Chapter 5 Shocking Answer

The answer shocked Sylvie and her bodyguards. The bodyguards looked at Evan like they could not believe him.

Sylvie then remembered that Evan did say he had no family or partner. The money the heiresses spent to save him came from Hazel's parents. He thought this wasn't a big thing for the heiresses, and they'd forgotten about it.

However, to his surprise, Anya remembered it, and she brought it up on purpose. That hit him where it hurt most. The millions saved his life, and he must repay them.

He must repay his foster parents' favor.

This was his answer to Anya.

"I know it's not cheap, Ms. Stanton, but I can heal you," added Evan earnestly.

The bodyguards snickered. "Talk is cheap. Why don't you prove it? Loads of famous doctors tried and failed to heal Ms. Stanton. What can a lad like you do?"

No one thought he could do it.

Sylvie said, "Okay, you have a deal."

"What?" They did not see this coming.

She took out a diamond-encrusted black card. "Here's 150 million. PIN's six zeros. Heal me, and this is yours."

"He might be a charlatan!" suggested the bodyguards.

Sylvie gave them a glance. "Any better ideas, then?"

No. She was dying. Time was not on their side. Even if Evan was a scammer, they had to try. He was about to start the treatment, but then he had second thoughts. To heal Sylvie, he would have to use a technique called the Great Mystic Needle, also known as Reaper's Nemesis.

However, he would have to pay it with his lifespan.

Healing Sylvie meant Evan would have to sacrifice years of his life, and that made him hesitate. Then, he remembered how much he gave up for the heiresses, especially all the blood donations, yet he had gained no love from them at all.

The disappointment etched itself into his soul. He wondered if it was worth giving up that much for another person. However, he ditched that thought almost as soon as it showed up. He did tell himself he didn't want to see Sylvie waste away just when life was opening up to her.

Also, he needed the money to cut off all ties with the heiresses. With that in mind, he went ahead with his technique. He had no idea how many years he'd sacrificed in the process, but he did not care.

Hazel would never know that Evan would shave years off his life to cut off his ties with her and the others.

…

With his final needle pricked, the technique came to an end. Evan pulled back. "It's almost done. She will wake up in a moment."

Most of the poison was already pushed out, save for the part that'd seeped deep into Sylvie's organs. He picked up the black card and left.

The bodyguards could not believe it. "That's it?"

They knew how impossible Sylvie's condition was, and Evan claimed he had healed her just because he’d poked her with some needles.

Now they were sure he swindled their money. Maybe that car crash was planned from the start.

One of the bodyguards said darkly, "I'll drag him back here."

The other stopped him, "Wait. He did say Ms. Stanton's waking up. We should wait before we make a move."

Then something changed. Sylvie's temperature started to rise and returned to normal human temps. Even her cheeks were turning a healthy shade of pink.

"Dear God, it worked!"

The bodyguards couldn't find better words to describe this, but then something more shocking happened.

Sylvie started to sweat.

A sheen of glistening perspiration covered her forehead. This was unbelievable until now.

"God, it's boiling here." Sylvie stirred and looked around in confusion.

"Ms. Stanton, it worked!"

"You're sweating! That stopped ever since you came down with that condition!"

The bodyguards were shrieking with excitement. Sylvie realized what must have happened. "Where is he?"

"He took the money and left once he did his job."

"He's gone?" Sylvie arched her eyebrow. "And you didn't even stop him? He's the turning point Grandpa told me about!"

"What?" The bodyguards were shocked.

Yes, Evan could heal Sylvie, but to call him the turning point was too hasty at this point.

"I'm right! He's that turning point Grandpa told me about! I need his help so much, and you just let him go!" said Sylvie angrily.

If he could heal her, he could heal her grandfather. And Evan was a mystery to her. She wanted to know more about him.

She then remembered another thing and urged her bodyguards, "He might be cutting off ties with his family as we speak! Get him back here at once!" She added, "And I want all his details in front of me! You have half an hour!"

She had a feeling Evan had history.

…

Solberg Residence was Evan’s home for the past three years. He was standing at the entrance, eyes fixed on the residence. Emotions flowed through his heart.

He used to think his second chance at life began here. Hazel's parents did not scoff at him just because of his background. They took him in and adopted him.

They encouraged him and gave him a chance to prove himself. This place was the home of the woman who used to be the only thing on his mind. She never looked down on him because she came from a wealthy family, and he didn't.

Instead, she took great care of him and gave him all her love. Eventually, he managed to marry the beautiful Hazel Solberg. Sometimes Evan wondered if this was a dream. If it was, he hoped he could stay in it forever.

He was prepared to give this household everything he had. He even changed his name to fit in better. He used to be proud of the Solbergs. He was prepared to guard the household with everything he had and asked for nothing in return.

Alas, everything he thought was true was an illusion. The dream was perfect, as deceit and lies should be. When he peeled those off, the truth lying behind was bloody and chilling.

"Relationships are transactional, I guess. It's all over now."

All the emotions ebbed away, leaving nothing but cold determination behind. He strode into the Solbergs' yard.

…

Stefan and Cynthia Solberg were in the yard, watering their flowers. A butler was behind them, giving them a report on something.

"Ms. Solberg took Mr. Evan away for another blood transfusion. It was very severe, and Mr. Evan fainted before going into shock," said Neil Smithwest, the butler.

Cynthia and Stefan were shocked.

Furious, Stefan growled, "This is unbelievable! That Carter bastard isn't even that important!"

"What about Evan? Is he alright?" Cynthia was more worried about Evan.

The Solberg couple was talking about him. Evan came to a stop. With the legacy he learned, he could control his presence easily.

Quietly, he listened in.

"He's awake and alright currently."

The Solberg couple was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but Neil continued, "However, he reacted aggressively this time. He wanted to break his ties with Ms. Leighton and Ms. Golden. He even proposed a divorce, and Ms. Solberg sent him away."

"What?"

The Solberg couple nearly fainted.

"Oh no. I was afraid this would happen." Stefan was like a cat on hot bricks. "I kept telling Hazel to never cross the line, but now she nearly got Evan killed for Carter!"

Cynthia went straight to the point. "We need to give Evan the apology he deserves."

"And how do you expect we do that?" asked Stefan. "You know Hazel! They scoured the world for Zeke behind Evan's back over the last three years. She only married Evan because they failed to find him."

Cynthia added, "I know, and they did it while they spoiled Evan. Evan never knew."

Evan was thunderstruck. He couldn't believe they never gave up the search for Zeke. They did not change because Zeke showed up.

Evan had always been the replacement.

A bitter smile curled Evan's lips. He thought, 'Very well, then.'

A sliver of hesitation held him back before he came into the residence. He did not want to say goodbye, but after he heard that conversation, it steeled his determination to cut off all ties.

He thought, 'You cut off the ties yourself, girls. I should've never gone with you back then!'