Chapter 7

"Uh…" Perseus was perplexed as he watched the front door being slammed in his face. "Remember to come home tonight, Uncle Perseus!" "Hush, child. It's fine if you don't come back tonight, Perseus." Perseus was even more confused when he heard Lindsay and Vincent's conversation. But there was warmth flooding into his heart. "Ahem! I'm so sorry about that. They don't know—" "You don't have to explain anything to me, Mr. Caitford. Please get into the car." Nancy invited Perseus into the luxurious Maybach graciously. It was a dual-toned vehicle that added a youthful streak to its classical mature charm. "Mr. Caitford, we still have some time before dinner. Why don't we hang out at a café?" "No problem." Perseus nodded slightly. He sank back into his thoughts while looking out the window. Once they reached the café, Nancy got them a secluded table. "Mr. Caitford, you and I are both straightforward people, so I'm going to cut to the chase." Before the coffee was served, Nancy handed a folder to Perseus. "Thank you for saving my grandpa's life. This is our token of appreciation." Perseus accepted the folder and glanced at it. Then, he eyed Nancy up and down. "Quantum Innovations? Are you giving me a company?" Quantum Innovations' net worth was 200 million dollars. How could Nancy possibly give that company to him? Who on earth was this woman? "There's a bank card included in the folder. There isn't much money in the account. You can just think of it as our way of thanking you. Please accept the gifts, or else I won't be able to explain myself to my grandfather. He'll definitely reprimand me for not doing my job." Nancy quickly came up with that sob story before Perseus could turn the gifts down. "Fine. I'll accept the company, but I don't want the money." Perseus passed the card back to Nancy as he spoke. "Mr. Caitford, do you want me to get scolded by my grandpa again? He's already scolded me for looking down on you and doubting your skills." Nancy slapped on a pitiful expression at that moment. "No. It's just that I don't accept money whenever I heal people." Perseus shook his head firmly. "This is a rule I've come up with for myself. I mustn't break this rule no matter what." "So you don't charge your patients after healing them?" "Nope." "Ah, I see." Since Perseus looked very serious, Nancy decided to not push it. They chatted for a while before Nancy had to take a phone call. Unfortunately, she had to cut their meeting short and put their dinner plan on a raincheck. Perseus didn't care much about the dinner invitation. Truth be told, he really wanted to look for Rochelle and demand answers from her. However, the sky had already darkened by the time Perseus left the café. He had already promised Egbert that he'd visit Randolph tonight, so he gave up on his plans. "Why are you back? Where's the young lady?" Lindsay looked disappointed when she saw Perseus entering the house. She looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Nancy. "Uncle Perseus, did you lose your girlfriend?" Vincent joined the conversation as well. "Don't overthink it, Mom. I just got acquainted with her. We aren't dating. I helped her out some time ago, so she came here to thank me." Perseus shook his head, clearly amused by his mother's imagination. "It's fine if she's not your girlfriend. On the contrary, I think Camilla, the one who works at the hospital, is a better choice for you. She's beautiful and kind-hearted, not to mention she speaks in a soft tone. If it weren't for her help, Vincent might have…" Lindsay's eyes reddened at the memory of Vincent's illness. "That's enough. Why are you bringing that up in front of Vincent?" At that moment, Egbert walked out of his room with a bag of fruits in one hand and his walking stick in the other. "Perseus, we can leave once you put down your things. Randolph should've gotten off work at this hour." "Okay." Perseus didn't waste any time in stowing the folder away. He took the bag of fruits from Egbert before helping him out of the house. Both of them opted not to take a cab in order to save money. Instead, they strolled to Randolph's apartment slowly while chatting with each other. Perseus thought for a moment before saying, "Dad, I'd like to tell you something." "What is it?" "Vincent isn't sick. He… got poisoned." Egbert frowned instantly. "Poisoned? How did you know that? Isn't Vincent suffering from leukemia?" Perseus shook his head. "Dad, I'm a doctor. I can tell that something's off about Vincent at first glance. When I spent time with him this afternoon, I found out that he's poisoned with mycotoxicosis. It's an incredibly rare poison." "You're a doctor?" Egbert looked at Perseus quizzically. "Didn't you spend the last three years in jail? You didn't even get your bachelor's degree!" "Dad, the truth is, I never served my sentence. Even though I stayed in prison for three years, I worked there as a prison guard. My job was to keep the inmates in check. "Also, I've gained a mentor who's extremely skilled in medical treatment. He taught me how to heal and treat illnesses more effectively." Perseus didn't intend to hide his past from his parents. But he would never bring up Eternos in front of them. "You must've seen what a prison's like on TV. There are tens of thousands of inmates crammed into the block, not to mention the living conditions there are very bad. "People suffering from all kinds of diseases and injuries are confined there as well. That's why I had plenty of opportunities to treat them. In fact, I plan on opening Caitford Clinic once again in the future." Egbert sounded excited. "Is what you said the truth?" "Of course. Since when have I lied to you, Dad?" "Oh, I'm so happy that you didn't go to jail as an inmate!" Tears began pooling in Egbert's eyes. He patted Perseus heavily on the shoulder while saying, "But we can talk about reopening the clinic in the future. You didn't graduate from the university, which means you don't have a medical license. "As for me, I'm just a no-good doctor who only knows a thing or two about treating illnesses. I don't want to ruin the reputation our ancestors had worked hard to build up. Also, we don't have any money at the moment." Money had always been the root of everyone's troubles. "The most important thing to do right now is for you to find a job. Once you've started to develop your career steadily, your mother and I will be able to find marriage prospects for you. No woman would want to marry a penniless man." "Alright, alright. I'll take your advice, Dad." Perseus didn't disagree with Egbert. He knew that he couldn't dump the entire truth on his parents for fear that they might not be able to handle it. They walked for another half an hour before reaching Sunshine Coast, which was a high-class residential area. It was the complete opposite of Skyview Acres' rundown and dilapidated state. Egbert soon pressed the doorbell of Randolph's apartment. "I'm coming! Who's at the door?" A woman's voice drifted from inside the apartment. Perseus recognized his aunt, Gabriella Rowse's voice immediately. "Gabriella, it's me, Eg." Egbert quickly fixed a smile on his face. At the same time, he hunched his back slightly to seem more humble. Perseus' heart ached at the sight of his father looking so humble. Gabriella opened the door to see Egbert and Perseus. She couldn't be bothered to hide her look of disdain. In fact, she didn't plan on letting them into the apartment. "Are you here to borrow money from us again?" "N-No!" Egbert waved his hands immediately. "I'm here to visit you. Also, Perseus has gotten out of jail today, so I brought him along." "Hello, Aunt Gabriella," Perseus greeted. "Oh? It really is you, Perseus. I thought you got sentenced to five years in prison. Why are you out so soon? Don't tell me you escaped from prison!" Gabriella became vigilant in an instant. She looked like she was about to slam the door in Egbert's and Perseus' faces soon. "Aunt Gabriella, I—" "Watch your mouth, Gabriella!" A stern voice boomed from within the apartment at that moment. Randolph Caitford, Perseus' uncle, walked over to the small group afterward. "Perseus has a righteous character! Why would he escape from prison in the first place?" "Hah! If he truly had a good character, would he be imprisoned in the first place?" Gabriella twitched her mouth before walking away. She didn't even bother inviting Perseus and Egbert into the apartment. Egbert looked quite embarrassed upon hearing Gabrielle's snide remarks. He could only stay rooted to the spot, not knowing what to do. Perseus, on the other hand, just frowned slightly. But he wasn't really mad at Gabriella.