The Heiress’ Return: Six Brothers at Her Beck and Call (Wynter Quinnell) novel Chapter 1879

At this moment, Jemima's desire to kill Lorcan faded. All she could think about was why the man she loved had betrayed her. They had been so deeply in love, and she had stood by him through the hardest times, never uttering a single complaint.

All these years together, they never had the chance to hold a wedding, yet she still trusted him completely, even bearing him a son. But in the end, for the sake of power and profit, he had ordered her death.

The thought brought tears rolling down her cheeks. This was the first time she had ever cried in her life. Even after her death, she had worried about whether he would struggle without her.

Wolf interrupted her thoughts. "Come back for now. You'll vanish if you absorb too much sunlight."

Jemima nodded silently and vanished in a flash, returning to the emerald pendant.

Now, only Wolf and Lorcan remained. Seeing Jemima disappear, Lorcan assumed the threat was gone. He scrambled to his feet, desperate to flee. He believed there would be another chance for him as long as he survived.

But what he didn't know was that Wolf was far more terrifying than Jemima. Watching his attempt to escape, Wolf smirked. "You won't escape my grasp."

...

Meanwhile, back at the villa, Ingrid was giving Antoine a massage when he spoke softly. "Have you considered moving back home?"

Ingrid's hands paused briefly. Even though the misunderstandings between her and Antoine had been cleared, she had been away for too long.

"Dad, I prefer to live by myself for now—I like the freedom. But I'll visit often, so you don't have to worry."

Antoine looked at her with warmth. "Ingrid, you've grown up. I heard you're doing well at the hospital."

She nodded. "It's alright. I haven't been there long, so I'm still adjusting."

Just as they were talking, Wolf walked in, dragging Lorcan by the collar. Lorcan's face was bruised and swollen, and when Wolf tossed him onto the floor, he curled up in fear, not daring to move.

Hearing the commotion, Antoine turned and frowned in confusion. "Wolf, what happened?"

Wolf clapped his hands together and exhaled. "Ms. Ingrid, this guy was playing hide-and-seek with me, but he tripped and fell into a ditch. That's how he ended up like this."

Antoine gave him a knowing look, understanding there was more to it, but he changed the subject, turning to Ingrid. "Ingrid, I'd love to have a meal cooked by you."

She smiled. "Of course, I'll get started." Without overthinking it, she headed to the kitchen with Alanis to prepare the dishes.

Only Wolf, Antoine, and Lorcan remained in the living room.

Antoine's gaze darkened as he looked at Lorcan. "Lorcan, speak."

Lorcan slowly raised his head, but the moment he met Wolf's eyes, he trembled, immediately groveling and apologizing. "Mr. Antoine, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have thought of using Ms. Ingrid to threaten you."

Antoine's expression remained unchanged, as if he had expected this. "If you had taken even an hour longer to confess, you wouldn't be standing here anymore."

With that, he signaled two bodyguards to drag him away. A heartless wretch like this deserved no mercy.

Lorcan, despite his pain, forced out a warning. "You can't do this. I have powerful backing. If you touch me—"

But Antoine simply waved his hand dismissively, unfazed.

Wolf leisurely walked over and sat beside him. "Mr. Antoine, did you already know?"

Antoine's tone softened slightly. "I've been thinking ever since you left that day. Someone targeted my daughter not long after I sent Lorcan, so the only one capable of arranging this so quickly is him."

Wolf studied Antoine with newfound respect. "Are you interested in knowing the person behind him?"

Initially indifferent, Antoine's curiosity was piqued. "Go on. Who is it?"

Wolf shrugged. "According to him, it's the deputy mayor. But how true that is remains to be seen."

At the mention of the deputy mayor, Antoine's face darkened. As the saying went, commoners shouldn't fight merchants, and merchants shouldn't fight officials. No matter how wealthy one was, without power or connections, they would always be crushed.

And this was Havenia, not the mainland. Many things worked differently here.

Yet, after a moment of consideration, he still didn't order Lorcan's release. After all, what kind of father would let someone who harmed his daughter walk free?

Wolf noticed the shift in Antoine's expression and rubbed his palms together. "Mr. Antoine, are you scared?"

Antoine opened his mouth to retort but found no words. With a sigh, he admitted, "In Havenia, government officials are the law. No merchant dares cross them. But what's done is done. We'll have to take it one step at a time."

Wolf tilted his head, unfazed. "Mr. Antoine, don't worry. Once my boss gets here, everything will be settled."

Antoine looked at him, puzzled. "Your boss? I assume they're from the mainland, too, but Havenia is different. The waters here run deep."

Wolf grinned, his dimples showing. "My boss doesn't care. The stronger the opponent, the stronger she gets. There's no need to overthink it!"

Curious, Antoine asked, "Who is your boss?"

"Wynter Quinnell."

At the mention of the surname, Antoine stiffened. "Wynter Quinnell? As in… the Quinnell family?"

