Chapter 129 Visiting Eleanor
Wendy said, “Lemon knows what she’s doing.”
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“Knowing is one thing,” Mandy replied. “But you two are her friends. Your advice is valuable to them. You have an outsider’s perspective, which often sees more clearly. Allies are cial; you have to hold on to them tightly.”
Mandy looked at Chase. “Especially when it comes to Waylon.”
“Waylon?”
“Yes.” Mandy nodded, her eyes still on the television. “Waylon doesn’t handle internal family affairs; he focuses on investigations. But no one has ever put restrictions on his work or dared to interfere. Isn’t that because of the Fred family’s strong position?”
Everything was interconnected.
“You should remind Waylon–even when it comes to solving cases, he needs to be careful of the people in his own house.”
“I understand.”
After midnight, Wendy and Chase each found a coin in their dumplings and went to bed in high spirits. They changed into their loungewear and curled up in bed. Chase kissed Wendy on the forehead several times.
“It’s been years since I got money as a gift,” Chase said.
Wendy gave a little huff. “Same here. We’ve been together for so many years… Have you ever seen Mom give us money as gift before? Don’t say money as allowances or whatnot; as a gift, it holds a different meaning.”
The Fred family’s Christmas celebration was a lot livelier than the Quinn family’s. There were just too many people; so many branches and relatives that it was hard to keep count. Even those staying at the old house numbered in the dozens.
Benny Fred was no longer around, but his wife still lived there.
Her name was Eleanor Gomez. Her personality was as strong as Mandy’s. She had stood beside Benny as they built the Fred family empire. Now that she was older and her legs weren’t what they used to be, her sharp eyes remained. She was still the guiding light of the Fred family.
No one dared act
in front of her.
On Christmas Day, Chase and Wendy visited the Fred family. The housekeeper opened the door and led them to see Waylon and Lemon first.
The two of them had stayed up all night gaming and were now relying on coffee to stay awake.
“You’re here early. Have you eaten?” Waylon got up.
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Lemon put down her coffee and touched up her makeup. “Come on, let’s go see Grandma”
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Older folks tended to sleep early and wake up early. When the Fred siblings knocked on the door with their guests, the butler opened it and was momentarily surprised to see Wendy. “Ms. Quinn?”
Wendy smiled. “We came to visit Madam Eleanor.”
Lemon added, “Quinn Group and the Fred family are business partners.
The butler understood immediately and stepped aside. Turning back into the room, he called, “Madam, the Quinn family is here.”
Eleanor was watching TV. When she heard “the Quinn family,” she muttered under her breath. “Is it that Manny and her husband?”
Chase thought she was referring to them, but Wendy stepped forward and said, “Grandma, it’s me. Wendy. I’ve come to see you.”
It seemed Mandy had once maintained a warm relationship with the Fred family when she was still active at Quinn Group. The fact that Eleanor remembered her said a lot.
Madam Eleanor looked at the couple and recognized Chase. Pointing at him, she said, “Weren’t you the boy from the house next door…”
Waylon chuckled. “Grandma, you still remember him. This is Chase, the little one from next door that Lemon used to call all the time.”
Putting down what he had in his hands, Chase stepped forward and squatted beside her. Madam Eleanor held his hand. “You’re Chase? You’ve grown so much! I haven’t seen you in years. Why are you here with the Quinn family?”
Chase reached back and pulled Wendy closer, introducing her. “Wendy and I got married. The ‘Manny‘ you mentioned is Mandy, my mother–in–law.”
“Oh! You two got married? That’s wonderful, really wonderful.” Eleanor then turned to Wendy. “Why didn’t your parents come?”
Wendy paused. Lemon softly said from behind, “Grandpa and Grandma were expanding the business overseas during those years. Maybe they didn’t know.”
Wendy hesitated for a moment before replying, “My father passed away during Christmas, and my mother’s retired now.”
Eleanor grew quiet and saddened by the news, and it took a while before the younger ones managed to cheer her up again.
“That’s how it should.be. Your parents were friends. Now you should visit more often too. Even if it’s not a business partnership, we’re still friends. And if there’s ever trouble, you can help each other.” She held Wendy’s hand warmly as she spoke.
Lemon and Waylon sat across the room. Lemon was scrolling through her phone, checking trending topics related to their company’s artists during Christmas season, while Waylon leaned over and whispered to
Chase.
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Even Wendy hadn’t heard about this. She instinctively looked at Lemon.
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Lemon looked up from her phone, met Wendy’s gaze, and nodded silently. She locked her screen, set the phone aside, leaned her head on her hand, and said, “It happened about a week before the holiday break. They stole files on a few of our artists, but nothing’s been leaked yet.”
“A week ago? We had dinner together around then–why didn’t you say anything?”
“There wasn’t much to say. I’m just waiting for the bomb to drop. Once it does, I’ll handle the PR immediately. But I think the files weren’t stolen for the sake of leaking them. Whoever did it probably has other plans. I just have to wait and see.”
