Never Too Far Novel

Chapter 1161-1170

The bandages were taken off, and they started putting disinfectants on the wound. Ruka crouched down and held his hand to help distract him from the pain.

Ren held her hand. He tried his best not to even flinch despite the pain.

The nurses left after they changed the wound dressing. Silas said, “Miss Singed, I’ll need you to clean his upper body.”

Ruka blushed, but she nodded. “Sure. I’ll do that right away.”

Ren looked at Silas. Hey, I’m injured here. I don’t wanna get a boner when I’m injured.

Even so, he was looking forward to her cleaning him.

Ruka went and prepared the stuff needed to clean Ren up. She wanted to give him the best service he could get.

She came back with a basin of water and a towel, then thoroughly wiped him off. The lady was so serious, she didn’t even get any ideas about him. Her eyes were shining with a holy light.

Ren peered at Ruka, his eyes sparkling. He looked at her beautiful eyes, her aquiline nose, and finally, her crimson lips.

He felt his throat tightening up, and he gulped. “My neck next, please,” he said huskily.

Ruka quickly wiped his neck. She was an inch away from him. A smile curled Ren’s lips as he held her chin and pushed it up. He then pressed his lips against hers.

She stopped breathing for a moment, but she didn’t back off or refuse the kiss. Ren moved his hand to the back of her head, then he held her neck, pulling her closer for a deeper kiss.

The kiss went on until his chest was heaving and stabs of pain were coming from his wound. He reluctantly accepted that as the end of the kiss, but before they parted lips, he bit her lower lip.

Ruka pursed her lips and looked at him shyly. “Just focus on healing up. Don’t do anything stupid for now.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean ‘anything stupid’? Care to elaborate?”

She blinked at him and turned around to pick the basin up. “Just don’t do it.”

Ren heaved a sigh. Darn it. I could have slept with her today. If I get my hands on those b*stards, I’ll kill them!

Silas came to check in on him. He noticed an increase in Ren’s heart rate, but then that was possibly because of Ruka coming in close contact with him, so he didn’t check on that.

Elijah got Ruka a room to make it easier for her to care for Ren while he was down.

A moment later, an important guest turned up in the ward and talked to Ren for half an hour. He was even more of a bigshot than Ren was, and Ren respected this man a lot.

One good thing that came out of this accident was him getting a month of rest before the election.

“Rest up. I’ll handle everything. You’ve worked hard.” The man in his fifties gave people the feeling that he was an aristocrat or royalty. His eyes glinted with wisdom and intellect.

“Your nephew’s taking over the investigation. I believe he’ll find the assassins who attacked you. We won’t let this slide, and I will clear the system of any canker. They will pay for this.”

Ren nodded. “I see. I wish you good luck, sir.”

The man got up and patted his shoulder, then he left. His eight bodyguards formed a human wall around him and escorted him away.

Elijah came in looking all excited. “We’re getting a break, sir! A whole month of break! Oh my gosh, I’ve almost forgotten what freedom smells like.”

Elijah took a deep breath. Even the smell of disinfectant tasted like freedom.

Ren was happy as well. He did need some time to himself. After he confessed to Ruka, he hadn’t had time to be with her, as work overwhelmed him. And now I can spend a whole month with her.

Richard was in a top secret base at the moment. It had the most advanced tracking system installed, and his men were elites among the elites. They were also tracking geniuses.

The men were scanning the HD footage, and Trevor noticed something. He paused it and enlarged the frame. “Sir, his outfit’s changed, but he forgot to change one thing.” He enlarged the frame and showed the tattoo behind the man’s ear. “He was the sniper.”

The photos they took at the crime scene showed armed enemies. It was dark and chaotic. The enemies were hiding in the shadows, but thanks to the satellite, they managed to get a glimpse of the enemies. All they had to do was look for details and pinpoint these people’s location.

“Track him down and arrest him,” Richard ordered.

The range was huge, and this mission was important, but everyone did their work quietly and made reports of their progress. There were about a dozen screens playing security footage here. Richard was in his usual attire—a dark camouflage outfit. He was emanating a commanding aura at the moment.

Patience and an eye for detail were needed for tracking, and his men had these qualities.

