Chapter 13

“Since Mr. Clarke isn’t here, I won’t disturb you any longer. Please have a great time.” Javier had come so suddenly and left after delivering gifts, leaving the crowd shocked. Charles coughed with the card still in his hand and asked, “Does any of you know this Mr. Clarke?” Everyone shook their heads. A figure powerful enough to have the owner of Virtuous Court personally bring over delicious food and great wine was not someone they could be acquainted with their lowly status. “Could it be Philip Clarke?” No one knew who had said this for fun, but the whole room burst into laughter. “Stop joking, how could it be that trash? If it were him, I’d eat these wine bottles.” “Other than having the same last name, what else does our cousin brother-in-law have to show for?” A few of the youngsters were mocking without reserve. Wynn found it hard to bear, so she scolded furiously, “That’s enough! What are you guys saying? He is still your cousin brother-in-law no matter what!” Tsk! A few of the youngsters cocked up their eyebrows arrogantly but said nothing more. Charles chimed in and asked everyone to stop making a fuss. Charles’ friends were now extremely envious of him. “Charles, my man, how could you? You know such a powerful figure, but you didn’t introduce him to us.” “This too much. First, it’s a treasured painting. Now, there’s a ‘Mr. Clarke’.” “Come, come, come, forget about all those. These are precious liquors, a king’s drink, waiting to be tasted.” Charles felt it a waste to consume them all now, so he kept one bottle and opened the other. The others did not say anything because being able to have one taste of those liquors was enough to last them a lifetime. Just then, Aiden said, “Uncle Johnston, I might know this Mr. Clarke. The boss behind the art gallery has ‘Clarke’ as the last name. Could he have known that it was your birthday today, that’s why he has sent the gifts?” Aiden was only guessing, but the boss of the gallery was named ‘Clarke’. Although he had never met him before, the secretary who liaised with him told him that the man’s name was ‘Clarke’ and he hoped to keep a low profile. “Really? Then, I must thank Mr. Clarke properly. He’s just too kind.” Charles was visibly excited. He then tugged Aiden’s arm and said, “Addy, you have to arrange a meeting for me with this Mr. Clarke. I can tell that he’s also a collector.” “I will, surely,” Aiden happily promised. To be able to be held in such high regard by Uncle Johnston was worth the labor. “Sigh, some people have the same last name but they work as a delivery man,” Lynn spoke up at an inappropriate time, and it was like a thorn stabbing into Wynn’s heart. Wynn gritted her teeth, took one sip of her drink, and then stood up. “Dad, I’m going to visit Mila at the hospital. I’ll be taking my leave now.” Charles knew that it would just be torture for his daughter to keep staying here, so he waved to allow her to leave. The distance between his daughter and himself had grown a lot in the past two years. This was all thanks to that useless Philip. “Sis, are you in a rush to get back? Remember not to scold our cousin brother-in-law,” Lynn continued to mock. “His gift was quite nice, although it’s a fake.” Wynn had just reached the door when she heard this. She clenched her fists and left without ever looking back. As soon as she left, the group started discussing this mysterious Mr. Clarke while belittling Philip. Not long after he had left Virtuous Court, Philip received a text message: Mr. Clarke, this is Javier Morris. Everything is going well, and your father-in-law is delighted. Javier Morris? Oh, right, the owner of Virtuous Court. It seemed like this Javier Morris really knew how to win favors. Philip replied: I won’t look into how you managed to get my phone number, but you better not have exposed my identity in this incident. When Javier received Philip’s reply, he quickly responded out of fright: Mr. Clarke, don’t worry. I definitely did not. Philip nodded without replying to him after that and headed to the hospital. Back at the hospital, Philip sat down at the side of the bed as he watched his adorable daughter sleep. Her tiny nose looked like her mothers, her little mouth too, but her eyes looked like his own. My daughter is so good-looking, she’ll definitely be a beauty when she grows up! Not long after Philip arrived, Wynn came back with a frosty expression. She sat down at the side of Mila’s bed and looked at her daughter. Philip had just come back from getting water at the pantry. When he saw Wynn, he smiled and said, “You’re here. I can take care of things here, so go back home to get some rest.” Wynn kept quiet as she looked at her daughter with reddened eyes. It seemed like she was trying very hard to suppress her emotions. “What’s wrong?” Philip noticed Wynn’s odd behavior. “Philip, do you plan to let Mila stay this way? Don’t you want her to get better treatment? Didn’t the doctor say that as long as we can pay one