Chapter 8: You Telling Me How To Do My Job?

After dinner, the two had just stepped out of Looske Manor when Aiden, the old butler, hurried over. Nina Looske spoke first. "Put together a set of men's essentials." Remy Fouldes didn't bother with politeness. He stepped up, patted Aiden on the shoulder, and said in a mock-serious tone, "Aiden, there's one rule of thumb when you're buying this kind of stuff." Aiden blinked. "What rule?" "When in doubt, buy the most expensive one." He had barely finished when Hudson Looske came trotting over with a thick stack of files in his arms. "Brother-in-law, pick one, quick!" he said, breathless. "These businesses are all mine outright. Whichever you fancy, say the word and I'll transfer it to you today." Remy drew breath to answer, but Nina cut him off. "Big Brother, we need to get to the nursing home. We'll talk when we're back." Hudson tapped his chin, thinking, then nodded. "Right. Go visit Grandpa first." A red sports car soon peeled out of the manor. Remy slouched in the passenger seat, ill at ease. It looked flashy, but it's not practical at all. Nina's mouth curled into a wicked little smile. She pressed down hard on the accelerator, and the car shot forward like a scarlet blade. "You can go even faster," Remy said, flat. "Why not floor it and send us both to kingdom come?" he added, face dark. Nina glowed with a private, fleeting triumph, then remembered why they were out and eased up, her voice turning gentle. "When we see Grandpa in a bit, could you…" "You asking me for a favor?" Remy snorted. "You think gunning it to scare me is how you ask for help?" Nina started, then lifted her foot off the gas a little more. "Grandpa's health is poor. You know this marriage was meant to lift his spirits and ward off bad luck. I don't want anything to happen to him." Remy couldn't help glancing over. Her soft-spoken tone felt strange for her. Ford Looske-everyone in Jenos knows the name. The Looske family's anchor, a pillar of the city. A man like that doesn't deserve to be slighted. Even so, Remy didn't soften his tone. "You telling me how to do my job?" Nina's gaze went distant for a second. She had once said those same words to him. The red sports car left the highway and slid into downtown. It drew stares the instant it appeared. A couple of pretty girls leaned in to take a look. When they saw Nina at the wheel, they sniffed. "Another shameless little climber latching onto a big shot. I should go get a driver's license one of these days…" Passersby threw them scornful looks that reeked of envy. A few men in suits, the sharp-eyed kind, sensed there was more to it. They didn't recognize Nina, but that bred-in-the-bone poise of hers was not something money could fake. Remy, on the other hand, looked like a kept pretty boy. They both rode in silence, each lost in their own calculations. Nina worried Remy would pull some stunt. Remy's thoughts ran farther. The only reason he could keep Nina in hand was the existence of the Looske patriarch. If the old man died, his gravy train would screech to a halt. He knew the difference between a one-off feast and eating well every day. He meant to give the old man a proper look-over, make sure he lives a long time, keep the good days rolling. The thought made him chuckle out loud. Nina's heart lurched; she was sure he was brewing fresh mischief. … At Looske Manor, a few maids were stripping the bed with painstaking care. "Weird-there isn't a trace," one murmured. Another woman shot a sly glance toward the bathroom. "You don't know? I brought a robe late last night. Miss and the young master were in there." "Maybe they were going at it in the tub," someone said. "Didn't the young master say this morning that Miss Nina doesn't have much stamina and threw out her back?" As if drawn by an invisible string, they drifted into the bathroom and fell into thought, gazing at the enormous bathtub. One couldn't help whispering, "What kind of position throws your back out like that?" Silence, then a chorus of suppressed snorts. … The red sports car left the bustle and rolled into a luxury nursing home by the city's green heart, nestled by water and hill. Before the car fully stopped, security had already stepped up to open the doors with practiced ease. Remy climbed out and sighed inwardly. Back then, he tried everything to get in here-climbing walls, crawling through hedges, whatever it took to get within arm's reach of Ford Looske and curry favor. Now he could walk in the front gate without lifting a finger. The world had a taste for irony. He looked up at the place and shook his head. "This hardly counts as a nursing home." For once, Nina slipped her arm through his and explained, almost tender. "They've got a full medical setup and world-class doctors from here and overseas. The equipment is as advanced as it gets. Living here won't promise a century, but it could easily buy ten more years." "It costs tens of millions of dollars a year. If a number of tycoons hadn't moved in over the past few years to share the burden, even our family would have felt the pinch." They walked into a plain-looking building, and Remy's eyes widened again. Inside, the place shone with hushed, gilded luxury. "The façade is for keeping a low profile," Nina said. "We can't be too flashy." "Grandpa is in the garden. Let's go straight over." She kept his arm as they passed through to the small garden behind the building-shady trees, a rock garden, and a pond that murmured. After a few twists and turns, they found Ford Looske in his wheelchair. Under the broad pavilion stood seven or eight medical staff in quiet formation, hands folded, waiting. Ford had his eyes half closed, listening to the water. "Grandpa," Nina said, crouching by him, her voice warm. Ford's eyes opened with a smile, and he tilted his head. "Married?" He glanced toward Remy. One look, and the hairs on Remy's arms rose. The old man's gaze looked soft, but it cut like a blade. Nina smiled. "His name is Remy Fouldes. We've been classmates since middle school, all the way through college." Ford watched Remy with pleasure. "Good, good. A handsome match." Color climbed Nina's cheeks. She was about to wave Remy over when Ford said, "You all can go. I want a word with my grandson-in-law." Nina's brows pinched. She truly did not dare let Remy be alone with Grandpa. She hesitated, stepped to Remy's side, and opened her mouth. Remy lifted a hand. "Go on." Once the others were gone, Remy looked back at Ford. "What can I do for you, sir?" Ford smiled. "Push me around a bit." Remy grinned, clasped the handles, and gave a sudden hard shove, as if to toss the old man into the brook. "Brat!" Ford barked. "If I die, you think your days get easier? A live-in son-in-law!" Remy chuckled. "Now that sounds like plain speaking." Far off, Nina, who had been watching like a hawk, almost fainted. The two figures disappeared among the trees. "You seldom step out, yet you know everything that goes on," Remy said lightly. It was clear Ford knew exactly what he had done back at the manor. "Not as impressive as you," Ford replied, dry as a bone. "Jumping off buildings, ramming walls, that whole circus with the wedding car." Remy laughed. "With your standing, if I want to plant my feet, I need a few tricks. What they care about most is you. Using you for leverage is too perfect to pass up." Ford shook his head. "Then pray I live to a hundred. Otherwise, you're in for it." He sighed. "The Looske family isn't exactly at peace." Remy's heart gave a small jolt. There was more to this, then.