The next day came eventually.

Ruka was having lunch with Ren at the hospital. Despite his wounds, he actually had a decent appetite.

“I ordered this for you. You’ll need it to replenish your blood.”

“Pig liver?” His eyes went wide before he refused, “Innards are not my thing.”

Ruka popped one piece of it into his bowl. “Just eat some. It’s good for you. You need meds and food to heal up, so stop being picky.”

Ren was frowning. It looked like asking him to gulp down a piece of pig liver was even worse than getting shot.

Ruka bit into one herself. She nodded. “It’s not bad.”

He had to eat it now no matter what. Surprisingly, the hospital’s chef was actually decent. It wasn’t as bad as he thought.

She kept filling his bowl with food, and Ren stopped being picky just to make sure she wasn’t worried about him.

Ruka took a food platter over and fed the fruits to him after that.

At this rate, I’m going to gain a few pounds when I’m all healed.

“Here’s a cherry. Works wonders for your blood. Have some more.” She fed a cherry to him.

“Blood aside, I think I need to replenish something else.” He ate the cherry and hinted something else at her.

She met his gaze and understood what he was talking about. She shook her head and peered at him. “Stop thinking about that.”

Ren looked at her angrily. How weak does she think I am? “Do you think I can’t get it up?” He narrowed his eyes while the air was filled with a hint of danger.

It was like if she said yes, he would prove that he could still get it up. Ren was bothered by that department due to their difference in age. He never had any practice before, but he knew he must be great in bed.

She stared at the ground and blinked, then she shook her head sheepishly.

Ren took a cherry and asked, “Want a cherry?”

Oh, he’s feeding me. She huddled closer and opened her mouth, but instead of feeding her the cherry, he pressed his lips against hers. The couple was starting to make out in the ward.

Elijah was in a hurry to see Ren so he could get his vacation form signed. In his excitement, he forgot to knock on the door. When he came in, the first thing he saw was the kiss. Oh, darn. I did not have to see that. I’m still single. Don’t break my heart.

He noticed the dangerously threatening look Ren was giving him, and Elijah froze. “Sorry. Carry on. Sorry.”

Ruka bit her lip and stared at the bed. “No, come in, Elijah.” And then she left.

“Sir, I’ll need you to sign this. I have to go abroad, but it won’t work without your approval.” He handed his form to Ren.

Ren took the pen and signed the form, though he was displeased. “Knock next time.”

Elijah forced a smile. He had no idea someone as stern as Ren would also fall for the wiles of romance. The big bad wolf’s gonna gobble up Little Red Riding Hood soon.

Elijah chuckled and tried to please his boss by saying, “I do hope I get invited to your wedding when I come back.”

“Have a safe trip. And be careful,” Ren said.

“I know. I concealed who I really am,” Elijah said. He picked the form up happily and left for his vacation.

Scarlet and Walter came a little while later. Just seeing how her brother was healing up relieved Scarlet.

Ruka chatted with Scarlet for a while. The only regret Scarlet had was that she couldn’t give them a wedding right away. That would have to wait until after the election.

Ruka didn’t mind. As long as they were together, it didn’t matter when the wedding was held.

Ren refused to continue staying in the hospital when afternoon rolled around. He wanted to go home.

Silas tried to stop him, but Ren insisted on going home. Being a VP was useful in this case, so Silas got him discharged despite all the hassle he had to go through.

Silas was a guy, and he had experience with romance before. He was very clear why Ren insisted on resting at home.

Ruka packed things up and left with him when she heard the news. Ren was wearing a comfy, dark- colored sweater and a brown coat. His usually majestic look was replaced by a family guy vibe.

The nurses who came to pack up for him blushed when they saw Ren. They couldn’t take their eyes off him. The ladies just kept dropping and toppling things.

When Ren left the hospital, Ruka held the extra scarf in her hand and told him, “Lower your head.”

He did as he was told, and she wrapped the scarf around his neck. He didn’t refuse it, even though it was overtly pink and a woman’s scarf.

They emerged from the underground car park and headed straight for his house. There were even more bodyguards this time. After that last attempt on Ren’s life, these men had cleared any possible threats on the road.

