THE DEJECTED SON-IN-LAW

6

Cal looked a bit dumbfounded.

"Brother, we've never met before. Why would I spy on you?"

"I just learned acupuncture and alternative medicine—I know some medical skills and can assess life and death."

"Your condition has lasted at least a year and keeps getting worse."

"If you don't seek treatment soon, I'm afraid you'll die young." Cal sighed.

Leon completely panicked. "Brother, do you really know medicine?"

"To be honest, this year I've really felt my body failing. I used to be in great shape—now I can barely function."

"I've been to the hospital multiple times for checkups, but they couldn't find anything wrong."

"If you can cure me, I, Leon Shaw, will treat you as my big brother from now on."

Cal waved his hand dismissively. "Your condition is tricky but also simple to explain. How about this—I'll write you a prescription. Take it for seven days and you'll see results."

"Thank you, brother! Thank you!" Leon was ecstatic.

This year had been torture—insomnia, hair loss, and especially his declining health. Now that he'd met an expert, he was naturally thrilled.

"Leon, you idiot! What the hell are you doing?"

"Brother Wayne told you to beat people up, not play doctor!" The third man, Chris Kane, couldn't stand it anymore and cursed angrily.

Leon ignored him, but Cal glanced over with a smile. "This brother is in his thirties, right? Still no children?"

"I..." Chris's face changed, and he replied stubbornly, "I don't want children."

"Really? I actually have a prescription that could cure your infertility. Seems it's useless now."

Cal shook his head with a sigh.

"You... you can really cure me?"

"Brother, I was just talking nonsense! My family has been passed down for three generations. If I can't have a child, my parents will disown me. My wife is threatening divorce over this..."

"If you can cure me, I'll acknowledge you as my big brother—no, even as my father..."

Speaking of this matter, Chris's voice grew thick with emotion. His eyes reddened unconsciously.

"Brother Cal, check me too."

"I've had back problems for years. I've tried every hospital, but nothing works. Do you have a solution?"

"And me, Brother Cal! My wife always complains about me. Can you help?"

In just moments, several burly men who'd been vicious earlier were now humble and pleading before Cal.

There was no helping it—this Brother Cal was too incredible.

He could diagnose their problems at a single glance.

Unlike hospitals, where various tests cost thousands without finding anything.

Therefore, Leon and the others couldn't help but believe in Cal's abilities.

Watching the planned beating transform into a large-scale medical consultation, Minister Wayne Carter stood stunned.

"Bastards!"

"What are you doing?!"

"I told you to beat him, not hold a clinic!"

Wayne roared.

"Come on, Brother Wayne, we're all brothers here. Fighting isn't good."

"That's right! By the way, Brother Wayne, have you dealt with your hemorrhoids? Want Brother Cal to check you too?"

Chris and the others tried to placate Wayne.

Wayne was furious.

Brothers he'd worked with for over ten years—they'd all turned traitor in an instant?

"Damn it! I knew you bastards were unreliable!"

"If you won't do it, I will!"

This was a task entrusted to him by the beautiful Director Archer, and he had to complete it perfectly.

Therefore, after all his brothers betrayed him, Wayne went solo.

He told Chris and the others to stand aside, then raised his fist and slammed it toward Cal's chest.

Wayne was tall, burly, and heavyset.

Those two hundred pounds weren't for nothing.

The explosive power behind that punch was terrifying.

"Brother Cal, dodge!" Chris panicked.

He was still counting on Cal for treatment—naturally, he didn't want to see Cal beaten to death by Wayne.

But Cal didn't move. He simply stood there, letting Wayne strike.

"Brother Cal, why are you being so stubborn?!"

"There is no newcomer assessment—we were all bluffing!"

"Why aren't you dodging?!"

Leon and the others immediately covered their eyes.

They thought it was over.

Taking this hit, Cal's ribs were definitely broken.

He'd be hospitalized for at least a year.

*Boom!*

Sure enough, the punch landed.

Amid the dull impact, a scream rang out as expected.

"Why..."

"I told you to dodge! With your thin frame, how can you withstand Brother Wayne's fist?"

Leon opened his eyes with a sigh.

He expected to see Cal clutching his chest and rolling on the floor.

However, Cal still stood in place, completely unharmed.

"Huh?"

"Brother Cal, you... you're okay?"

"That scream just now..."

Leon and the others were stunned.

Cal didn't speak. He simply smiled and pointed at the floor.

Leon, Chris, and the others immediately looked down.

On the ground, Wayne was clutching his hand and rolling around.

"Ahh!"

"My hand!"

"My arm is broken..."

"It hurts so much!"

Wayne wailed like a ghost, tears streaming down his face.

"Quick!"

"Call 911!"

Seeing this, Chris and the others stood frozen for three seconds before calling emergency services and summoning an ambulance to take Wayne to the hospital.

However, even after the ambulance took Wayne away, Chris and the others couldn't figure out one thing:

Clearly it was Cal who stood there and let Wayne hit him—so why was Wayne the one who ended up in the hospital?

...

"Wayne, how are things going?"

At this moment, in the CEO's office, Grace was on the phone with Wayne while Serena sat across from her, listening.

"Hahaha..."

"Ms. Archer, everything went exactly as you ordered. Our brothers beat him up good."

"Did you hear that ambulance just now?"

"It's here to pick up that bastard."

"I can't talk now—I'll accompany him to the hospital. Let's chat later."

The phone quickly disconnected.

Grace smiled. "Serena, did you hear? That country boy was just taken away by ambulance. Seems Wayne and the others taught him a deep lesson. I think he'll be well-behaved from now on."

"What?"

"The ambulance just now was for Cal?" Serena looked startled and spoke with some reproach.

