*****
The elderly matriarch no longer cares about her appearance or status.She gestured frantically toward Rex Magnus with a burning desire to see him suffer.Rex Magnus became further confused as he witnessed the intensity of his grandmother-in-law's reaction.'Is giving someone money as a gift considered wrong?' he thought to himself, perplexed.'Why then did those groups of young and elderly ones always become excited when I rewarded them with money back in the day?'Rex Magnus couldn’t help but abruptly scratch his head, feeling more confusedBack when Rex Magnus was still in the position of the divine general, everybody under him was always mostly pleased with receiving monetary rewards from him. However, his maid had once informed him that none of the recipients had spent the cash, instead choosing to frame it and pass it down as a family heirloom. Interestingly, Rex Magnus himself had once overheard some soldiers boasting to their significant others about receiving a divine gift from the general, causing envy and jealousy among those who had not received one.Rex Magnus had thought monetary cash was an awesome reward that could be given to others then.Till now, he remained unaware that what his men worship and value then wasn't the gift, but rather, him that gifted them. This is similar to how people would do anything to possess even a small item from a famous person just to flaunt and worship it.He didn't know that had it been someone else who had given his men the same presents, they definitely would never have acknowledged it, let alone considered it valuable.While Rex Magnus was busy being perplexed, the old matriarch continued sending him tons of insults and curses upon him when suddenly, Ethan interrupted her."Grandma, you shouldn't stress yourself as today is your special day. Please take it easy and enjoy every moment of it."Upon hearing this, The Old Matriarch instantly calmed down and gave her precious grandson a grateful look before apologizing to the people around her.Seeing this outcome, Ethan became satisfied and smiled to himself before turning to Rex Magnus."This is the wrong place to crack a joke like that." "You know, right?"This time around, even Rex Magnus' wife, Fiona Johnson, couldn’t help but raise her head to glance at Ethan, feeling bewildered.'Why is he suddenly acting very nice to that fool?'She wasn't that naive to think that Ethan's behavior towards her or Rex Magnus had changed. She knew that if that were truly the case, he wouldn't have initially called out Rex Magnus.And just as she had felt, he continued."You should know that everybody would think you are just a stupid fool looking down on his grandmother-in-law if you continue like this, you know?"Fiona instantly shut her eyes for a second when she heard this, losing all hope.With this statement from Ethan, she realized what he was getting at.She was fully aware that Rex Magnus had no gifts for her grandmother, making Ethan's statement seem to like her husband was deliberating insulting her grandma when everybody realize."Fiona breathed in deeply before glancing at her grandmother, then suddenly, she felt a surge of fear as she noticed the intense hatred and warning in her gaze directed towards her husband. Her heart raced with anxiety and her skin broke out in goosebumps.She understood well the look on the Old Matriarch's face and she knew well that it wasn’t only Rex Magnus that would receive its brunt.While this was happening to Fiona, everybody in the hall right now could be seen gazing intently and unblinkingly at Rex Magnus.It's as if they don’t want to miss anything making Rex Magnus become confused by the enthusiasm-filled eyes.'Why are these people so excited about seeing my present?'He couldn’t help but shake his head slightly before glancing at his wife who also happened to be gazing at him right now with eyes filled with pity and pleading.Seeing this, Rex Magnus' heart constricted and skipped slightly.Of course, he instantly guessed why she was giving him such a stare.'Wouldn’t I be betraying her and my brother if I couldn’t even do such a small thing as give a present?'Finally, Rex Magnus made up his mind.He couldn’t help but glance at the old matriarch again.Although he saw that she was currently gazing threateningly at him, he doesn’t give a damn.He watched her face for a few seconds, before abruptly feeling pained.'She doesn’t deserve this thing I’m about to give her!' He shook his head softly before looking away.'Would I be giving away this hard-to-find medicine?'his hand abruptly trembled slightly.‘Whatever. At least this medicine would be able to treat all the diseases known and unknown in her. This is what I should do anyway.'With this, Rex Magnus finally made up his mind and inserted his hand into his shorts' pocket."Wow, so he does bring a gift?"Everybody was instantly amazed when they saw his movement, then they turned their gazes hotly at the pocket into which he had inserted his hand, waiting to see what he would bring out.'Sorry for giving away this medicine, May,' he sighed.'Although I couldn’t imagine how much time, effort, and resources you invested before finding it, I have no choice but to give it away.'After thinking till here, Rex Magnus abruptly shut his eyes tightly and took out his arm which has formed a tight fist.Nobody noticed his tightly shut eyes, though, because their eyes were only focused on his tightly clenched fist and nothing more.Just as they couldn’t wait anymore to find out, Rex Magnus eventually opened his fist, and then instantly, everybody became dumbfounded."Hun!!!!"The crowd's eyes widen.They couldn’t believe what they were seeing at all."My eyes must be playing pranks, right?!""This definitely can’t be what I thought it is!""Holy sh*t! "My eyes are starting to malfunction!""Hai!!!"Not even Ethan, the perpetrator of this whole thing could believe his eyes right now.Open-mouthed, he watched for a while before he ultimately sighed slowly, then a wide grin covered his face."Fool!" he spat behind his breath as he also stared intently at the object in Rex Magnus' palm.Even Fiona hadn’t foreseen Rex Magnus to pull off a stunt like this.Instantly, her eyes became teary, and her body trembled.'Brother, why did you do this to me?' 