They arrived at his house a while later. The servants took care of everything, while Silas took Ren to his bedroom upstairs.

“I’m not stopping you from dating Ruka, but there are some things that you can’t do until you’re healed.” Silas said, “Don’t tear that wound open. Not after it has finally healed. Listen to me if you don’t want to go through another torture session at the hospital.”

“Just when I thought nobody’s gonna nag me after Elijah’s gone, you showed up.” Ren smiled.

“You think you can enjoy any peace and quiet after you get to this position? If you don’t want it, you can always let me take over,” Silas cracked a joke.

“Take it,” Ren answered right away.

Silas shook his head, smiling. “No. I’m not as capable as you are. The job’s gonna take ten years off my life.”

Silas went and told the servants about Ren’s diet during the recovery period. Ruka came to Ren’s room. He was in a robe and lying under the A/C. He looked languid and sexy.

“Come here.” He extended his hand.

She went to his side and sat on the edge of the bed. He pulled her into his embrace. “And now, we have our alone time. Nobody’s gonna disturb us.”

Ruka was happy he had a month of vacation. She looked forward to it. “Sure.”

Silas came back up after he told the servants what to do. He bumped into Ruka, who just came out of Ren’s room. He said, “Miss Singed, a word, please?”

“Of course, Dr. Silas,” she said and listened intently.

“Ren shouldn’t be discharged under normal circumstances, but he insisted, and I had no choice. You’re going to take care of him, I know. Just remember that he can’t do any… strenuous exercise.”

Ruka blushed. He’s not talking about the gym. “I see. I understand.”

“I don’t want his wound to get torn again, so work with me.”

She pursed her lips and nodded shyly. “I know. I’ll remember that.”

“Alright. No cats for a while too. I’ll take care of it.” Silas checked the whole place and thought the cat had to go too.

“Alright. I’ll put Callie in your care.” Ruka nodded.

Silas went into the room and said goodbye to Ren before he left. Only two servants were left working in the house. The world was really quiet too, for some reason.

And it’s almost the new year. She went back into the bedroom. Ren was on the bed, looking bored. She asked, “Want me to get you a book?”

“Do you think I’m in a mood to read?” Ren smiled.

Ruka blinked. “So what would you like then?”

“I’d like you to spend the night in my room, Ruka,” he requested.

Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly said, “No. Dr. Silas said I can’t disturb you. And I don’t want to worsen your wound.”

Ren cocked his eyebrow. What did Silas tell her? “I don’t care. You’re sleeping with me tonight,” he said imperiously.

Fine. He’s hurt. I’ll give in this one time. “Fine. I’ll spend the night here, but you’ll have to finish the soup the servant is making. It has pig liver in it.”

Ren really wanted to say no, but he didn’t. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

That’s a good boy. Food’s important for his healing.

“Oh. Scarlet said your mother’s coming over tomorrow. You’ll have to pretend that you aren’t hurt. Can you do that?”

“Of course.” Ren nodded.

Back at the Husson Residence, a servant came back with the thing Charlotte told her to buy. “Don’t forget to take it along with you tomorrow. This is an important thing.”

“But madam, Master Ren is still young. Are you sure you want to give him… this?”

“Hey, I want Ruka to get pregnant as soon as possible.” She chuckled. “Make sure he drinks it, and don’t tell him what it is.”

The servant left after she cleared the table up after dinner. Ruka changed into her pajamas and shyly went into Ren’s bedroom. Even when he was recuperating, Ren would check his email and settle some work on his iPad.

It was already half past ten.

It was already half past ten.

She approached Ren and stared straight at him. “Still working? You should get more sleep.”

Ren put the iPad aside. He could smell the nice scent coming from Ruka, and frustration flared in his eyes. She’s inches away from me, but I can’t even have sex with her.

She got into the bed and rolled into his embrace before he could even pull her. Can’t have him exerting himself, and I can’t put any pressure on the wounded side of his shoulder either. Since he could only lie on his side, Ruka rested her head on his other arm, and they held each other in a tight embrace.

The cold coming from outside made her enjoy his warm embrace more. He might smell like disinfectant, but she still loved it.

