Chapter 9 Stop Being Delusional

“You're utterly heartless, Dray! I can't believe you forced an inexperienced doctor to operate on my father!” Katherine fumed. “Who said he's inexperienced?” Dray retorted. “Dr. Lindell is an impressive heart specialist! Of course, there's still a way to go before he's on my uncle's level. Anyway, I did call my uncle earlier. He's attending an academic seminar in Summerbank and won't return for a while. That's why I sent Dr. Lindell in his place.” “Shame on you! Dr. Wand's standing before me now, and you still have the cheek to lie?” Dray chuckled sheepishly. “Oh, my aunt might have made a mistake, then!” “You shameless man!” Katherine scolded. “Even if every other man in the world were dead, I'd still not give a sc*mbag like you the time of day!” By then, Dray had also lost his patience. “You b*tch! Have I been too nice to you? Listen, Old Mrs. Swallow's the one who fixed the eighth of next month for our wedding. If you refuse to marry into my family, I'll unleash hell on yours! Also, you'd better get Leopold to leave Yarwood. Otherwise, the next time you see him will be at his funeral!” Once the call ended, a heavy silence descended over the room. Since Katherine had turned on the speakerphone, the rest of the Swallow family had heard Dray's words loud and clear. With that, the truth was out. The future son-in-law they had been constantly singing praises of had never once cared if John lived or died. To make matters worse, Dray even wanted to take the opportunity to kill John and let the Swallow family pin the blame on Leopold. Yet, the man they had insulted and humiliated was the one who had saved John. Leopold was the true savior. For a moment, a flurry of emotions flashed across Hilda's and everyone else's faces, leaving only John dazed and confused. Despite that, he remained determined to get into Leopold's good books. “Master, you must be tired after that acupuncture session. Why don't I buy you a couple of drinks after this...” “John Swallow!” Lorraine suddenly yelled. “You're not allowed to call him that!” “All I want is to pick up some medical skills so our family can benefit from it,” John said, feeling somewhat aggrieved. An enraged Lorraine instantly stamped her feet. “You wish! You and Katherine sure are father and daughter, huh? I can't believe how blind the two of you are! He's Leopold Jantz, for goodness' sake. He's the reason for your recurrent heart attack!” Upon hearing that, John fell into stunned silence as fury coursed through his veins, threatening to make his heart quit on him again. What? The master I have so much respect for is the man who almost caused me to be kicked out of my family... He's Leopold Jantz! Oh, my gosh! To think I even called him “Master” earlier! Having learned the truth, John almost burst into tears. What the hell is going on? This is a load of nonsense! Aaron, who was more eager to recruit talent than to care about the Swallows' family matters, quickly held Leopold's hand. “Master, given your superb medical skills, would you like to consider joining our hospital and leading our traditional medicine department? I'll give you a sign-on bonus of ten million, and you won't have to provide daily consultations. All I ask is for you to teach me a thing or two whenever you're free. In addition, if you're willing to take on the more complex patients, you can have all the consultation fees.” Just then, Athena had returned from the parking lot to watch the spectacle, only to freeze in place when she heard Aaron's words. “What?” Joseph, too, was startled beyond words. What an offer... The sign-on bonus alone is a whopping ten million, and he'd also receive consultation fees. How did Leopold's net worth suddenly skyrocket to that extent? Leopold, however, merely shot Aaron a glance. Hmph! What a sly old fox... He claims to want to recruit me as head of the traditional medicine department, but the truth is that he only wants to learn from me. Well, he can dream on! I announced my plans to stop practicing acupuncture because I wanted to return to living an ordinary life. After all, if the world learned of Drago Solar Day, there'd only be an endless stream of people coming to me for treatment. I'd die from exhaustion sooner or later! “I won't consider it. I don't need the money,” Leopold replied coldly. “What? Why would you turn down ten million? Leopold Jantz, will it kill you to stop being such a pompous braggart?” Athena sounded as though the money should have been hers. Leopold snickered. “So what if I'm bragging? How is that any of your business?” “You—” Athena found herself at a loss for words. Naturally, Joseph had to jump to his daughter's rescue with a snarky remark. “John, look at the kind of man your daughter has found!” Meanwhile, Lorraine suddenly had second thoughts after hearing Aaron's generous offer of ten million for Leopold to consult at his hospital. Before John could say anything, she turned to Joseph and said, “Who cares what kind of man he is, Joseph? As long as he's capable and successful, he's a keeper. Leopold saved John's life, and now, Dr. Wand wants to learn from him and even recruit him. There aren't many young talents like him in Yarwood, yet we're fortunate enough to have him in our family. Come to think of it, we should thank Athena for not realizing what a gem he is!” “Y-You...” Joseph stuttered, so angry that he couldn't finish his words. If Leopold's medical skills are as impressive as Dr. Wand claims, he'll undoubtedly have a bright future ahead... Even if I wouldn't really let Athena marry him, it'd still be good to have him as a backup so I could boast about it. A wave of frustration and regret instantly washed over Joseph. Argh! How could Athena have given Leopold up that easily? Needless to say, Lorraine's words had also agitated Athena. “Leopold, we can get back together if you accept Dr. Wand's invitation. I'll even be your girlfriend. I know you only chose to be with Katherine to protect your dignity, so I'm now giving you a chance to change your mind,” the woman said smugly, confident that she had the upper hand. Ha. Leopold has been simping over me for five years. As long as I give him the green light, I'm sure he'll come crawling back to me and begging for my attention. After all, I'm now qualified to attend General Drago's retirement ceremony. My future is limitless! It'll be his honor if I introduce him as my boyfriend. Lorraine grew anxious. It wasn't that she had approved of Leopold as her son-in-law, but why should she concede defeat without putting up a fight? Ever since she married into the Swallow family, she had been under tremendous oppression from Joseph and his family. It also didn't help that John was a coward. Now that she finally had the opportunity to mock Joseph, there was no way she'd let it backfire on her. Leopold felt his lips twitch when he heard Athena's words. Who the hell gave this woman so much confidence? I can't believe she has the nerve to utter such words. If it weren't for a case of mistaken identity, I'd never have wasted my time on her back then! “Stop being delusional, Athena! You'll never measure up to Katherine!” Leopold scoffed. Athena immediately flew into a rage. “Leopold Jantz, you fickle b*stard! Just wait and see. Once I've attended the retirement ceremony, I'll have plenty of ways to destroy you! By the way, Katherine, don't forget that more than half of our family's businesses have tie-ups with the Wand family. They've already received the invitation, so if you still refuse to leave that sc*mbag, the Swallow family will perish in your hands!” Hilda instantly realized the seriousness of the situation at that. “Katherine, as head of the Swallow family, I'm ordering you to sever all ties with Leopold and beg Dray for forgiveness!”