"Grace, you went too far. I told you to teach him a small lesson—not send him to the hospital!"

"If he's seriously injured, this will become a major problem." Serena grew anxious.

Grace waved dismissively. "It's fine, Serena. I'm guessing it's a broken bone at most. Besides, these country boys are tough—it's not a big deal."

"That won't do. Go to the Security Department shortly and inquire about the situation. Check with Wayne too. Even if there's trouble in the future, you must be careful. I need to attend the board meeting first."

Though Serena disliked Cal, she harbored no real hatred or resentment toward him and didn't want things to go too far.

"All right, all right. I'll listen to you, Boss Whitmore." Grace spread her hands helplessly.

She just felt her best friend was too soft-hearted.

If some country boy had pestered *her*, she would've already called someone to break his legs.

---

On the other side, in the ambulance.

Though he'd received preliminary treatment, Wayne still grimaced in pain.

"Brother Cal, what I just said—was that okay?"

As soon as Wayne hung up, he asked Cal earnestly.

Ambulance regulations allowed one person to accompany the patient to the hospital.

This time, it was Cal who followed.

"Mm, you're pretty clever." Cal nodded.

Yes, what Wayne had just said was all instructed by Cal.

On his first day at a new job, he'd sent the security chief to the hospital.

Though it was Wayne who'd asked for it, Cal still couldn't escape responsibility.

If Serena found out, she'd definitely find fault again.

So Cal simply instructed the security department to tell everyone *he* was the one who'd been injured.

This saved everyone trouble.

Cal hated trouble most of all.

"Brother Cal, what's your relationship with Ms. Archer? Do you have some grudge?" Wayne asked curiously.

Cal smiled. "Ms. Archer? You mean the Ms. Archer who hired me? I don't know her. If there's any enmity, it's probably Ms. Whitmore who doesn't like me."

Thinking of the eldest lady of the Whitmore family, Cal felt somewhat helpless.

He understood Serena's intentions.

It was nothing more than making things difficult so he'd retreat in the face of adversity.

However, her methods were truly naive.

"You offended Ms. Whitmore?"

"Brother Cal, you'd better pray for yourself."

"In the company, Ms. Whitmore is very domineering. What she says goes. You'll have a hard time ahead." Wayne immediately sympathized with Cal.

"But with Brother Cal's body, there's nothing to fear." Wayne touched Cal's chest with his good hand, right where he'd punched earlier.

Cal was perfectly fine, but Wayne had broken several bones in his hand.

Wayne suspected there was a steel plate hidden under Cal's clothes.

"Brother Cal, how do you train? Teach me."

Wayne, who moments ago had threatened to teach Cal a lesson, now spoke with genuine enthusiasm.

"You want to learn?"

"It's easy. Let me punch you a hundred or eighty times a day. After a year or two, you'll see results. Very quick." Cal spoke casually.

Wayne swallowed hard.

Forget it.

He was afraid he'd die too soon.

---

After hospital examination, they found the bones in his hand were dislocated but not too serious.

It would heal within a month or two.

Therefore, after treating the wound, Cal and Wayne returned to the company.

As soon as they entered, they ran into Serena coming out of a meeting.

Serena wore a white shirt, navy suit pants, and high heels—projecting a cool, commanding aura.

"Hello, Ms. Whitmore!" Wayne greeted immediately, with Cal following suit.

Serena's pretty face was cold, and she seemed angry.

She glanced at Cal and went straight to her office without a word.

At the same time, she ordered her secretary in an icy tone to summon Director Archer immediately, then shut the office door with a sharp *snap*.

"Wonder who offended Ms. Whitmore?"

"Brother Cal, let's go."

"At times like this, it's better to stay far away from Ms. Whitmore."

Everyone in the company fell silent, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Wayne, a man weighing over two hundred pounds, shrank his neck and dragged Cal back to their department.

Cal couldn't help shaking his head with a smile.

He hadn't expected the weak girl who'd been lying in a hospital bed last night would be so domineering at the company.

She was like a queen!

...

**In the CEO's Office**

"What's wrong, my queen? Who offended you again?"

"Did the directors criticize you?"

Grace hurried in and asked about the situation.

In Whitmore Industries, the highest authority wasn't the CEO or chairman—it was the board of directors.

As long as the directors reached consensus, Serena could be removed directly.

"My grand-uncle is back."

"What?"

"You mean Mr. Simon Whitmore? One of the two founders?" Grace was startled.

Whitmore Industries had been co-founded by two brothers: Samuel Whitmore and Simon Whitmore.

Now that Samuel had passed away, Simon was effectively the company's elder statesman.

Serena nodded and continued. "And just now, the board appointed a new general manager—Felix Whitmore. He takes office immediately."

"Felix? Old man Simon's grandson?" Grace was stunned again.

"Serena, you're in danger. Your grand-uncle came back with ill intentions. He's obviously here to seize power." Grace analyzed.

"I know, but I won't let him succeed. What the directors value is performance and profit. Even if he's a veteran, if he can't produce results, the directors won't favor him."

"Grace, follow up on the supply contract with the city hospital."

"This is our company's key project this year. There must be no problems. Otherwise, my grand-uncle and his people will exploit it, and my father's situation will become very dangerous."

Serena spoke gravely.

Grace nodded. "Don't worry, Serena. I'll help you."

"By the way, Serena, one more thing. Rain sent me a message just now—she arrives in Riverton tonight."

"It's been forever since we three sisters got together. Let's meet up tonight and give Rain a proper welcome."

When Serena heard this, her eyes filled with delight. "What did you say?"

"Rain arrives tonight?"

"That's wonderful! I haven't seen her in at least half a year."

"She must have become even more beautiful by now."