Ren kissed her head and took in the scent of her hair. Something down there got bigger, and Ruka blushed. She felt it, of course, but Silas told her not to do anything, so she ignored the boner.

“Ruka…” He called out to her, almost like he was complaining. Ren raised her chin and vented a little by kissing her.

She was starting to heat up as well. Yeah. I’m gonna lose sleep if he’s in the same bed as I am.

No. At this rate, he might do it despite his wounds, and I won’t be able to stop him. However, I can’t just ignore what Dr. Silas said either. She scurried out of his arm and sat on the edge of the bed. “I think I should get back to my room.”

She took a book from the couch and handed it to him. “Read this if you can’t sleep. Calm yourself down. It’ll make you sleep better.”

So she’s running away just like that?

Ruka was gone, and Ren couldn’t do anything about it. He didn’t mind making out with her even with the wound, but there was something else to consider. He had to make sure her first time didn’t go too badly, or it might affect how she thought of him.

It would be bad if she left him for another person.

Ren held his urge back, at least until he healed up a little.

Ruka stayed up until about one before she fell asleep. She too was turned on, and sleeping was hard.

They had breakfast at nine the next morning. Charlotte and her butler came at ten. She even brought her usual chef along to make some soup for Ren.

Ruka and Ren welcomed her into the house. Ren pretended that he was fine, and Charlotte didn’t notice his wound.

“Scarlet told me you’re having a day off, so here I am. Brought something nice for you. The chef’s gonna whip some soup up,” Charlotte said. There was a glint of delight in her eyes.

Her son was young and lively, but she was worried he might be worn out by work, so she got someone to buy all the supplements she could. By supplements, Charlotte meant aphrodisiac, and she upped the dosage too.

She even came up with a herbal soup for Ruka. Charlotte believed in the power of alternative medicine, and she hoped Ruka would get pregnant soon.

“Oh, you didn’t have to do this, Mom. I mean, we can always make you lunch.” Ren didn’t want his mother to worry about him. She wasn’t getting any younger.

“What else can I do but this? If you love me, you’re going to drink as much soup as you can. Don’t let it go to waste,” she said.

“Of course, Mom. Of course,” he assured her.

“Ruka, you have as much bird’s nests as you can too. It’s good for you,” she said.

Ruka might be young, but she knew why Charlotte was doing this. She blushed, and she nodded. “Of course, Charlotte.”

Charlotte sniffed the air. “I smell disinfectants in the air. Is someone hurt?”

“The cat scratched Ren, so I put some disinfectant on the wound,” Ruka quickly answered.

“The cat scratched Ren, so I put some disinfectant on the wound,” Ruka quickly answered.

Charlotte paused for a few moments. Oh! Oh… I bet it’s not a cat scratch. She didn’t really care though. All she wanted was for her son to finish the soup she brought with her today.

Lunch was served a while later. It was a feast, and there were two pots of soup specially made for the couple. The servant took the lid off one pot and ladled a bowl of it, then she served it to Ren.

Ren thought the smell was off, and he froze for a moment.

“What kind of soup is this, Mom?”

“Herbal soup. You work through the night every day, so I got you some nice herbs to perk you up. It’s nothing extreme. Just drink it,” Charlotte said seriously.

Ren took a sip. It was okay. He could taste the herbs in it, but the soup was generally good. The aphrodisiac had a strong taste, but thanks to the chef’s skills, they were covered.

“And here’s yours, Miss Singed. Have a taste.” The servant served Ruka another type of soup. The clear bird’s nest decorated by jujubes and wolfberries looked tantalizing. She took a sip and thought it was delicious.

Charlotte kept her eye on Ren throughout the meal. When she noticed that he was done with his soup, she filled his bowl up again. “Drink up. Don’t let it go to waste! This soup was made just for you. Ruka and I don’t like it that much.”

“Alright.” Ren did not want his mother’s efforts to go to waste, so he drank three bowls in a row. He was too stuffed for a fourth, so Charlotte finally stopped topping up his bowl.

After finishing up, Ren tried to get Charlotte to stay till dinner, but she seemed to be in some sort of rush as she declined.

“I have things I need to take care of so I’ll head off now. Ruka can keep you company!” Charlotte said before holding Ruka’s hand. “Ruka, take good care of Ren, okay? Make sure he doesn’t spend all his time working. Since he’s taking a break, he should spend his time with you instead.”

