Wren Wynter looked at Shaun Quinn in surprise. Shaun’s expression had clearly darkened upon hearing that name.

Elder Yates walked up to them, his gaze sweeping over Wren. A flash of appreciation appeared in his eyes. "Hm? Wren, what a coincidence meeting you here."

Wren nodded politely. "Hello, Elder Yates."

Elder Yates smiled and waved his hand. "No need to be so formal. We’re all well acquainted."

His gaze shifted back and forth between Wren and Shaun. As if realizing something, he looked slightly surprised.

"You two know each other?!"

Shaun Quinn clearly had no intention of speaking with Elder Yates and started to pull Wren away. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Shaun, where are you going?"

Shaun said coldly, "It has nothing to do with you."

Caught between the two, Wren felt extremely awkward. To ease the tension, she raised an eyebrow and teased,

"So, should I call you Shaun Quinn or Shaun Yates now?"

Shaun didn’t respond, only giving Wren a calm glance, but she still keenly sensed his displeasure.

The smile on Elder Yates’s face faded, but he didn’t get angry. He just sighed. "Are you still unwilling to forgive me?"

"There’s nothing to forgive or not forgive." Shaun’s tone was detached. "All I know is that I took my mother’s surname. My name is Shaun Quinn, not Shaun Yates."

Wren’s heart skipped a beat when she heard this.

Elder Yates’s face turned a little pale, and the hand gripping his cane trembled slightly. "That incident... I let your mother down. But I really didn’t know she would..."

"Didn’t know?" Shaun scoffed.

Shaun stopped looking at him and turned to Wren. "Let’s go."

Wren hesitated for a moment, but still nodded to Elder Yates before following Shaun out.

As they walked out of the shopping center, Shaun’s pace was so fast that Wren almost had to jog to keep up.

When they reached the parking lot, Shaun pulled open the car door. Wren got into the passenger seat and looked at his stern profile, unsure of what to say.

After the car had driven some distance, Wren finally spoke softly, "Second Senior Brother, are you okay?"

Shaun’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, then relaxed. "I’m fine."

"Elder Yates..."

"I don’t want to talk about him," Shaun cut her off.

Wren took the hint and didn’t press the matter.

Silence fell inside the car, and the atmosphere grew heavy.

After a long while, Shaun spoke again, his voice a little softer than before. "Sorry you had to see that."

"It’s okay." Wren shook her head. "Everyone has their own story. I understand."

Shaun glanced at her, his expression complex. "Aren’t you going to ask?"

"You’ll tell me when you’re ready," Wren said. "If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t force you."

Shaun was silent for a long time. Just when Wren thought he wouldn’t say any more, he suddenly began to speak.

"My mother’s surname was Quinn. She came from the countryside." Shaun’s voice was calm, as if he were telling someone else’s story. "She was brilliant when she was young, a top student."

"Later, she met the eldest son of the Yates Family, my father, Isaac Yates. He pursued her with great dedication, saying he didn’t care about her background and would treat her well. My mother believed him and married him."

"For the first few years, they did pretty well. Isaac Yates was considerate enough, and my mother thought she had finally found a home. But everything changed after I was born."

Shaun’s tone remained calm, but Wren could hear the suppressed emotion within it.

"My mother had a difficult childbirth with me, and her health was poor afterward. One time, an illness worsened her postpartum complications. She could have been saved, but the Yates Family looked down on her and refused to pay for her treatment.

"My mother was heartbroken when she found out, but for my sake, for the sake of the family, she endured it. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Not only did Isaac Yates show no concern, he even forced her to sign divorce papers, saying he didn’t want to be dragged down by a sick woman."

At this point, Shaun’s voice finally wavered. "My mother signed the papers and moved out of the Yates estate. She didn’t take a single penny from the Yates Family, only me. Six months later, she was gone."

Wren fell silent.

She couldn’t imagine how the gentle and strong Mrs. Quinn had passed away in the end.

"After she passed away, the Yates Family came looking for me, wanting me to go back." Shaun scoffed. "How could I possibly go back? I changed my surname to my mother’s, Quinn. Everything about the Yates Family has nothing to do with me."

"So after you left the Yates Family, you went to Moonwater Villa?"

Looking at Shaun’s cold, hard profile, Wren suddenly understood why he was always so distant, why he kept everyone at arm’s length.

It was because the person he had once trusted most had inflicted the deepest wound.

"Mhm."

"Second Senior Brother..." Wren said softly, "I’m sorry for making you recall bad memories."

Shaun shook his head. "It’s all in the past."

That’s what he said, but Wren knew that some wounds never heal.

She reached out and gently patted Shaun’s arm. "You still have us. Master, your senior brothers, and me. We’re all your family."

Shaun glanced at her, his expression softening slightly. "Mhm."

Shaun said no more, but the car noticeably sped up.

As they neared View Gardens, a black Rolls-Royce came from the opposite direction and brushed past their car.

Wren didn’t pay it any mind, but Shaun frowned.

The car stopped at the entrance to View Gardens. Just as Wren was about to get out, the Rolls-Royce made a U-turn, drove back, and stopped beside them.

The car door opened, and Kaden Xavier stepped out.

His expression was dark as his gaze swept between Wren and Shaun before finally landing on Wren.

"Wren, get out of the car."

Wren froze for a second, not expecting to run into Kaden Xavier here.

She unbuckled her seatbelt and pushed open the door. "What are you doing here?"

"If I didn’t come, should I have waited until you were in bed with another man?"

"Are you insane? He’s..."

"I don’t care who he is. Come home with me."

Kaden reached out, grabbed Wren’s hand, and yanked her out of the car.

Shaun got out of the car as well, standing beside Wren and grabbing Kaden’s wrist with one hand. "Let go."

The two men stared each other down, the air thick with unspoken hostility.

Kaden’s gaze fell on Wren, his tone hard. "Come home with me."

"I am home," Wren said.

"I’m talking about *our* home." Kaden took a step forward, trying to grab Wren’s hand.

But Shaun stepped in front of Wren first. "Can’t you hear her? She told you to let go!"

Kaden narrowed his eyes. "This is between me and my wife. It’s not your place to interfere."

He then forcefully dragged Wren away.

Naturally, Shaun’s strength was no match for Kaden’s.

「Indoors.」

Wren suddenly spoke, her voice calm. "Kaden Xavier, we’re divorced."

Kaden’s expression turned even uglier. "I told you, the divorce agreement doesn’t count."

"So what?" Wren looked at him. "Kaden Xavier, it’s over between us. Please, let me go, and let yourself go."

"Over?" Kaden stepped forward and seized Wren’s wrist. "Impossible! You are my wife, and you will be for the rest of your life!"