Chapter 13: Are All Men Blind?

Words : 1727 Updated : Nov 27th, 2025

He came home, showered, changed into pajamas, and lay down on the bed. By force of habit, he did his breathing and internal training for two hours before finally going to sleep. He woke to the faint sound of movement outside the door-rustle, rustle, rustle-as if someone was prowling around, searching for something. Miller Cutmore rolled out of bed barefoot, moving as silently as a cat. Whoever was out there seemed to be looking for him. They drifted past the next unit, then crept over to his door. It seemed the severed finger he'd sent to the Juggins family yesterday afternoon had put everyone on edge; no wonder someone had shown up at dawn. He steadied his breath, gripped the knob, and pressed his ear to the door. In a flash, he yanked the door open and grabbed the person outside. Before they could make a sound, he clapped a hand over their mouth. The curtains in the living room were drawn, leaving the light dim, but his eyes had already adjusted. He made out the face in his arms and his heart lurched. "Aunt Blake!" He tightened his hold, then gently lifted her and eased her onto the sofa. It made sense. Even with the Juggins family's reach, they couldn't have found his address so quickly. Yesterday, Aunt Blake had said it herself: this apartment had only two keys, one for her and one for him. Thank goodness he'd pulled back at the last moment. If he hadn't eased off, one hit to the chest could've half killed her. Seeing she was only shaken, not hurt, he let out a long breath and, guilty, said, "Aunt Blake, I'm sorry! You scared me half to death. Please don't sneak in like that again. I'll think you're someone trying to jump me." Blake Cutmore opened her eyes, stroked his face, and her voice softened. "Miller, what kind of life have you been living all these years? It's my fault. I didn't want to wake you, so I tried to tidy up quietly. I didn't expect… You little brat, take your hand off me!" He jolted, whipped his hand back, and bolted. "Sorry, Aunt Blake, I'll go get changed." Watching him hunch over, flustered, and run blindly into the bedroom, Blake burst out laughing. Standing before the mirror, Miller lowered his head. The scent of Aunt Blake's perfume seemed to linger on his palms. He covered his face with both hands, then caught himself and slapped his cheeks-smack, smack. When he came back out dressed, Blake had already quickly put together breakfast. She set the plates on the table and called, "It's ready. Come eat. I brought back some meat patties from a restaurant yesterday-had some left over-so I don't know if you'll like them." Seeing she was all right, he relaxed and sat down. The meat patties and fried eggs were steaming on the plate, next to a glass of milk. His mouth watered. "They look amazing. They don't serve anything like this in prison. How could I not like it?" "If you like it," Blake said gently, "your aunt will make it for you every day." Warmth spread through him. He grinned. "I wouldn't dare keep Aunt Blake to myself every day. A gorgeous woman like you, cooped up at home by a healthy nephew-even if I wanted to, my future uncle would kill me." "Get out of here." She rolled her eyes and sat across from him, scolding with a smile. "Your aunt is single at the moment." Miller's eyes went wide. "No way. Are all the men in Xavon blind?" Blake snorted. "Back then Cairo Juggins, that bastard, stuck to me day and night. Anyone who came near paid for it. And I haven't had the heart for romance. The Cutmore family fell apart, and your father vanished without a trace. How could I think about dating? By the way, Miller, I asked someone to look into it. Your father might-" "Don't bring him up, all right?" Miller's face hardened. He cut into the meat patty hard and said coldly, "Where he is, whether he's dead or alive, I don't care. The moment he abandoned our family, he stopped being one of us." Blake knew her nephew's resentment toward her irresponsible older brother ran deep, not something that could be smoothed over in a day. She sighed and said, "All right. Finish breakfast. I have to get to work." "I transferred five thousand dollars to the card I set up for you yesterday. Use it over the next few days, get used to spending again. If you run through it, tell me." "And your driver's license is still valid. When you have time, I'll go with you to pick out a car. It'll make getting around easier." Miller didn't hesitate and nodded. "Okay." Once Aunt Blake left for work, Miller flagged down a cab, gave the driver an address, and half an hour later the taxi pulled up at the curb. Across the street stood Xavon Tower. The entire twenty-second floor housed the headquarters of Soar Group. Back then, the Cutmore family had started with less than two million dollars in registered capital and, within five years, had become Zerton's leading real estate company. Yet at the height of the company's ascent, a tax evasion scandal broke. Alan Cutmore refused to cooperate with the investigation and, instead, abandoned his wife and child and cut and ran, leaving his family to clean up the mess and giving Cooper Juggins the chance to stage his takeover. Ding. The elevator stopped on the twenty-second floor. Miller stepped out and faced the glass door with a plaque that read "Peak Group." He snorted and walked forward. The receptionist saw a visitor and stood. "Welcome. Do you have an appointment, sir? How can I help you?" Miller smiled. "Who's in charge here? Tell him my name is Cutmore and he can come out to meet me. Or I'll go in and meet him." Sensing trouble, she gave him a wary look, said nothing, and hurried into the office area. Soon a curly-haired man with red-dyed bangs barreled out, his curses coming before he did. "Don't you know the rules around here? A Cutmore dares to show up? The people I hate most are Cutmores!" Seeing Miller at the entrance, the curly-haired man clenched a cigarette between his teeth and barked, "Who the hell are you? What do you want?" Miller looked him over, then said, cool as ice, "You're not with the Juggins family. Get me someone from the Juggins family." The man swore, impatient. "What the hell do you want? My name's Wilder Duffus. I call the shots here now." "Wilder Duffus?" Miller's brows narrowed. "What's Uriel Duffus to you?" "You think you can just say my dad's name?" the man spat. "Who the hell are you? What's your game?" Miller's mouth curved in a faint smile. "I'm Miller Cutmore. I came to collect a debt."

Chapter 13: Are All Men Blind?

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