'I thought you loved me?' 'Why did you order me to marry this life wrecker?'Her body winces further the more she sees the object in Rex Magnus' hand, and slowly, a thick hatred and painful expression began to cover her face.The second person who has also finally lost it completely is Rex Magnus' mother-in-law, Sally.She currently is amongst those thinking they were seeing wrongly.No matter how much she looked, she couldn’t believe the information being transferred from her brain to her.After a while, she eventually couldn’t control her urge anymore."That wouldn’t be part of the leftover garlic used for preparing mother's birthday feast, right?" Her voice suddenly rang, and because the place is presently completely quiet, everybody heard it."Shit!!!! "It really is what I saw!""Father, Lord!" "That truly is a clove of garlic!""Shit! " "Is this boy stupid or crazy?""How could someone be this stupid for fuck's sake?""I've certainly learned something new today, giving a clove of garlic as a birthday present!"No longer caring about anything and forgetting where they currently were, the crowd continued to murmur and exclaim amongst themselves.As for Rex Magnus, his eyes were gaping right now from the concussion.It wasn’t because of what the crowd was murmuring, because he simply doesn’t care. The reason is because of his mother-in-law's sudden and unexpected question.'Did she just call a clove of garlic a godly medicine for normal human beings?'Rex Magnus wasn’t only shocked to his bones, but to his very core.After so much hardship, Rex Magnus finally snapped back into the present and chuckled dryly."Mother, you must be mistaken." "This thing in my hand isn’t garlic whatsoever, but a godly medicine that is extremely difficult to find."Everybody, "_"They couldn’t believe their ears at all.They continued gaping at Rex Magnus intently with all sorts of expressions as if he were the greatest fool of all time."Did he just call a clove of garlic a godly medicine?"Someone couldn’t help but mutter in disbelief.Wow! "I finally met the fool god of all shameless people today."Even Ethan couldn’t find any words to express himself again."Who would have thought that this fool isn’t useless after all?" Shamelessness is also a gift.He sighed before turning to glance at his grandmother, and seeing her present look, he gave Rex Magnus a pitiful look."You are so dead!"The moment he thought this, a furious roar suddenly reverberated within the hall, frightening everybody to the core."YOU BASTARD!!!" "I can't take this anymore; you are leaving this family tonight!"Hearing this angry roar, Rex Magnus' eyes widen."Don’t... don’t tell me she just looked down on my present again.""YOU USELESS PIECE OF SHIT, HOW DARE YOU LOOK DOWN ON ME TO THIS EXTENT?" "GIVING ME A CLOVE OF GARLIC AS A GIFT AND CALLING IT A GODLY MEDICINE, DO YOU TAKE MY OLD SELF AS A FOOL?"Everybody finally couldn’t do anything else but watch the unfolding movie."But, grandmother, I wasn’t lying." "This really is godly medicine for normal human beings," Rex Magnus insisted."You… you… you…"The old matriarch finally became so chaotic to the extent that she couldn’t form any words in her mouth again other than stutter and point extremely furiously at Rex Magnus.Just as everybody was waiting to see what would happen next, someone suddenly rushed inside."Madamé… Madamé, the young master of the Bottoms family, is here to visit you!Hearing this, everybody's eyes abruptly widen, and their mouths form huge "o" shapes.*****Just after the voice finished sounding breathless, another footstep began to walk in. But unlike the first one, this footstep sounded more elegantly and quiet to the extent that nobody would have heard had the place not been completely quiet after everybody heard the servant's report. Also, apart from how quiet and elegant this footstep is sounding, everybody could already tell how influential and great the person must be with how unhurried the footsteps were coming. Everybody instantly forgot themselves and turned their gazes hotly to the door. Even the old matriarch wasn’t expecting this visitor at all.She currently is flabbergasted to her very core right now. Of cause, everybody knows the Bottoms family like the back of their hands. Although it wasn’t the most powerful and influential family in Chase city, it had been standing amidst the top second-ranked families for years without shaking at all, while the Johnson family, although they were also powerful, they weren’t
*****“Young master Bottoms, I wasn’t expecting your magnificent self to attend my birthday banquet, it's a wonderful surprise.” The Old Madamé Johnson suddenly expressed shamelessly. But the thing is that, apart from Alan Bottoms and Rex Magnus, nobody in the huge hall found anything wrong with her sudden change of disposition at all. Well… it wasn’t their fault though. The highest ranked family present were in the same rank as the Johnson family, third rated families, so to everybody standing before Alan Bottoms right at this moment, they were like mortals standing before an immortal. ‘What's this lowly old woman talking about?’ Alan Bottoms who had been startled by the Old Matriarch's unexpected words suddenly thought with flustered eyes. ‘Aren't I only here for her granddaughter? What in the hell does she mean by saying she had never expected I would come to her birthday banquet? Is today her birthday? What a coincidence!’ Suddenly, an elegant and slight grin appeared on Al
******“The great young master Bottoms of the Bottoms family wants to propose a marriage between himself and the Johnson family!!!” Everybody's eyes instantly widen to the extent that they almost started falling out of their sockets. What Alan Bottoms said just now is completely out of their expectations and thoughts. “Wow!!! What a lucky family!” After overcoming their shock, thick enviousness that could almost drown an entire nation abruptly descended over everybody. As for Rex Magnus who also heard this statement, he doesn’t think much about it because his wife wasn’t the only young lady in the Johnson family. Also, he felt that she wouldn't be an option since she was already married to him. Thinking dismissively like this, he finally walked away without anybody noticing......“You… you… you want to marry someone from my family?” The Old Matriarch ultimately returned to her senses after looking astonished for a while and instantly became thoroughly excited to an extent tha
***** Everybody's heads followed the direction in which Alan Bottoms' finger was pointed, then instantly, all the buzzes within the hall died down and all sorts of expressions appeared on their faces. Two people standing beside each other could be seen there, Fiona and Sally. Right now, the two's mouths could be seen completely wide open. They couldn’t believe what they just heard. After a while, Sally gradually regained her composure and soon felt a surge of excitement building within her, growing into an overwhelming wave of fervor. She wasn’t expecting this great news. “You… you want to marry my daughter?” She suddenly questioned unconsciously. Hearing this, Alan Bottoms glanced at Sally, and although he felt nothing. Not even the slightest respect, he still nodded his head. “Yes aunty, your daughter had stolen my heart since the first day I set my eyes on her.” Apart from Sally and Alan Bottoms, nobody could still react. After another long while, Ethan's eyes abruptly f
*****“What nonsense are you brat talking, I dare you to repeat what you just said again!”Sally suddenly glared ferociously at her daughter, as if she would shoot out laser beams from her eyes and evaporate her to nothingness if she dares repeat what she just said.But unfortunately for her and the entire Johnson family, Fiona has already lost it completely right now to care about anything.“No!!!” She stood her ground without being moved at all and suddenly spat.“I will never agree to this! I’m a married woman!”Not flinching nor looking scared, she added.“How could I suddenly be told to marry another man?”Hearing this, the old Matriarch began to tremble all over again.She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.Ever since she knew Fiona. Apart from always acting cold, she had never been disrespectful to her or her seniors even when cursed to damnation.This is the first time.‘This stupid brat. How could she act like this at this critical moment?’The Old Matriarch
***** At the moment, a solitary figure could be observed strolling calmly and leisurely down a deserted street illuminated solely by the street lamps and the faint glow of the crescent moon above. This person is Rex Magnus who just left the coffee shop and is on his way home.Despite his apparent calmness at the moment, his mind is currently overwhelmed with the information given to him by May not long ago.'So, despite the affection, attention, and care I show that cousin, he was involved in the planning of the unfortunate and tragic incident that happened to me three years ago.'He pondered before a deep sigh abruptly escaped him and his eyes flickered with a cold glint within the dimly lit street. Then suddenly, memories of the diligent and taciturn young lad he once knew flooded into his mind.Although he lacked a deep understanding of human emotions, Rex Magnus had recognized the reverence and admiration the young man had for him then which was why he frequently guided him duri
***** Upon hearing her grandma's cold, emotionless voice, Fiona trembled instantly. Nevertheless, she responded while her gaze remained fixated on her palms resting on her lap. “Grandma, it… it was because I'm already married to the man provided by my brother.”As soon as these words reached the ears of everybody present, they became still. It was as if a heavy weight of emotion had descended upon them.They couldn’t help but suddenly remember the person known well to all the members of the Johnson family, Ronald Johnson, Fiona's Brother.He was the young and lone man who had single-handedly made the Johnson family a first-rated family when he was alive.Till today, nobody has forgotten him.In fact, some people still don’t believe in his death to date because they hadn’t seen his corpse or heard of anyone seeing it for the past three years.Suddenly, the old matriarch involuntarily squeeze her eyes shut for a moment and upon reopening them, they had become utterly devoid
***** Not knowing that his wife was being schemed against, Rex Magnus is presently blaming himself inside a hospital lounge. It’s a hospital of a moderate size that falls somewhere in between the best and worst options available in Chase City. This was the first hospital Rex Magnus had sighted earlier after searching about, so he had brought the old man and his granddaughter here. Who would have thought that after Rex Magnus and some nurses had finished moving the patient into the best ward within the hospital, he would be detained because that was what happened? In all honesty, Rex Magnus could leave if he so much desired, but to avoid unnecessary complications, he chooses to remain and he was left at one side while everybody instantly became extremely busy. It was as if something significant had occurred within the hospital, everywhere became abuzz with activities as doctors, nurses, and cleaners rushed about to create the best possible environment for the elderly man. Re