Love Unspoken

Brandy held her juice and mumbled, "Happy birthday, Sprout." Sprout didn't get it and just kept munching on his baby food.

Quinn sighed, "Forget it, Sprout doesn't understand. Let's just enjoy the meal." She raised her glass and clinked it with Alexander's. "Happy birthday, Sprout." Alexander smiled. "Yeah, Sprout's pretty happy." Quinn took a sip. She wasn't much of a drinker and didn't really like wine, but she took a small sip for the occasion.

Even though it was just the four of them, the birthday felt great, and Quinn was really happy.

It was Sprout's first birthday, and Alexander was there. She hoped they could celebrate every birthday together as a family in the future.

Since Sprout couldn't eat cake, Quinn helped him out and shared swith Brandy.

Alexander grabbed the camera and asked Brandy to take spictures, calling it a birthday keepsake.

Quinn didn't mind. She hugged Brandy and Sprout and smiled at the camera.

After dinner, they moved to the sofa and took a few family photos.

Alexander put his arm around Quinn's shoulder. He used to hate taking photos, but now he loved it and always initiated it. He smiled at the camera. Brandy captured the family of four, freezing the moment in a photo.

Quinn turned to look at Alexander and smiled.

Alexander said, "Alright, today's birthday celebration is a wrap. Let's hit the sack." Quinn nodded and took Sprout and Brandy upstairs.

Early the next morning, Quinn was jolted awake by a phone call. She groggily reached for the phone and answered it.

"Hello," she mumbled, still half-asleep.

"Quinn, it's me. Something's up at our house," Abigail's voice cthrough.

Quinn's eyes snapped open, and she checked her phone to make sure she wasn't dreaming. It was definitely Abigail calling.

"What happened?" Quinn asked, worried.

Abigail whispered, "The police cto our house this morning. Oliver went with them, and they were looking fortoo. Oliver told them I wasn't home, so I didn't go with them." "So you don't know what happened?" Quinn asked.

"No, but something's definitely up. I knew nothing good would cfrom getting involved with Landon," Abigail said, her voice a mix of anxiety and anger.

She wasn't sure if it was because she had gotten too close to Landon, but she was scared her family would get dragged into it.

Quinn tried to comfort her, "Don't panic. We don't know what it is yet. Calm down and wait for Oliver to cback and ask him. Maybe it's nothing serious." "Hopefully. I just feel uneasy and didn't know who to talk to. Alright, that's it. I'm hanging up," Abigail said quickly. She had called Quinn for scomfort, but it didn't help. The more she thought about it, the more she worried. Quinn frowned and sat up in bed.

Next to her, Alexander woke up and sat up. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Abigail just called me. Do you have any way to find out why Oliver was taken away?" Quinn asked.

"I'll ask around," Alexander said, picking up his phone and walking out.

Quinn saw the two kids were still sleeping, so she got up, went to the bathroom to change, and then headed to Alexander's study.

Alexander was still on the phone. Quinn didn't want to interrupt, so she just watched him, feeling a bit worried. Alexander, in his gray loungewear, stood by the window, talking quietly. Quinn couldn't catch what he was saying. After a bit, he hung up and walked over to her. "Something did happen, but it shouldn't be a big deal," he said. "What happened?" Quinn asked.

"Two people broke into Landon's house earlier, and Abigail was there. She ended up killing one of them in self- defense, and the other one ran off," Alexander explained.

Quinn was stunned. Abigail hadn't mentioned any of this to her.

"Is it because of that?" Quinn asked.

"Sort of, but not entirely," Alexander said, sitting down next to her. "The guy who ran away turned himself in to the police." "What?" Quinn exclaimed.

"He turned himself in and told the police why he wanted to get back at Landon. He claimed that Landon and the Vanderbilt family had used shady tactics to crush their company and even provided evidence of his uncle's suspicious death," Alexander explained.

"So they're investigating this?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah," Alexander confirmed.

Quinn found it odd. "If they have evidence, why not just sue? Why make such a big scene?" "It's complicated. Sometimes suing isn't enough. They want to make a big fuss to draw more attention when it can't be swept under the rug," Alexander explained.

"The guy who kidnapped Abigail at the wedding had the sidea, but he failed and was secretly dealt with by Landon, which led to the later break-in," Alexander continued.

Quinn sighed, "So that's how it is. You said it's not a big problem. Is that true?" "It depends on how Landon handles it," Alexander said.

"What do you mean?" Quinn asked.

Alexander sighed softly, and Quinn could hear a hint of regret in his sigh.

"Landon can't escape what he's done. This incident is just a trigger. They're investigating more than just hism shady business practices: Look at how smart Walter is; he fled abroad and found the Lynch family for protection. But Landon doesn't have anyone backing him up," Alexander explained. "Wasn't it you who told Walter to go?" Quinn asked.

"Do you think he didn't want to go and I could make him? I just gave him an excuse," Alexander replied.

Quinn felt a bit helpless. There were so many twists and turns between them.

She could guess that if Alexander hadn't told Walter to go, they wouldn't have left so easily.

Given Walter's hostility toward Zeke, if he had stayed and caused trouble, Zeke wouldn't have had tto worry about Alexander returning.

"Then why did Landon cback?" Quinn asked.

Alexander smirked, "Who knows."

Quinn couldn't figure out what he was up to. If he wanted the Mellon Group's money, he could have just el negotiated for money when he made the deal with her, but he insisted on the Mellon Group. Was he doing all this because he was bored? "You just said it depends on how Landon handles it. What do you mean?" Quinn asked.

"It means if Landon takes responsibility for everything, the Vanderbilt family will be fine m doesn't, the Vanderbilt family will be the first to be targeted," Alexander explained. Quinn shook her head. "He definitely won't take responsibility." "You never know," Alexander replied.