For a moment, excitement flickered in his eyes. The Quinnell family—Gordon's descendants.

But then he sighed. After all, the world wasn't that small. There were plenty of people with the surname Quinnell. He'd been waiting too long for Gordon's descendants to find him, and now he was reading too much into coincidences.

With that thought, he slowly settled back into his seat.

Before long, Ingrid's voice called out, "Dad, Wolf, come wash up. Dinner's ready!"

Wolf sprang up, dashed to the sink to wash his hands, and immediately took his seat at the table. Ingrid barely had time to react before he was already sitting there obediently.

Though Wolf loved food, he understood table manners. When elders were present, he wouldn't touch his utensils until they did.

Antoine watched, increasingly impressed. Wolf was so young, yet so disciplined. Truly, the younger generation was formidable.

Once Antoine picked up his utensils, Wolf dug in. One bite of meat, one bite of rice. Before long, he was done, setting his utensils down with a slightly rounder belly.

Noticing this, Antoine wiped his mouth and said, "I'll take Wolf out for a walk."

Wolf stood up and followed without hesitation.

When they reached the door, Antoine turned right, leading them to a basement entrance. He nodded at the guard stationed there. "Open it."

The guard quickly took out a key and unlocked the door. Antoine stepped inside with Wolf close behind.

The basement held only one prisoner. Lorcan was bound at the wrists and ankles, unable to move.

She picked up a dossier. "This isn't just about Wolf. There are other issues in Havenia. Issue a covert execution order and inform our overseas operatives to stand by for my command. They're to rendezvous with me in Havenia in three days."

"Understood."

The Special Unit had its own duties to fulfill, and the chamber of commerce had its own responsibilities as well.

Previously, Wynter's prolonged absence had led to certain chamber members' departure, triggering a ripple effect that directly impacted Colifernia's external economy.

Though the consequences weren't immediately visible, signs of economic sanctions would emerge within a week, starting from Colifernia and spreading northward. She would never allow such a scenario to unfold.

But first, she needed to go to Havenia herself, to see with her own eyes what was happening. Only then could she act with certainty.

"Mr. Selby, notify all chamber members to assemble at headquarters for an emergency meeting."

The chamber's secretary, Kodey Selby, was no ordinary employee. He was extremely loyal to the Quinnell family.

In the past, Wynter had allowed chamber members to operate with relative autonomy, intervening only if they crossed the line. But this time was different.

Internal competition was fair game as long as it stayed within bounds. She never intervened. Whether it was sabotaging each other's source of income, cutting off rival internet lines, or even buying smear campaigns against one another, as long as it wasn't illegal, she would let them play their games.

But when it came to external threats, unity was non-negotiable. If they couldn't stand together, she'd have no choice but to eliminate the dissenters first.

The meeting was abrupt.

Within the chamber, there were indeed many fence-sitters. And it wasn't just the chamber—a thorough investigation would reveal officials with overseas assets even within Colifernia's local government.

Eradicating these parasites wasn't as simple as it seemed. Speed and discretion were key, just like this impromptu meeting. Many attended, but Wynter wasted no time. She immediately summoned the relevant authorities to investigate and arrest.

Those seated at the conference table with ulterior motives were trembling.

Who could have imagined that after disappearing for just over a week, Wynter would return even more formidable than before? She was no longer willing to entertain negotiations at all.

And she had presented a reason no one could refuse. "You, as my elders, should understand the Southern Chamber of Commerce's founding principle better than I do."

Wynter sat at the head of the table, her words crisp and her presence overwhelming. Every inch the business magnate, she didn't lose an ounce of authority even beside the imposing Dalton.

Many in the Chamber were likely realizing one thing. Even when she had reclaimed control of the chamber before, her methods had been relatively surface-level. She had been playing the fool all along, only revealing her true capabilities now.

They had all been too quick to judge and too swayed by rumors of her rural upbringing, foolishly dismissing her as just another clueless scion.

Some couldn't meet her gaze, guiltily avoiding her piercing eyes.

Wynter didn't care. She stopped twirling her pen. "In the past, when we did business abroad, I'm sure you all remember how we were bullied. We were a weak nation that struggled in every endeavor.

"It wasn't just overseas. Even in Colifernia, back in the 80s, when we had no technology of our own, we danced to the outsiders' tune. They had money and technology, so they could threaten us at will. They withheld investments and waged trade wars whenever they pleased."

Her words struck a chord with everyone present. Given their age, they had all lived through that era where they were looked down upon by foreigners and crushed effortlessly by overseas capital.

At the time, even the authorities had no choice. To attract foreign investment, they had to entertain them and sacrifice profit margins to them.

Foreign capital knew how to manipulate perception, and countless domestic brands vanished then. Some were acquired, while others buckled under pressure, forced into bankruptcy because they didn't understand the first thing about information warfare.