million, Mila can get her surgery done?” Wynn’s eyes were completely red. “Mila’s three years old now. It’s the best time for her to get treatment.” Philip looked at the sleeping little girl and said, “I know. I’ll find a way.” “Find a way? What ways can you possibly think of?” Wynn scoffed as tears rolled down from her eyes. “Philip, I’m begging you, apologize to my parents, okay?” “Wynn, trust me. I have a solution,” said Philip. My dear, you just don’t know that I’ve already done something. Mila is the daughter to the heir of the world’s largest consortium. She is a heavenly child, a noble young lady. “Solution? Other than embarrassing me, what else can you do?” Wynn accused Philip furiously. “At my father’s birthday today, forget giving him a cheap gift, why did you have to give him a painting? It was even a counterfeit! Do you know what they’re saying about me? I’ve had enough of you Philip Clarke, can’t you think of me and Mila a little more?” Philip knew that Wynn had experienced a lot of hardship and grievances in the past two years. They have been mocked and ridiculed, but he had his reasons that he could not help it. However, now that he had inherited his family fortune, things were going to be different. “Wynnie, trust me. I will definitely give Mila the best treatment, and I will definitely make up to the hurt that you’ve been feeling for the past two years.” Philip hugged Wynn’s shoulders but the latter pushed him away. Wynn was extremely disappointed. He was always saying this, but not once did it come true. “Enough, I don’t want to hear anymore. I will discharge Mila and take her with me tomorrow. I will find a solution myself.” Wynn wiped her tears and said resolutely. “Wynnie, I’m actually…” Philip could not resist. But the moment he spoke, Wynn shot him a glare. “You’re what? You’re a useless piece of trash!” said Wynn icily. Philip was then pushed out of the ward while Wynn stayed inside with Mila. In the long quiet corridor outside the ward, Philip recalled how disappointed Wynn had looked at him. Wynn, I’m actually the son of the world’s wealthiest man. I have trillions in assets. Philip left the hospital himself and called George. “George, how is the arrangement going for my daughter’s treatment?” On the other end, George respectfully answered, “Young Master, it’s already been taken care of. In a few days, the internationally famous cardiologist, Professor Henry Turner, will come to Riverdale City. I will arrange for him to come to the hospital to perform surgery on the young miss on the pretense of giving a lecture.” “Okay, I’ll leave it to you. Make it as natural as possible without any fuss,” said Philip. “Don’t worry, Young Master, your identity won’t ever be revealed. It will be a coincidence. After the surgery, I’ve arranged a funding activity, especially for children with congenital heart disease. That way, no one will suspect a thing.” George added, “Oh, right, Professor Turner heard that you are in Riverdale City and would like to meet you alone.” “We’ll talk about that when the time comes,” replied Philip before he hung up. He was in a bad mood now. George then called another number. “Henry, old pal, I’ve already informed my young master, so the rest will be up to your performance.” On the other end, inside the president’s office of Turner’s Hospital at Golden City, Henry Turner abruptly stood up from excitement after receiving George’s phone call. “Great, great, great! Thank you, Brother George, I’m indebted to you.” After he ended the call, a young doctor sitting on the sofa inside Henry’s office asked immediately, “President Turner, who was the call from that made you this happy?” Henry chuckled out loud. “Director Stanley, in three days, I will go to Riverdale City. There’s a special patient that requires surgery, so we have to bring along our best doctors. Go and make the arrangements.” Director Stanley said ‘okay’ and went off to get ready. Philip got another call after he had hung up. It was from a woman with a sweet voice, sounding like the spring breeze. “Hello Mr. Clarke, this is Anna Carter from Civil Gallery. The gallery has now been transferred to your name, and Mr. Charles Johnston’s personal gallery event has been set for Saturday. Would you like to come and take a look?” Philip had been reluctant to go, but after some thought, he answered, “Alright, I’ll take some time off to visit.” It was, after all, the old man’s personal collection display. He had to make sure it was perfect. “Alright, Mr. Clarke, I will make the arrangements.” Anna’s sweet and gentle voice added, “Oh, yes, Mr. Clarke, the liaison in charge of this event, Mr. Aiden Grant, would like to request an audience with you. Should I make the appointment?” Aiden Grant? Right, almost forgot that he said he would arrange for it. Tee-hee. He would never have guessed that the gallery he had been racking his brains to rent was bought over by me, Philip Clarke, to rent it to him especially. Should I meet him or not?