment the words left Raymond's mouth, the hospital room plunged into silence.

The quiet only magnified the impact of his joke.

"Wife."

Hearing that word roll off his tongue was like a pebble tossed into a still pond, sending ripples through her entire body.

Quinn's ears burned hotly, and her heart skipped a erratic beat.

She looked up at Raymond.

Her gaze still held lingering exhaustion, now mixed with a visible trace of shyness.

"Stop talking nonsense," she murmured, her voice a bit raspy, turning her face away.

Their marriage was meant to be a strictly confidential contract, never to see the light of day, let alone be exposed to outsiders.

Yet here Raymond was, stripping away the pretenses in this secluded room.

Raymond crossed his arms over his chest. "We signed the papers. Doesn't that make you my wife?"

"It's just an arrangement."

Quinn glanced at him, forcing herself back to total composure.

"Get some rest," his deep voice commanded. "If everything is clear in a bit, I'll take you home."

After another thirty minutes of observation, the doctor gave the green light, and they left the clinic.

Upon returning to Lunas Crest, she found the newly hired housekeeper had already prepared a hot meal.

Not only that, but the areas where she spent the most time—her first-floor workspace and second-floor bedroom—had been scrubbed immaculate.

It was an almost borderline-obsessive level of clean.

Not a single strand of hair, crumb, or speck of dust remained. Even the carpets had been freshly shampooed.

Even the floral arrangements in the living room had been entirely relocated to the outdoor patio.

It was a clear, systematic effort to eliminate every possible trigger for her asthma.

Quinn couldn't help but wonder.

Tara was usually so chaotic—how had she suddenly managed to find someone this meticulous?

When Tara received Quinn's glowing praise over the phone, she was genuinely confused for a second.

There was a large supermarket just outside the Lunas Crest community, maybe a seven or eight-minute walk away.

It was a cool evening, and she figured a walk would do her good. She strolled along the broad, brightly lit pavement.

Out on the main road, a sleek Rolls-Royce Cullinan was parked by the curb.

"Boss, there's a massive situation unfolding with The Hayes Group."

Caleb Jenkins reported quietly to Raymond.

Raymond pressed his lips together, gesturing for his assistant to continue.

"A week ago, their multi-billion dollar joint venture with Europe's The Lyon Group blew up. The Lyon Group's financial fraud was exposed, and they liquidated and vanished overnight, completely severing The Hayes Group's overseas cash flow."

Raymond narrowed his dark eyes, clearly puzzled.

For an incident of that magnitude, there had been zero domestic media coverage, and the company's stock hadn't even flinched.

Caleb understood his boss's skepticism. Sometimes even he had to admit that despite Dante's youth, his ruthless and decisive maneuvering proved he was an incredibly capable operator.

"Dante flew to Europe on a red-eye flight to personally rally his overseas risk-management and legal teams. He took total control, signing off on a massive bailout operation."