Chapter 13: A Cure

Words : 1917 Updated : Oct 23rd, 2025

"Mr. Denford, please don't get upset!" Madison hurried forward. "Whatever it is, we can talk it through." She turned to Lauryn. "This is Maverick Denford, the Denford heir." Lauryn flinched. She hadn't expected the man to hold such a status. Her face blanched as she jabbed a finger at Gabriel. "He's the one who brought it back. It has nothing to do with me!" "Didn't you just say it was yours to throw away if you felt like it?" Maverick's voice was cold. Gabriel spoke up. "Mr. Denford, may I ask what you need that porcelain vase for?" "The vase belonged to my grandfather. It's only a replica, but it was a gift from a comrade-in-arms who later died. Grandpa has only three months left, and he just wants to keep it by his side to remember the days with his old war buddy. The housekeeper didn't realize how much it meant to him and sold it as junk." He took a sharp breath. "It's my grandpa's dying wish. I chased it all the way to the antique market, and the surveillance showed you were the one who bought it. That's why I came. Who'd have thought it had already been tossed away?" By the end, dejection and guilt were written all over his face. If only he had paid closer attention, the vase would never have been sold, and his grandpa wouldn't be left with regrets. Gabriel nodded. "I understand." He turned to Lauryn. "Where did you throw the vase?" "I-In the trash can outside," Lauryn stammered, pointing toward the gate. Maverick spun and strode to the bin. He leaned over to look, and his face went blank. The dumpster had already been cleared out. It was completely empty. "They empty the dumpsters here every day," Gabriel said quietly behind him, "It's probably already been hauled away." Maverick's eyes reddened. He swung back and fixed Lauryn with a vicious glare. "You're going to make my grandpa die with regrets. I'm going to kill you!" "No, don't. Please, I don't want to die!" Lauryn crumpled to the floor with a gasp, clutching Madison's leg. "Madison, save me, please save me! I didn't know the vase mattered so much!" Helpless, Madison looked toward the doorway. In Zerton, the Denford family wielded power. Wiping out the Ades family would be easy for them, let alone her mother. As panic tightened her chest, Gabriel said, "Mr. Denford, you said your grandpa has three months. Could you take me to see him? Maybe I can help." "You? Are you a doctor?" Maverick eyed him with suspicion. Gabriel nodded with a small smile. "I know a thing or two." "It's no use. Doctors abroad already said he can't be treated." Defeat and pain roughened Maverick's voice. "What a foreign doctor says isn't gospel. Since we have no other options, we might as well try," Gabriel replied evenly. Maverick hesitated. He thought, "He's right. There's nothing else to do. Try it, and maybe Grandpa can be saved." "Gabriel, don't be ridiculous!" Madison cried. Of all people, she knew exactly what he could or couldn't do. In her mind, this was pure folly. Gabriel gave her a reassuring smile. "Mr. Denford, let's go." Madison moved to stop him again, but Lauryn yanked her back, whispering urgently, "Madison, let that good-for-nothing go. If you don't, the Denford family won't let me live." "But if Gabriel goes, what then? They'll beat him to death!" Madison protested, reaching out, only to see Gabriel already walking out of the complex with Maverick. They were nearly at the gate. Lauryn clung stubbornly to her leg, pinning her in place. "Ah, Mom, why are you like this?" Madison stomped her feet in frustration. By the time she broke free and reached the entrance of the community, Gabriel was nowhere to be seen. In the car, Gabriel said, "It's still early. If you send someone after the complex's garbage truck, they should catch it. If your grandpa recovers, he can still look at the vase and remember his comrade. Isn't that better?" Maverick nodded. "You're right, Mr. Jauncy." He pulled out his phone and ordered his men to chase down the truck. "You knew my last name?" Gabriel asked, surprised. Maverick smiled. "I was asking around with your photo in the neighborhood just now. That's how I learned it." "Then you also know I married into the Ades family and live with them," Gabriel said, smiling. Maverick nodded, a little embarrassed. "No matter. I don't mind," Gabriel said, "I just didn't expect you to still believe I can cure your grandpa." "Let's just try," Maverick murmured. They soon arrived at Denford Villa. Following Maverick into the living room, Gabriel heard him say to a maid, "Please ask Grandpa to come downstairs." Noticing Gabriel's curious look, Maverick added, "Grandpa can move around, but his internal organs are failing. The doctor abroad said he might be bedridden n his last two months." A moment later, an elderly man with a crown of white hair came downstairs from the second floor, supported by a striking, elegant woman in her middle years. Gabriel took in the old man's silver hair and the hard, combat-honed edge to his bearing. There was a steely, lethal air about him. He nodded inwardly. A soldier to the bone; that kind of presence didn't fade. Gene Denford came closer, smiling. "I hear Maverick brought us a young divine healer. Thank you for coming, sir." "Your branch of service wasn't ordinary, was it?" Gabriel studied him, then smiled lightly. "That old injury dates back to your service days. You've endured a great deal over the years." "Around thirty, your liver started giving you trouble. Around forty, it was your spleen. By now, all your organs have started to fail. Am I right?" "Right, especially when it rains, it's unbearable, flaring up like rheumatism." Gene grew visibly agitated. For so many years, he had sought out famous physicians to no avail. At last, he had met someone who seemed to understand him at a glance. "Please save my father!" The beautiful woman beside him dropped to her knees with a thump, beseeching Gabriel with tear-bright eyes. "Every time we see him in agony, our hearts break. If only we could bear it for him. Please help him, whatever the cost." Startled, Gabriel stepped aside and helped her up. "Please don't. For a war hero who defended his country, this is the least I can do." "You really are a divine healer. You saw through my illness immediately. Can you cure me?" Gene asked, tense, looking straight at Gabriel. "Let me take your pulse first." Gabriel gestured for him to sit and set his right hand on the old man's wrist. After a short while, Gabriel released him and looked up. Everyone at Denford Villa watched him hopefully. "It can be cured."

Chapter 13: A Cure

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