Chapter 6

"Come on. You're going home with me right now."

Rena pulled Miles away as soon as they stepped out of the hospital.

Michael thought for a moment and quickly said to his bodyguard, "Go, bring my car from the parking lot and give it to Mr. Clark."

The bodyguard hesitated. That Rolls-Royce had just arrived today and was only used to pick Michael up from the airport. He rushed out immediately but couldn't find Miles anywhere, so he came back without accomplishing his task.

Michael was about to lose his temper, but Ivan just smiled.

"Don't worry, you'll meet again."

-

Rena's car had only minor exterior damage from the accident earlier thanks to Terry, so it was still drivable.

"Get in!" she ordered, practically pushing Miles into the car once she got to her car.

She drove off quickly, sneaking glances at Miles from the corner of her eye. Right now, he seemed like a complete stranger.

But then, she realized he had always been a stranger to her.

When Miles first came to the Thompson Family, he was already mentally broken.

From the information Rena gathered about Miles, it could be summed up in a few words. He was anything but special.

Back then, he was a senior in university. When he was going to graduate, his parents passed away after a robbery had gone wrong. He couldn't accept the fact that he lost both his parents in one night, and became mentally broken after that.

During the three years of marriage, she had always just thought of him as a mentally ill patient who needed looking after.

But now? That same patient had turned into a confident, composed young man.

She kept remembering how he had protected her, how he had stood strong before Michael, and how he had spoken so calmly with a legendary doctor. She couldn't explain the kind of emotions she had because of the great contrast in character in such a short time.

Soon, they arrived at a well-known local restaurant.

Rena hurriedly touched up her makeup in the car. Her features were already beautiful, but now she was truly stunning.

Miles couldn't help staring. She really was a true beauty!

"Will there be a lot of people at your uncle's birthday?" Miles asked suddenly.

Rena pursed her lips. "It's not a major celebration, so it won't be crowded. If you don't want to go, you don't have to."

Miles scoffed self-mockingly. "Afraid I'll embarrass you?"

"That's not it!" Rena's expression changed, but she didn't explain further.

"I know you were forced into this marriage. If you want a divorce, I'll agree to it," Miles said softly.

He didn't have any complaints about Rena. She was beautiful, and she had honored her father's promise by marrying him and taking care of him for three years. A woman like that was rare.

But he wouldn't force her to stay if she wanted to go.

Rena's face turned cold as she got out of the car without a word.

Miles could only guess what she meant by that, but he noticed she hadn't actually left. She was just waiting by the restaurant door for him.

Women really were impossible to figure out!

Miles sighed, got out of the car, and followed her inside.

The waiter led the two to a large private room on the second floor. Two big round tables were crowded with relatives and friends.

Miles's father-in-law, Condor, and mother-in-law, Helen, sat at one table. As soon as Helen saw Miles, her face soured noticeably.

Rena led Miles around, greeting the other relatives. He didn't know any of them, so he just followed her lead, playing dumb. Many of them looked at him with thinly veiled mockery and barely acknowledged him.

Condor beamed and waved Miles over to sit next to him while Rena sat beside her mother.

The main table was for Rena's uncle and aunt, but the one who was really in the spotlight was their son-in-law, Tiger Harris.

Tiger looked about thirty with a well-fed figure, and the way he acted was every bit the successful businessman.

"Thank you all for coming to my father-in-law's birthday party! Let me start it off by drinking to his health!" Tiger said as he raised his glass and downed it in one go, putting on a show of boldness.

"Your business is really taking off! If you get the chance, you've got to look out for us, too!"

"Yeah, I heard you just landed a big project from the Scott family!"

"You've managed to work with the Scotts! Even a small throwaway project with them could set us up for life!"

That’s really something that you managed to work with Scotts. Even a small project with them could bring in a fat profit!"

"Don't forget us poor folks when you get rich!"

Tiger waved them off with false modesty, but the pride in his eyes was unmistakable. "I'm just a tiny contractor making a living. You're all giving me too much credit!"

Most of the people at the table were regular folks. Besides Tiger, only Condor was involved in business. However, the Thompson family was only involved in the cultivation of medical herbs. Since Condor was quite generous and always split his business evenly with his family, the profit he got wasn't much.

Everyone showered Tiger with flattery. His in-laws wore big smiles, proud of their accomplished son-in-law. Especially his mother-in-law, Farah, who had always been at odds with Rena's mother, Helen.

Back in the day, Helen used to brag about how her beautiful daughter would be destined to marry into a wealthy family. But now, Rena was married to just a mental patient, while Farah's son-in-law had both money and status.

Farah kept glancing over with a smug, triumphant look while Helen's face was filled with frustration.

Helen leaned over to Rena and whispered, "What a showoff. All he did was get a landscaping contract from the Scotts. He probably never even saw the project manager, let alone the head of the family. He'll choke on his own words eventually."

Rena just rubbed her forehead and didn't pick up the conversation.

Meanwhile, Condor kept piling food into Miles's bowl and helped Miles cut them up. Miles quietly kept eating, one bite after another.

Helen felt increasingly angry watching how her family acted. She couldn't help but feel angrier as she looked at Miles, comparing him to Tiger. Forget about Miles making it big, they would want for nothing if he could recover from his mental illness.

Farah, seeing Helen's discomfort, smirked.

"Speaking of which, Helen. Miles's mental illness is quite a problem. He can't find any normal jobs, and no one is bold enough to employ him. However, Tiger's business is different. He wouldn't mind Miles. Why not have him work with Tiger? You can't support him forever, right?"

"With how strict construction sites are now, there's no way we can bring in someone with his condition," Tiger said, wearing an apologetic smile.

"Whaaaaaat? He can't even do manual labor?" Farah stretched out her words with a clearly sarcastic tone.

Rena spoke up, unable to listen to them insulting Miles any longer. "Miles got better."

"Got better?"

Everyone exchanged skeptical glances. It was clear that they didn't believe her. Miles just smiled and said nothing.

Meanwhile, Condor just laughed it off. "Well now, what a great day today! Not only is today my brother-in-law's birthday, but it is also the day my son-in-law is getting better! Come on, everyone, let's drink to that!"

Helen gritted her teeth. Condor's soft-heartedness always drove her crazy.

Tiger grinned. "If you're all better, you really should be working. A man's got to support his family, right, Miles?"

Miles nodded halfheartedly.

"We're family, so I want to help! But you're not suited for hard labor now that you've recovered. I've got a site in North Reevan that needs a supervisor. You can easily make fifty thousand a year!"

Tiger sounded generous, as if he was offering the opportunity of a lifetime.

Condor immediately frowned, but Miles narrowed his eyes and grinned before Condor could say anything.

"I've heard that place is pretty dangerous. A lot of high-paying offers are just a cover to get people there so that they can harvest their organs. Don't tell me you're not planning to sell me off?" Miles said.