Chapter 7: Pride Didn't Matter

That night, Kevin Letherdale couldn't sleep. He kept turning one thought over and over in his head: how was he supposed to find a chance to see Faye Sowden's chest and confirm whether that mole was really there? If they weren't even living in the same room, opportunities were almost nonexistent. At least Zane hadn't put a time limit on finding the Saintess. Otherwise, he would have been climbing the walls. When it became clear he wasn't going to fall asleep, he sat up and cultivated the technique Zane had taught him. Morning came. Faye knocked on his door. Only then did Kevin get up, wash up, and head downstairs for breakfast. At the table, the mood felt heavy. Chandler Sowden ate in silence, clearly weighing how to deal with Kevin. If Kevin hadn't been protecting his daughter when he hit those people yesterday, Chandler would have thrown him out on the spot. Even so, someone still had to pay the price for what happened. "Chandler, Kevin fixed my foot," Skyla Zimmerman said, breaking the stifling quiet. "I can go back to Sowden Corp today." She had been resting at home for days already. Chandler nodded and set his chopsticks down. "Finish eating, then head over first." "Aren't you going?" Skyla asked, confused. Chandler glanced at Kevin. "Do you think I can go to the office today?" With Kevin's mess still unresolved, the Lashbrook family hung over his head like a blade. How could he focus on work? He had even called Ian Sowden over last night to discuss it, only for Kevin to curse the old man with an illness and send him off in a rage. Chandler still had to handle it today, starting with whether Kevin and Faye should go file for divorce. After that, just like Ian had said, Chandler would take Kevin to the Lashbrook family to apologize. Otherwise, the Sowden family would be in real trouble. "Faye." Chandler looked at his daughter, voice low and steady. "You're not a child anymore. Stop being stubborn. I know marrying Zeke Lashbrook wronged you, but… we don't have a choice. So after breakfast, go to the civil affairs office and get the divorce done. Everyone can pretend this never happened." He was far calmer than he had been yesterday. No shouting, no slamming the table. Before Faye could answer, Chandler turned to Kevin. "Kevin Letherdale, thank you for protecting Faye yesterday. I won't treat you badly for it. I'll give you fifty thousand as compensation. Please don't make this harder for us, alright?" Kevin kept eating, unhurried. What happened yesterday barely registered to him as a problem. "Huh?" He didn't know how to respond, so he stared at Faye, completely at a loss. Divorce or not didn't matter to him. He'd been hired, after all. But he still hadn't confirmed the mole on her chest. If Faye really was the Saintess, wouldn't he be letting her slip away? "Dad… is there really no other way?" Faye asked, her voice thin with despair. Marrying Zeke could save Sowden Corp, but it would be like jumping into a pit of fire. Otherwise, why would she have impulsively grabbed a stranger and rushed to get a marriage license? Chandler knew he had wronged her. He couldn't even meet her eyes. His head dipped as he spoke. "You know what the Lashbrook family is capable of. If there were even the slightest way out, it wouldn't have come to this." If they had the strength to fight back, their business wouldn't have been crushed in the first place. "I understand." A sheen of mist rose in Faye's eyes. She didn't say anything else. She had accepted it. "Faye, if you don't want it, then I won't divorce you," Kevin blurted when he saw her on the verge of tears. Faye let out a tired, helpless sigh. "Thank you, Kevin, but… after we eat, we'll go do the divorce. I'm really sorry. I dragged you into all this." She was worried Ian Sowden would call in her uncle and the others any minute and have Kevin hauled off to the Lashbrook family. She didn't want Kevin harmed because of her. Her plan was to divorce quickly, then send Kevin back to the mountain to lie low. "Uncle, you don't need to be afraid. I can deal with the Lashbrook family," Kevin said to Chandler. Chandler's temper flared again. "Enough, Kevin. I know you can fight, but this is modern society. You don't survive on a little kung fu, understand?" "Kevin, stop," Faye warned quickly, hearing her father's anger rising. Kevin could only shake his head and fall silent. If he kept talking, the whole family would end up miserable. "Chandler, talk to Ian Sowden again," Skyla urged. She didn't want her daughter thrown into the Lashbrook family's