The Divorced Military Queen Awakens (by Sadie Baxter) novel Chapter 312

Chapter 312 Dangerous Ground

Chapter 312 Dangerous Ground

Quinn disliked the peril Julius represented, yet provoking a direct clash here and now served no purpose

After all, she reminded herself, no one could predict what an enraged Julius might do and none of the dreadful possibilities had even happened yet.

“Doria isn’t exactly tranquil,” Julius added, tone softer, almost reluctant. “If real trouble finds you, call me

at once.”

Quinn studied him, curiosity edging past fatigue. “Why did you come to Doria at all, Julius?

“If I said I was tracking leads about your brother, would you believe me?” He met her gaze without blinking, as if the fragile thread binding them depended on her answer.

Ever since the memory slammed into him–Rowan Bridger’s silhouette flickering across some Dorian street years ago–Julius had treated the republic like a crime scene waiting to be scoured. Every flight manifest, every border camera feed, every whisper in the underworld–he threw money and manpower at them all, convinced the key to Rowan’s disappearance lay somewhere beneath Doria’s washed–out skies.

“Back near the spot where my brother was dragged out of the van and left for dead–did you ever send anyone to question the locals?”

“I did,” Juliús said with a curt nod. “They spoke to every resident within blocks, but nothing useful surfaced.”

Quinn fell silent. Only now did she understand why, when she canvassed the neighborhood earlier that day, tenants had told her someone else had already come asking the same uneasy questions.

“I’ve also pulled the employee rosters for every factory in the area over the past five years. Your brother’s name doesn’t appear on a single list.”

The statement blindsided her. Quinn had planned to hunt down those records herself; Julius had finished the legwork before she even boarded the plane.

“If you want to see the files, I can have Fabian email the entire package to you right now,” he said.

“Thank you,” Quinn said, meaning every syllable.

“And one more thing,” Julius added after a weighted pause, his voice dropping to gravel. “Dig if you must, but stay out of places that smell like trouble. I don’t care how lethal you are alone–crowds will swallow you. You know that as well as I do, Quinn.”

“I understand. No one values my safety more than I do.”

She clutched that certainty like a lifeline. I have to stay alive. Rowan is waiting, and Mom and Dad sacrificed everything for this heartbeat still inside me. I won’t waste it.

Only after Julius stepped out and the door clicked shut did Quinn allow herself a long, shaky exhale.

She hadn’t expected him to turn up in Doria, yet his presence–unasked for though it was–had saved her hours, maybe days, of grinding investigation.

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Chapter 312 Dangerous Ground

Her mind drifted back to the punishing kiss he’d pressed on her moments before, the possessive warning wrapped in it. This is why people shouldn’t fall in love so casually, she thought, pulse still skittering

Even breaking up

d become complicated now, a knot pulled too tight to cut free without bloort

Yet she didn’t want to push Julius so far that the rumors proved true and he truly lost his mind

The stories about the Whitethorn family’s men echoed in her head, darker each time she replayed them.

She thought of Joaquin’s crazy behavior. The image sent a chill skimming over her skin.

From what she had gathered, Joaquin had stopped appearing in public after his wife’s death, Julius himself had admitted the loss had turned his father into a madman.

She refused to believe Julius would follow that same bleak trajectory.

After all, they’d only been together a few short months. Even if his feelings ran deep, time would sand down the edges; distance would dilute what remained.

He would not transform into a lunatic over her. He couldn’t.

A glance at the clock jolted her. She pulled out her phone and dialed Laura.

“Quinn, what took you so long? I was about to ring you myself!”

“Sorry, Julius dropped by my room. I got delayed.”

“Julius?” A sharp breath hissed through the line. “He’s in Doria too?”

“Yeah.”

“Please don’t tell me he followed you all the way to Doria,” Laura said, half teasing, half genuinely unnerved.

“Could be business. The Whitethorn family as projects here too,” Quinn replied, though she wasn’t entirely convinced herself.

“Just promise you’ll stay safe-” Laura began, when a sudden yelp cracked through the speaker. Static rippled, and Quinn’s heart jumped into her throat as the call filled with muffled commotion on Laura’s end.

From the other end of the call, Quinn’s voice floated out, slightly distorted by the speaker yet unmistakably tender. “What’s wrong?”

Laura drew a sharp breath, her words tumbling out in a whisper that almost tripped over itself. “N–n- nothing, really. A cockroach just scurried past and gave me a fright. Let’s catch up later, okay? I… I still have something to deal with right now.”

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