Chapter 2

Christine stared at the object in Damian's hand in shock, her mind completely blank.

"Here I was wondering what it'd be," Sean piped up with a derisive laugh. "You made such a big deal over an emerald pendant? And a broken one at that, with only half intact!

"Hey, punk. Don't tell me you're going to claim that this is some ancient artifact you dug up while harvesting potatoes?"

"Follow me home," Christine instructed icily after taking a deep breath.

"You're agreeing to marry me, Christine? Are we meeting your parents today? Won't that be a bit sudden?" Sean asked with a look of glee, his excitement palpable.

Christine eyed him coldly before saying, "I wasn't talking to you. I meant him."

What?

Sean's smile froze on his face. He didn't snap out of it until Christine had walked off with Damian. Then, furious, he yelled, "What do you mean by this, Christine? Are you using this country bumpkin to humiliate me? Does this mean you don't care about the project in the south of the city anymore?"

Stopping in her tracks, Christine looked at Sean and said, "I'm not trying to humiliate you."

"Hah! Then, how do you explain him?" Sean questioned with an outraged expression as he pointed at Damian.

Christine opened her mouth but hesitated, unsure what to say.

Damian, who was standing on the side, spoke up in dissatisfaction, "Hey, man. A real man keeps his word. It's time for you to start eating shit."

Sean cursed inwardly, his expression nasty. His eyes were blazing with anger.

Seeing this, Damian quickly said to Christine, "Let's leave, Christine. His complexion is pallid, and his breath is short. His forehead is dulled with darkness. Right now, he's probably sweating from his back and feels some pain in his right abdomen.

"He's also experiencing dizziness, dryness of mouth, and bitterness on his tongue. These are all signs of early-stage liver cancer. It'll be a hassle if he collapses and tries to claim we did something to him."

"Oh, quiet, you!" Christine frowned, clearly irritated.

In her eyes, only the weak relied on clever words. Cursing Sean by claiming he was sick made Damian no different from an unreasonable madwoman having a fit on the streets.

She walked up to a red Mercedes C-Class, opened the driver's door, and got in. Damian was about to get in the front passenger seat, but Christine snapped, "Sit in the back."

"Oh," Damian mumbled as he opened the rear door and climbed in.

Christine hit the gas, and the car sped off. They had no idea that, at that very moment, Sean was standing frozen like a statue, his face full of fear. After more than ten seconds had passed, he scrambled into his car, which roared as it tore away.

While driving, he made a call. Still terrified, he said shakily, "Dad, I think I have cancer. I don't want to die!"

…

As Damian sat in the car, he kept looking around and touching various things with a look of wonder.

"What a pretty car this is, darling. It's just as pretty as you," he said with a grin while looking at Christine, who was driving.

"First of all, stop calling me 'darling.' I don't agree with this marriage. And secondly, stop touching everything. If you get something dirty, it'll be hard to get it cleaned."

Christine's icy voice made Damian cower back against his seat. He sat stiff and upright, too scared to move around.

Over 20 minutes later, the car stopped outside a villa.

"Get out. You're going to go in and talk things out with my grandpa," Christine said icily.

She entered the villa without even looking at Damian. Tagging along behind her, Damian was stunned the moment he entered the house.

The Spencer residence was insanely luxurious. It looked like a palace. Compared to the dilapidated house he shared with Alden, it was on a whole different level.

"Wait here, and don't touch anything. If you break something, you won't be able to pay for it," Christine said. She kicked off her heels and slipped on some house slippers before heading upstairs.

Not long after, Eli Spencer, an elderly man, came downstairs looking rather excited. Christine and her middle-aged parents, David Spencer and Louisa Newman, trailed behind him.

Upon seeing Damian, Eli took his hands and said happily with a laugh, "You must be Damian Luther, right? Your mentor called me yesterday and said you were coming. I was so thrilled that I didn't sleep at all last night. Welcome!"

Eli led Damian over to the couch for a seat, his enthusiasm overwhelming the latter.

Scratching his head, Damian asked with a smile, "You must be Mr. Spencer Senior, right?"

However, when his gaze swept over Eli's forehead, his eyes flickered with a strange glint.

"Yes, my name is Eli Spencer. Oh, right. Did you bring the emerald pendant?" Eli asked with a look of nervousness and eager anticipation.

"It's with me," Christine abruptly chimed in.

She placed the emerald pendant Damian brought onto the coffee table.

Eli quickly got up, retrieved the other half of the pendant, and put it down. The two halves formed a complete pendant. That proved that Damian was indeed Alden's mentee, though Eli only knew Alden as an old sage and was unaware of his name.

Laughing, Eli said excitedly, "Your mentor and I made an agreement many years ago. He said that one day, his mentee will come bearing this emerald pendant to marry my granddaughter. I've been waiting for this day for so long now!

"At last, you're here. Tomorrow, you and Christine can register your marriage first. Then, I'll pick a good day for the wedding ceremony."

"Grandpa!" Christine cried out. She was biting her lip, and her pale face screamed reluctance. "I-I don't want to marry him!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Eli snapped, his expression grim as he slammed his hand against the coffee table. "This marriage was agreed upon two decades ago! You don't have a say in it."

"But—"

"No buts!" Eli fumed.

David piped up with a conflicted expression, "Dad, don't you think you're being a bit too hasty? Times have changed. These days, people want to marry for love—"

Eli cut him off, saying sternly, "Are you saying that I don't get a say in this family anymore?"

David clammed up at once.

Turning to Christine, Eli said patiently, "Christine, ever since you were a kid, I've doted on you most dearly. I'll never do anything to harm you. That's settled, then. Tomorrow morning, you and Damian will get your marriage certificate."

"Grandpa, I…"

Christine felt so aggrieved that her tears had welled up in her eyes. However, Eli had a weak heart. She was afraid that something might happen to him if she continued protesting. It would be her fault if that happened.

"Martha!" Eli called, and the housekeeper, Martha Bates, came hurrying over.

"Take Damian's suitcase up to Christine's room. Prepare the bedding, too. Damian will be sleeping in Christine's room tonight."

The moment Eli said that, both David and Christine stiffened.

"Dad!"

"Grandpa!"

Waving them off with a laugh, Eli said, "Don't bother protesting. I don't care if anyone protests. It won't make a difference!"

All of a sudden, Eli's expression stiffened. Large droplets of sweat began rolling down his head. Clutching his chest, he slumped onto the couch.

"Dad!"

Alarmed, David shouted to Christine, "Get his medicine, Christine!"

Christine scrambled up the stairs with a look of panic. Louisa, Christine's mother, was also just as anxious. She quickly made a call.

"Where are you, Dr. Sutton? What? You'll only arrive in another five minutes? Mr. Spencer Senior just collapsed! You need to hurry up!"

The Spencers were thrown into chaos. Meanwhile, Damian simply watched with a raised brow. Then, out of the blue, he reached out and smacked Eli's forehead with his palm.

Christine, who had just sprinted down from the second floor with Eli's medicine in hand, turned pale with rage when she saw this. She screamed, "What are you doing?"