fire pit either. Chandler shook his head without a word. He looked cornered. Even if he consulted Ian again, he'd only get chewed out, and the outcome would still be the same. After breakfast, Faye changed clothes and did a little makeup. She was about to take Kevin to finalize the divorce papers, and Chandler insisted on going too, unable to relax otherwise. They had barely reached the living room doorway when Ian Sowden arrived with Grey Sowden. "Dad, big brother, you're here," Chandler said, hurrying over. "I was just about to take Faye and Kevin to get the divorce done. Are you coming too?" To everyone's surprise, Ian glared at him and snapped, "Divorce? Divorce my ass. Kevin Letherdale is a fine young man. You think he isn't worthy of Faye?" "Huh?" Aside from Grey, everyone froze. Chandler even wondered if he'd misheard. "Dad, didn't you say last night we should take them to divorce first thing this morning, then go to the Lashbrook family to apologize?" "That was me talking drunk at home, and you believed it? Idiot," Ian barked. Then, as if flipping a switch, he plastered on a smile and walked up to Kevin with forced warmth. "Kevin, Grandpa was a little impulsive last night. I'm apologizing to you here. Don't take it to heart, alright?" The scene left the others staring. What was going on? Chandler, Skyla, and Faye had no idea Grey had taken Ian to the hospital last night and uncovered something. "Ian Sowden, you went to the hospital for a checkup, didn't you?" Kevin asked. He was simple, not stupid. With Ian acting this polite, the reason was obvious. Ian nodded rapidly. "Yes. After you said that last night, I trusted you, so I went. The doctor said there's a tumor in my brain. I won't live more than a month." He swallowed, then hurried to pile on praise. "Kevin, you're incredible. One look, and you were better than the hospital's high-end equipment." The old fox spoke smoothly, revealing his condition while making sure to elevate Kevin at the same time, as if he'd forgotten he'd been cursing at him the night before. "Dad… what happened?" Chandler's head buzzed. He rushed forward, panic breaking through his restraint. Faye and Skyla went pale and hurried over as well. Grey explained everything: taking Ian to the hospital last night, the tests, and the doctor's verdict. When he finished, Chandler shot to his feet. "Then… then what do we do? We should go to Dragonville right away. If that doesn't work, we can go abroad-" "Dragonville? Abroad?" Ian snapped. "Do you have eyes in your head? Kevin is standing right here!" He scolded Chandler again, then nodded at Grey. Grey went out to the car, retrieved a handbag, and brought it to Kevin. "Kevin," Grey said with an overly friendly smile, "I'm Faye's uncle, Grey Sowden. From today on, we're family. I didn't prepare anything special, so I'll be a little old-fashioned and give you some cash. Consider it a small welcome gift. Don't look down on it." He shoved the bag into Kevin's hands with a string of polished words. Kevin looked baffled. On the drive back yesterday, Faye had told him this uncle was a snob, always chasing power. After Ian retired, Grey wanted control of the company, which was why he and Chandler's branch were constantly at odds. They fought openly and in the shadows. So why was Grey acting like Kevin was a long-lost relative? Kevin opened the bag. His eyes widened. That was a lot of money. Three hundred thousand. For an ordinary person, it was a fortune. "Thanks, Uncle," Kevin said brightly. "I'll take it." Ian and Grey both blinked. They knew a poor kid like Kevin wouldn't be able to resist that much cash, but they hadn't expected him to accept it so cleanly. Most people would at least pretend to refuse once or twice. Sure enough. A poor kid was a poor kid. Money made his eyes light up. What shocked them even more was that Kevin, bag in hand, immediately started walking out of the living room. "Uncle, Faye, let's go," he said as he headed for the door. "We should hurry." "Where are you going?" Ian asked instinctively. Kevin answered with complete seriousness, "Didn't Uncle Chandler just say it? To get divorced." He took the money and still wanted a divorce? Ian couldn't allow that. He lunged after Kevin and grabbed him, no longer bothering to keep up appearances. His voice cracked with real fear. "Kevin, if you leave, how am I supposed to live?" At his age, he was still terrified of dying. With less than a month left, Kevin had become his last lifeline. Pride didn't matter anymore. He had to cling to Kevin and force him to treat him.