Chapter 9

"So? Are there any good people locked up in prison?" The moment Catherine's words fell, Egbert hung his head in shame, opting not to say anything. Randolph's expression darkened even more. However, Perseus remained impassive. He had learned to accept what had happened to him three years ago. Now, his heart throbbed in pain for Egbert and Lindsay's suffering. They got mocked and ridiculed by others because of him, after all. How did they live their lives over the past three years? "Cath, Perseus isn't an ex-convict. Even if he is, the nation has already forgiven him, hasn't it? You have no right to criticize him at all. "You think having him as a cousin is shameful, don't you? Do you even remember how his SAT scores surpassed yours by a million miles back then?" Then, Randolph took a deep breath before announcing his decision. "No matter what, you must arrange a job position for Perseus. We'll feel a lot better if you can lend him a hand at work. Also—" "Alright, alright! Stop babbling already! Fine, I'll help him, okay?" Catherine waved her hand impatiently. Then, she said to Perseus, "Wait for me at the foyer tomorrow at 8:00 am sharp. I'll take you to the company and get your interview all sorted out. "But you mustn't tell anyone that you're my cousin, alright? Okay, I'm very busy, so goodbye!" "Ugh! Cath is so rude!" Randolph grumbled, a mixture of anger and exasperation shown on his face. Then, he flashed Egbert and Perseus a bitter smile. "Don't take her attitude to heart. Since Cath has already agreed, she'll definitely help Perseus out." "Okay. We won't disturb your rest, then. We'll be leaving now." Now that Egbert had achieved his purpose, he deemed that it was time for him and Perseus to leave. "Gabriella, we're leaving now. Sorry for disturbing you." "Then why are you still coming here despite knowing that your presence disturbs me? You must be doing that on purpose! Hmph!" After Gabriella was done with her sheet mask, she sashayed into the bathroom without caring about how stormy Randolph's expression was. "Take care on your way home, alright? Do you have money? You know what, just take a cab home." As Randolph spoke, he pulled out his wallet so that he could give Egbert some money. But the latter quickly turned him down. Once they entered the elevator, Egbert said, "Perseus, please don't hate your aunt and cousin. It's normal for them to have biased opinions about us. Your uncle has been helping us out over the past few years. Anyone would've disliked us if we were to keep troubling them." "I don't hate them," Perseus replied as he shook his head. He didn't say that just to comfort Egbert. It was true that he didn't hate Gabriella and Catherine. There was only one person he hated the most—Rochelle. "Good." Egbert's eyes glinted as he looked at Perseus. "Remember to wake up early tomorrow so that you can go to the company with Cath. Don't be picky with the jobs offered to you. "I believe that you'll be able to succeed in your career as long as you put your heart and soul into it. Focus on earning more money and marrying a good woman. That way, your mother and I will finally be able to relax." "Got it, Dad. Let's go home." Despite his relaxed tone, Perseus wasn't calm in the slightest. Both of them walked home afterward. Vincent had already gone to bed by the time Perseus and Egbert reached home. Perseus wanted to have a nice long talk with his parents, but Lindsay quickly ushered him to wash up for bed the moment she found out that he'd be going to work with Catherine. Left without a choice, Perseus could only do what he was told. As he lay on his bed, he thought about his plans for tomorrow. He decided to look for Rochelle once he was done with the interview. Perseus needed to settle the score no matter what. He wasn't doing it for himself. He was doing it for Egbert and Lindsay, who had to live with shame over the past three years. Also, how the hell did that bastard, Gilbert, get together with Rochelle? Why were they getting married soon? Of course, there was also the matter of Vincent's illness. Mycotoxicosis was a slow-acting poison with an antidote that was almost impossible for one to get their hands on. In order to produce the antidote, Perseus would need to come up with a way to gather a huge array of rare medicinal herbs. Ethan and Olivia had already died in the tragic accident. Perseus mustn't let anything happen to their only son. "I'm back now. From now