When Two Winters Met (Henrietta and Yosef) novel Chapter 304

And… if that happened, the story would get out. After all, an adopted son who had been raised in the family suddenly disappearing would cause a stir. It would become another scandal. People would surely pry, and they would laugh at her parents for having raised a son for over a decade for nothing. These were all very real things to consider. This was why Henrietta had always maintained a degree of consideration for Quinton. With these thoughts racing through her mind, Henrietta said, “You two can talk. I’ll wait for you over here.” Yosef’s gaze sharpened. Perceptive as he was, how could he not know that she was staying to prevent their conflict from getting out of hand? Since she had put it that way, he couldn’t very well force her to leave. He just nodded, his eyes turning cold. Then, he turned his gaze to Quinton and spoke bluntly. “It seems you didn’t listen to a single word of the scolding I gave you before.” Quinton said nothing. He felt he had nothing to say, nothing to defend. He just stood there… and quietly took it. Yosef stared at him. “You found a girl like this. What do you think you’re doing? You think we don’t understand your intentions? You can argue that you just like this type, and if I make a scene, I’ll be the bad guy. Ruining your engagement is a serious offense, after all. Quinton, I never thought you had these kinds of tricks up your sleeve. You’re being deliberately antagonizing while putting everyone in a position where they’re damned if they do, damned if they don’t.” Quinton’s lips parted… he wanted to explain. But in the end, not a single word came out. Henrietta tugged on Yosef’s arm. “Mr. Nash…” Yosef ignored her, his eyes still fixed on Quinton. “Now the wedding date is set. What can be done? But you want to marry this girl into the Sargent family, let her enjoy everything the Sargent family has! Quinton, do you really think I’m a pushover? That I’ll just let you have your way?” The more they talked about it, the angrier it made him. It was an impossible situation. Blowing it up would cause a huge storm, and he had to consider Sabrina and Hector. But not making a scene left a bitter taste of humiliation in his mouth. “I…” Quinton still wanted to explain, but he found he truly didn’t know how. It was too complicated. Human emotions could be incredibly complex. He had thought that since things were truly impossible between him and Henrietta, finding a… somewhat similar girl would be a form of comfort and compensation. But… it seemed he had been wrong? Seeing Quinton’s pathetic state only fueled Yosef’s rage. Before Quinton could say anything else, Yosef lunged, a blur of controlled fury, and connected a heavy blow that sent Quinton reeling to the floor. Henrietta gasped but… managed to stop herself from rushing forward to intervene. Fueled by anger, Yosef landed several more kicks. Quinton didn't even try to shield himself. He just lay there, a broken, bloodied heap, absorbing every blow with a silent, devastating stoicism. Henrietta couldn’t watch anymore. She rushed forward and grabbed Yosef’s arm. “Alright, Yosef, that’s enough. Today is a special occasion. We can’t let this get too big.” Yosef turned to her. “He’s the one who started it. He’s the one who made this situation impossible to resolve!” Henrietta knew he was angry, and she knew he was telling the truth. The situation… was incredibly difficult. Unless they threw all caution to the wind, disregarded everyone, and just let it all out, the suffocating frustration would never go away. “I know,” Henrietta said, her voice softening. “But… can you… for my sake… please don’t… let it escalate.” She knew asking this of him wasn’t exactly fair. But… she was also in a very difficult position. Yosef looked at her, silent for a moment. Then he said, “I understand. Let’s go back.” He took Henrietta’s hand and led her away. Yosef knew Henrietta was in a tough spot, so he hadn’t actually planned on blowing things up. But… he had wanted to beat Quinton. He wanted to do it in front of Henrietta, to beat him until he was lying on the ground, too broken to fight back. Utterly pathetic, utterly disgraced. Especially in front of Henrietta, the girl he had been obsessed with for over a decade. It was a way to vent his fury. A soul-crushing blow. Perhaps the husband and wife were both quite skilled at that. They returned to the private room. After they sat down, Quinton entered a few moments later. He looked fine, for the most part. Just exceptionally quiet, with a pale face. But Sabrina and the others were deep in conversation with Sherry’s parents and didn’t notice. After Quinton sat down, Sherry glanced at him. She saw the cut on his lip… and frowned. “What… happened to you?” she asked. Quinton didn’t say a word, completely ignoring her. Rebuffed, Sherry fell silent. At that moment, Henrietta calmly took out the gift she had prepared for Sherry. “Sherry,” she said with a small smile, “this is a gift from Yosef and me.” She stood up, intending to walk over and give it to her. But Sherry’s mother, ever the opportunist, quickly stood up and rushed over to take the gift. “Henrietta, you’re too kind!” she gushed. “There’s no need for you to bring it over yourself.” Then she beckoned to her daughter. “Sherry, what are you waiting for? Come here.” Her actions elevated Henrietta to an almost regal status. Sherry was also well-behaved. She hurried over, took the gift from her mother’s hands, and said quietly to Henrietta, “Thank you.” Then she looked at Yosef and added, “Thank you.”