“Yes, I will, Mrs. Husson.” Ruka nodded.

“Oh, hush. Don’t call me Mrs. Husson. It sounds so formal. You should start calling me Mom instead,” Charlotte chuckled. She was thrilled to have such a beautiful and captivating young woman as her daughter-in-law.

Ruka was a little shy, but she called out in her clear, dulcet tones, “Mom.”

“What a sweet girl! I’m sure Mrs. Husson is over the moon right now,” the female butler commented with a smile.

Ren looked on fondly as well. Charlotte turned to leave once she finished saying her goodbyes. After seeing her off until the car drove out of the driveway, Ren exhaled in relief. He felt a tinge of soreness around his wounded area from moving his arm too much.

Ruka noticed the slight frown on his face. She quickly came over and held him. “Is it painful? I’ll help you up so you can rest.”

Ren allowed her to take him upstairs. It was blistering cold outside, but right now, as he walked into the air-conditioned environment inside, he felt unusually warm. He pulled his sweater collar down a little.

Ruka helped him to the bedroom. He sat down on the bed and glanced at her svelte frame. All at once, his throat felt parched and he seemed to lose himself to his instincts as he reached out to pull her into his arms.

She fell onto him and he grabbed her head before pinning her down on the bed.

Ruka’s mind went blank for several seconds. He’s injured! He shouldn’t be twisting around like that!

“What are you… Mmph!” His lips crashed into hers because she could finish her sentence.

Ruka sensed his domineering aura enveloping her. It was as if he had honed in on his prey, and her heart jumped.

What’s gotten into him? It’s still the afternoon right now!

“I want you, Ruka…” He set her lips free and began to roam down her neck and collarbones, leaving a trail of kisses behind.

Ruka’s face turned scarlet. Oh my goodness! He’s gone mad…

Ruka’s face turned scarlet. Oh my goodness! He’s gone mad…

“Ren…” Ruka bit her lip and tried to push him off. She could feel her body heating up as it welcomed his touch, but she did not want his injury to get worse!

However, something seemed to have gotten into Ren. His reason had been overtaken by his animal instincts, and even though he felt the searing pain from his wound that seemed to extend to his heart, he could not care about anything else anymore. All he could think of was Ruka. He was a predator whose eyes were locked on its prey. The only goal he had right now was to quell the hunger he had for her.

“N-No. We can’t. You’ll get hurt…” Ruka tried to protest, but Ren had taken his top off, and his muscular body was on display.

Ruka blinked. She did not know what to do. He’s not listening to Dr. Silas’ instructions.

“Ruka… I want you so bad.” Ren was bent over kissing her slender neck.

“I’ll count to three. If you don’t agree to it, then I’ll stop…” He gave her a final out.

Ruka was just about to say no out of consideration for his injury, but before she could respond, he said, “Three… Time’s up.”

She was dumbstruck.

Wasn’t he supposed to count to three?! Why did he start off with three? She did not even get a chance to say no! If he was going to give her a chance, he should do it properly!

Ugh. Why is he such a beast?

“We can’t… Ren, your wound will split open. Are you trying to kill yourself?” Ruka said as she tried to push him off again.

However, something seemed to be in control of Ren’s mind right now. It numbed all his pain receptors and left nothing but his most primal instincts in command.

Ruka was right in front of him. His senses took leave of him and he could not control himself. She was too beautiful.

Meanwhile, Ruka was grumbling to herself. Couldn’t he have waited for a little longer? Why’s he getting into it now?

“Ruka… I don’t want to wait any longer. Now… I want you to be mine now,” he pleaded and coaxed as if he was no longer the distinguished and sophisticated man he usually was. All that was left was his longing.

All of a sudden, her eyes spotted a drop of blood sliding from his shoulder down to his waist.

“You’re bleeding…” Ruka exclaimed. She pushed him away and quickly checked his back. Sure enough, she saw that his wound was bleeding through the bandage.

“I’m calling Dr. Silas right away!” Ruka rushed back to her room to retrieve her phone and immediately gave the doctor a call.