on, I won't let anyone bully my family!" he thought firmly. Soon, Perseus fell asleep soundly. When Perseus woke up early the next day, Lindsay had already taken Vincent to his kindergarten. Egbert was in the midst of getting ready for his business at the stall. "Hurry up and have breakfast. Once you're done, you should leave the house right away. Remember, you must maintain your integrity as an honest man and work hard in whatever you do." After that, Egbert left the house. Perseus had a quick breakfast. Then, he swiped a cinnamon roll from the table and munched it while hurrying out of the house. By the time he reached Randolph's apartment block, he saw Catherine reaching the foyer just in time. Catherine was dressed in a typical work outfit. She paired a collared blouse with a pencil skirt. A gray pantyhose and a pair of high heels completed her outfit for the day. She even spritzed some perfume on herself. All in all, Catherine looked fashionable and pretty. But when she noticed Perseus, she instinctively frowned. Upon remembering her boyfriend's plan that he had hatched last night, the crease between her brows quickly relaxed. "Hi, Cath!" Perseus greeted. "Don't call me that, especially when we're at the company. I don't want my reputation to tank." After that, Catherine walked toward a Mercedes Benz-C, which was parked at the side of the road. "By the way, you're taking the back seat." "Okay." Perseus wasn't angry at all. He opened the car door and got into the car. The Mercedes Benz-C was known to be a massive hit among young women. The interior aesthetics were pleasing to the eye, but other than that, the rest of the car's specs were just average. "Cath, is this your cousin who used to be a convict?" The man seated in the driver's seat glanced in the rearview mirror with a mocking look on his face. "That's enough. Drop the subject." Catherine then urged, "Hurry up and drive. I still need to meet up with a client after dropping him off at the company for his interview." "Don't worry, honey. You won't be late." It seemed that the man was blessed with a silver tongue, for he soon added, "By the way, you look gorgeous today, honey." Perseus was rendered speechless at that moment. He finally realized that the man was Catherine's boyfriend. "Oh, you sweet talker! Alright, let's get going now!" "Of course, my queen. Buckle up your seatbelt. Your personal coach will be departing soon." Catherine giggled from the front passenger seat. "By the way, Ex-convict—" Perseus frowned deeply at the nickname. "My name is Perseus Caitford." He wasn't a pushover at all. The thing was, he barely knew Catherine's boyfriend. If he insisted on calling Perseus "Ex-convict", didn't that mean he was provoking and mocking him on purpose? The man replied, "Ah, right. Perseus. Let me introduce myself. I'm Raymond Miller, your cousin's boyfriend. We're all family here, yeah? That's why I'd like to give you a word of advice. You have to remember what I say, alright?" Raymond winked at Catherine afterward. He continued driving as he said, "Quantum Innovations is a high-tech company. Since you don't have a degree or any job experience, you're most likely going to be hired as a security guard. Maybe you might even fail the interview. "You'd better be mentally prepared, yeah? After all, your shameful past has already tainted your identity." Quantum Innovations? What a coincidence. Didn't Nancy just give that company to Perseus yesterday? Things were starting to get interesting. He had scored an interview at his own company. "By the way, Cath and I are only managers, so we hope that you won't affect our career development in the company. "Later, you'll have to get off at the junction ahead of us and walk to the company on your own. Got it?" "Sure. No problem." Perseus wasn't angry at all. He mainly didn't want to listen to the couple going all lovey-dovey with each other in the car. Raymond, in particular, was acting like a lovesick fanboy. Perseus could feel goosebumps growing all over his skin just by listening to Raymond's sweet talk. "Perseus, don't blame me for this. That's how cruel reality is. Your past experience is a shameful taint to your life, after all." Catherine might have realized that she had gone too far this time. She didn't seem to have the heart to watch Perseus suffer. "It's fine. I'm getting out of the car now. Take care." Once the car slowed down, Perseus got out of the car right away and left.