Chapter 9

Henry's miserable reaction was not lost on Frank. However, even if Henry was willing to accept him, his family was not. It was as if his marriage with Helen was a family affair and not between just the two of them! "No, Gramps. I think this is it," he said, and left without looking back. Henry wobbled and almost fell. Helen reacted quickly and hurried forward to catch him, and she found that his eyes were unfocused as he muttered repeatedly, "It's over… It's all over… It's the end for my family…" Helen was left miffed by his words. "What are you talking about, Grandpa? To tell the truth, Sean went out of his way to help me build a partnership with the Turnbulls earlier today. Our family would rise to stand among the elites in Riverton." "Hah!" Henry scoffed coldly. "That Sean Wesley whom Frank was talking about?" "Exactly," Helen replied. "He's not even worth a fart compared to Frank," Henry growled as he stormed back to his room, having no mood for dinner anymore. Helen sighed as she looked on. "What delusions did Frank feed him, honestly?" "Who cares?" Peter chuckled. "This suits us just fine—we don't have to hide your divorce from him now." He was certainly feeling gleeful—without the old man's protection, there was nothing stopping him from getting back at Frank! Helen shot him a look, and asked, "Who's that woman with Frank? The one you mentioned." "I don't know," Peter replied, scratching his head. "But she's seriously beautiful, like one in a billion…" Helen frowned. "More beautiful than me?" Peter's words left her insecurity gnawing. She definitely did not hope for Frank to have another woman at his side, especially one who was more beautiful than she was! "H-How do I put it…," Peter was suddenly stuttering. "You're a natural beauty, while hers is attained through technology, I guess" Despite what he said, Vicky's face was stuck in his mind constantly—her beauty was far beyond comparison, especially with those ladies at the nightclub he frequented! The thought left him fuming, however, as a good-for-nothing like Frank did not deserve the company of such beauty! On the other hand, Helen was clearly satisfied by what Peter told her. - It was very late when Frank returned to Verdant Hotel. When he did, he found a Rolls-Royce parked outside the entrance with a woman wearing a windbreaker leaning against it. Upon a closer look, it turned out to be Yara, Vicky's bestie cum bodyguard. Noticing Frank just then, she hurried toward him. "Mr. Lawrence…" "Hello, Ms. Quill. Is something the matter?" Frank asked as he studied her. She had a small round face, and her eyes were a bright blackness. Her dark hair was left disheveled in the wind, as she had clearly been waiting for him for some time. She was a few inches over five feet, though she still appeared dainty in front of Frank. Her fingers were interlocked and she kept fiddling with her thumbs, and she kept her head lowered, stammering for a long while but unable to say anything. Frank chuckled. "You may speak frankly." Yara looked up awkwardly then. "O-Okay… Can you teach me the technique you taught Vicky?" After all, Yara herself had personally experienced the power of Frank's improved version of the Boltsmacker. He also treated Vicky, thus proving that there were shortfalls in the traditional version of the Boltsmacker. Naturally, Yara wanted to learn the improved version as well, but unlike Vicky, she was no prodigy who could learn a new technique with a single look. "Oh, that." Frank smiled. Yara promptly whipped out a debit card. "I will make it worth your while, Mr. Lawrence. There's 500,000 in here—the PIN is six zeros. It's all yours." Frank simply clasped his hands behind his back, remaining calm as he replied, "Money's nothing to me." Yara was left a little flustered. "Then… What do you want?" "Do you have natural relics or other precious herbs?" Yara shook her head. "No." "Enchanted weapons?" Yara was left further dejected. "No." "Well, I'll have to say no…" Yara hung her head and turned, ready to leave… Suddenly, Frank called out to her, "Hold on. Is it true that your father is Riverton's governor?" "Yes, he is! Is there something I can help you with?" Yara exclaimed, blinking hopefully. "I can teach you the improved Boltsmacker, but you need to find someone for me," Frank replied. "Really?" Yara exclaimed excitedly. "That's easy. Just tell me who it is, and I'll definitely find her!" "Her name is Winter Lawrence." Yara stayed still as she waited for the next part… But that was all Frank said. "Wait, is that all you have for me?" she asked. Frank nodded. "Yeah. All I have is her name. No other information." She was the only daughter of his mentor. When his mentor lay dying after the battle over the south sea three years ago, he told her to find his daughter who lived at Riverton. Though all he gave Frank was a name and nothing else, Frank traveled to Riverton and stayed for three years after his marriage. He kept searching for clues on Winter, but found nothing. Back at the present, Yara was left biting her lip. There were so many citizens in Riverton who shared last names and first names—finding one person with just her name was impossible. However, she agreed to it immediately for the sake of learning the improved Boltsmacker. "Alright. I'll do my best to find her… But may I ask when you'll teach me?" Frank suddenly started to give directions, and she promptly did as she instructed. As she directed her Ki's flow, Frank moved as quick as a lightning bolt, directing her Ki's flow from her navel up to intersecting nodes, converging Ki from other veins. Yara promptly felt her body gushing and swirling rapidly with Ki, sending overflowing energy across her veins and canals. She committed to memory every path her Ki traveled, and she could feel a tremendous force as she moved her palm, countless times more powerful than the Boltsmacker she practiced before! "That's how you direct your Ki to release my improved version of Boltstmacker," Frank said. "Can you remember it?" "Yes, Mr. Lawrence," Yara said, grinning ear-to-ear as she saluted him. "Thank you for your teaching… by the way, may I teach this to the other apprentices of my clan?" In fact, if everyone in her clan would learn this, their influence as a faction would rise above and beyond! However, Frank shook his head. "This improved version is only conditioned for women. If men train in it for long periods, they'd fall sick like Ms. Turnbull did." "I see. Thank you for your advice, Mr. Lawrence." Yara nodded humbly. Frank nodded in turn. "I shall be going now. Please don't forget what I've asked." "Don't worry, sir. I won't," Yara assured him, though she suddenly paused as something came to mind. "By the way, there's something else that I'm hesitant to mention…" "What is it?" "It would be better if you kept your distance from Vicky, Mr. Lawrence." Frank was puzzled. "Why?" "She's from an important family and boasts both beauty and talent," Yara said, cautioning him out of kindness. "That has earned her countless suitors, and someone might get jealous if you get too close."