CHAPTER 663: CHAPTER 663

Quinton reminded Yulia of Eleanor Cruz, Quinton’s mother, and it broke Yulia’s heart.

Yulia felt that the accident might not have happened if she had spent more time with Eleanor back then.

"Everyone, today’s a reunion, and it’s a happy event. Let’s not make it so tense.

Before we plan anything, we should feast first!" Joanna exclaimed cheerfully, quickly leading everyone to their seats.

She felt that even if they wanted to take revenge, they should be rational about it.

Eventually, everyone stopped bringing up the past and started enjoying the food.

"Well, I think we should make an announcement to all the people in the City that the eldest son of the Pierce family has returned.

We can make it a grand ceremony, and I’ll even invite all the noble families to it!" Joanna declared as she raised her wine glass.

She felt that Quinton had suffered a lot in the past and had never been supported by his family, so by doing this, she would give him a sense of belonging and show people how powerful their family was.

"No, it’s a waste of time and effort. This party is already more than enough, and I’m glad to have you all with me," Quinton said softly.

It was nice to be recognized and well-known, but he no longer felt like he needed the approval of strangers.

"Not at all.You’re my brother, and you deserve the best! I want to make it up to you," Joanna insisted.

She was usually a lowkey person and wasn’t good at holding grand events, but she felt like she had to do this for her brother’s sake.

The Pierce gathering continued until night, and everyone went home after having a great time.

Both Joanna and Quinton were tipsy after the party, and once everyone had left, they strolled beside the stream around the manor.

"Quinton, I don’t know if I’m overthinking it, but... I feel like you’ve been a bit down lately. Is something troubling you?" Joanna asked him, face flushed as she let out a burp.

She tried her best to make him happy, but always felt like something was lacking.

"I saw a woman who looked very much like someone I once knew in the hospital today. It made me think of the past...

I wondered if she would be happy to see me reunited with my family if she were alive." Quinton chuckled bitterly.

"No, she probably wouldn’t be.

She resented me, so why would she be happy for me?" Joanna’s heart ached for him, and she asked tentatively, "Umm...

Is that person Taylor?"

Quinton felt conflicted as he turned to look at Joanna, but ultimately decided not to hide anything.

He nodded slowly and admitted, "You really do know me best.

You can always tell what’s on my mind." "Before this, nobody could even say Taylor’s name in front of you, and you were very fierce to me the first time I did.

But now...

that’s no longer the case.

You’re obsessed with her, and it seems like she has full control of your feelings." Joanna didn’t know why he had changed so much, especially when it came to his feelings for Taylor.

She didn’t know if she should tell him the truth or not.

Things would be better if Quinton stopped hating Taylor, but Taylor would be in danger if the news of her survival was exposed.

"Maybe my mind changed after I nearly got killed twice," Quinton remarked casually.

"why?" "I was filled with hatred the first time I almost got killed. I told myself that I must survive to take revenge, but this time... I was full of love for all of you.

I told myself that I couldn’t hurt the people who loved me, so I had to survive...

Now I know loving is easier than hating, and I don’t want to be controlled by my hatred any longer," Quinton confessed honestly, not wanting to hide anything from his sister.

"Does that mean that you’ve forgiven Taylor? Do you not hate her anymore?" Joanna asked carefully as she watched him.

"Maybe. I don’t know but it’s no longer important..." Melancholy and regret swam in his eyes.

’’We can’t change the past, and the dead can’t come back.

It doesn’t matter if I wronged her or she wronged me; nothing’s going to change." "Umm... What if I told you Taylor is still alive? What would you do?" Holding her breath, Joanna asked tentatively.

"Alive?" Quinton’s eyes lit up briefly, then became dull again.

" That’s impossible.

Although she grew up in a fishing village, she wasn’t a swimmer.

There’s no way she could have survived being stranded in the ocean." For so many years, he had been searching for Taylor, but to no avail.

The only possibility was that she was dead.

"Yes, she’s alive. Although she nearly died, she got lucky, or maybe... she was just like you.

She didn’t want to die with regrets, so she held on," Joanna said firmly.

She was a little worried at first, but his words revealed his deep feelings for Taylor.

He deserved to know the truth.

""W-What did you say?" Quinton stared at Joanna in disbelief, thinking he had misheard her.

"I said Taylor is still alive. She nearly got killed, but survived just like you."

Joanna repeated herself, rendering Quinton speechless.

Quinton swallowed and clenched his fists, trying to calm himself down as excitement surged in his veins.

"Quinton, are you... alright?" Joanna whispered anxiously when he remained silent.

"I’m great!" Quinton took a deep breath, then asked eagerly, *Where is she now? What happened to her?"

"Ah, that’s a long story..." Joanna explained everything to him, then sighed regretfully. "Back then, it was Liam who calmed the fort master down, giving Taylor and I the chance to escape. If he hadn’t done that, they would have taken out Taylor’s organs and sold them. However, even when things were tough, she never gave up."

The dark zone of The Triangle in Southeast Aeos was a dangerous spot, and a pretty woman like Taylor would’ve been easy prey for all the merciless sadists there.

"Stop, I don’t want to hear anymore." Quinton’s face turned pale, and his body trembled. He was well aware of the kinds of torture in The Triangle, since the Water Dock’s punishments had been inspired by it. Carmine Pawnshop had prospered fast by breaking a lot of rules, and there were many young women who suffered the same fate as Taylor.. and worse. It was also the reason why Quinton had fallen out with Taylor.

He had taken Taylor to Water Dock and built her a courtyard full of her favorite flowers and soft toys. She’d led a carefree and naive life like a princess there, but the world outside of her fairytale castle was horrible. Terrible things happened outside her courtyard, making it a forbidden land for ordinary people.