Adam himself did not have the ability, wealth, or power.
Kendrick did not completely believe Adam’s proclamation, so he took his report and went to consult a professor he knew only to receive a similar reply.
The professor told him about the mutation in Kendrick’s blood and advised him to do a full-body check- up so that the cause could be found.
However, knowing the cause, Kendrick also knew that treatment was close to impossible.
Thinking back to the two choices Adam gave him, Kendrick had already made his own decision.
He could very well hunt Adam down and kill him, but Niamh’s frantic words deterred him. “Kendrick, please! Come back to me, you don’t have to make another mistake!”
‘I won’t make this mistake again, Nia.’
Throwing the test results into the trash, Kendrick left the hospital.
A black Rolls-Royce stopped before him just as he made his way to the car park.
The window rolled down, revealing a kind face behind it.
“Can we have a word, Mr. Waldburg?” asked the middle-aged man politely.
Kendrick looked at the man. “Aren’t you from M Country?”
“Quite the fine observation, Mr. Waldburg. Can I have the pleasure of chatting with you in the car?” The man invited courteously again.
Kendrick rejected. “I’m sorry, I’m a little busy.”
“Please wait, Mr. Waldburg,” the man called out and alighted the car, handing him a name card. “Please look at this, Mr. Waldburg.”
While giving it a cold glance, Kendrick’s mind quickly supplied him with something at the sight of the four-letter contraction.
The middle-aged man smiled and invited him again. “Please get in the car, Mr. Waldburg.”
Kendrick did not reject him this time.
…
Upstairs, Niamh stayed dazedly in the room until she received a call from Ryan. Walking downstairs, she found the wedding ring on the coffee table.
Niamh was stunned for a while before she went to take it.
The person’s warmth had vanished, leaving the ring cold to the touch. The cool metal spread from her fingertip to the depths of her heart.
He had taken his ring off.
He had truly decided to let go this time.
Niamh’s heartstrings tugged at the thought as her eyes fell on the letter ‘L’ that Kendrick had engraved inside the ring through the blur of her tears.
He had engraved her name on the wedding ring all those years ago.
Kendrick.
Taking the ring, Niamh walked out to find Ryan already waiting for her.
Sitting in his car, Niamh gripped Kendrick’s ring in her hand.
“Is something frustrating you, Eveline? Did Lana come and bother you again?”
“She didn’t.” Niamh snapped back to reality. Staring at Ryan’s side profile while deep in thought, she asked, “You said I saved you before, Mr. Jones? I do believe that I’ve met you somewhere before now that I think about it. When did I save you?”
At that, Ryan gave a bashful smile. “It’s a little embarrassing.”
“Embarrassing?” Niamh was even more curious. “What happened?”
Niamh asked curiously, only to find a bitter smile on his gentle features.
“Do you know how I became an amateur artist?” Ryan asked.
Niamh shook her head and smiled. “Do tell.”
Ryan turned to look at Niamh. “You made me who I am today.”
“Me?” Niamh was confused as Ryan began to tell her what happened years ago.
Back then, Niamh had just graduated high school. It was the summer break before university started.
Niamh had found a part-time job at a dessert shop, and when she walked out one day, she found an art stall by the road.
At that point in time, Niamh had not begun to pursue jewelry designing just yet, but art was something that piqued her interest. Walking over, she found the artworks rather interesting.
As such, she picked one up to take a look.
Just then, a boy came over to ask calmly, “Do you want it?”
She was shocked, but the boy continued before she could reply, “Just pay however much you think it’s worth.”
“…” Niamh was still an innocent lady, too embarrassed to place the art down after picking it up. As such, she rummaged through her pocket only to find a one-dollar coin. She could have paid using her phone, but that money was only enough for her school fees.
She placed the coin down, saying, “I’m sorry. I only have this coin on me now.”
She then encouraged him. “There’s a unique feel to your art style. Keep going, I’m sure you’ll improve and achieve breakthroughs beyond your imagination.”
Niamh then left with the piece of art, leaving the boy to pick up the coin she gave him with a smile.
At that, Niamh finally understood what Ryan meant when he asked if she still remembered the coin.
She forgot about this encounter long ago and may not have remembered it at all had Ryan not reminded her.
However, it only made Niamh more confused. “The Jones family is one of Glendale’s four major rich families. Why would a young master like you be selling his paintings by the street?”
“I loved art and wanted to pursue it overseas, but my parents wanted me to take over the family business. We had a big fight that day.
“In a rage, my father called my art unorthodox and claimed that no one would buy it. He said that as long as I sold one before four o’clock that evening, then he’d let me study it overseas.
“Ten minutes before the deadline, you appeared.”
Niamh finally understood.
While Niamh still thought that claiming she ‘saved’ him was a bit much, Ryan believed it just right.
“Your coin meant the world to me, Miss Montgomery. It’s thanks to it that I managed to make my dream come true. Had I not left the country to pursue art, I might have regretted it for the rest of my life. A person’s dream is priceless, after all.”
His gaze grew serious, but he quickly broke into a smile. “While my profession now has completely veered off the path of art, I’m content with the fact that I got to make that dream of mine come true.”
“What’s your profession now?” Mulling over the thought, Niamh realized she had no idea what Ryan did for a living.
When Ryan came to her in the beginning, it was merely to design a wedding ring and bottles of perfume as door gifts for the guests who would be attending his and Naomi’s wedding—not for his company.
“What do you do for a living, Mr. Jones?” Curious, Niamh could not help but ask.
Ryan simply gave a mysterious smile. “Perhaps you’ll find out one day.”
Perhaps?
It was as if his profession was a secret one.
Yet, Niamh’s gut told her that Ryan was not a bad person.
He brought her to an art gallery.
Niamh found her spirits slightly lifted.
Entering through the company doors as the only heir to the Montgomery Enterprise, Niamh placed her mind on work to distract her from her heartache.
It had been an entire month and Niamh did not know where Kendrick was. She heard from Fabian that Yorick had given Lana a scolding and she was back in F Country now.
Still, how could a scolding be the end to the things Lana had done?
Niamh had not forgotten her parents’ tragic end.
While Lana spent the month in F Country mingling with her ‘bosom friends’, they would sometimes ask her about the woman with the name of Eveline Montgomery who she had knelt and apologized to. Whenever Eveline’s name was brought up, Lana would be ashamed of herself.
No one had dared to make fun of her ever since she was born, yet now she was everyone’s laughing stock!
Lana did not want to stay in F Country anymore. Everywhere she went, it felt as if everyone around her knew of how she had knelt by Eveline’s feet to apologize.
The more Lana thought about it, the angrier she felt. Without telling Yorick or Fabian, Lana secretly returned to Glendale.
Upon her return, the first thing she did was ask around about Kendrick. Knowing that he was no longer with Niamh, she was relieved.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.