Silas rushed over with a nurse in just fifteen minutes. He saw that Ren was sitting on the edge of the bed in a dress robe, but his eyes were still bloodshot. He had not gotten the release he wanted, and it was beginning to make him even more out of control.

The nurse quickly cleaned the wound up again, while Silas gave him a sedative. Ruka, whose heart had been pounding wildly as she watched nervously from the side, blushed when she finally realized

what was going on.

Silas looked at Ren in somewhat disbelief. “Don’t you know what condition you’re in right now? Why did you go about taking all sorts of medication? Those things won’t help you when you’re in this state.”

Ren was lost. “What did I take?”

“What else do you think it could be? Aphrodisiacs, of course! They must’ve been pretty strong too. It’s clear that you overdid it.” Silas hit the nail on the head.

The cogs started turning in Ren’s mind. He immediately recalled the soup his mother made for him today. She even urged him to drink three entire bowls of it. Well, he finally realized what had gone into his mother’s soup.

Ren could only chuckle bitterly to himself. What was his mother worried about anyway? Did she have so little faith in her son? Her meddling had ended up backfiring instead.

“He didn’t take anything, though,” Ruka said from the side.

“My mom came and made some soup for me. I didn’t know what went in it, but I drank three bowls of it,” Ren added.

Silas fell silent. He had gotten the wrong idea—it was Charlotte’s well-meaning intentions that led to this mess instead!

“Drink some chicken soup or something next time! You shouldn’t be drinking anything with all that added to it,” Silas sighed. He glanced at Ren’s bleeding wound and said, “Looks like you’ll have to stay in bed a few days longer.”

“Drink some chicken soup or something next time! You shouldn’t be drinking anything with all that added to it,” Silas sighed. He glanced at Ren’s bleeding wound and said, “Looks like you’ll have to stay

in bed a few days longer.”

Ren threw Silas a gloomy look while Ruka seemed to have gotten the picture at last. She bit her lip as she thought, So the reason why he acted like he was out of his mind earlier was because of that soup?

Alas! Charlotte could not be blamed for it either. She did not know that he was injured.

Thankfully, his wound had only bled out a little without worsening his condition.

Ren was also a lot calmer now after being given a shot of sedatives. Silas left after giving some instructions. Once they were gone, Ren sat down on the bed and kissed Ruka on her cheek. “Did I give you a fright just now?”

Could she say yes? She looked up at him and pouted. “You were so beastly! You said you were going to count to three, but you jumped straight to three right away! I didn’t even have the chance to say no.”

Ren’s eyes flashed with a cunning glint as he smirked. He never intended to give her a chance to say no!

“Alright, alright. I won’t tease you like that next time.” Ren squeezed her hand. Although he was a lot calmer now, deep down inside him, the desire he felt was still going strong.

Ren’s recovery had extended for a few days thanks to Charlotte’s soup. He was a little glum about it, to be honest.

Throughout the following week, Ruka refused to enter his room past ten at night. She even gave him a few books on meditation.

Ren did not want to scare her again either, so he decided to wait until he was fully recovered.

Two days later, he heard back from Richard. The assailant had been killed just before they managed to apprehend him, so the mastermind was still unknown. He hid too well and they could not get to him yet.

Right at this moment, in a secret meeting room, a man sneered, “If you want this to blow over, you need to ensure that I am appointed to that position, or otherwise, you’ll all have to spend the rest of your lives in prison.”

“We’ll do everything we can to make sure that happens, Mr. Grady.”

The room was dark, and the other two people remained in the shadows, but the person they were protecting was Orson Grady.

“We still have a chance. There’s that girl, Ruka Singed, right? Even if we can’t get to Ren Husson, we can find a chance to move against her.”

“No mistakes allowed this time.”

These days, Harold rarely left the house to join any of the gatherings or events. He preferred staying at home and occupying his time with his gardening and other leisurely pursuits. All of his hopes and dreams for the family’s glory had been placed on Ren’s shoulders instead.

Ren was young and accomplished. He was well-received by the nation’s citizens and he had a bright future ahead of him. Harold had nothing to worry about when it came to his son.

This morning, Harold stood in the garden and did his morning exercise routine. He was feeling pretty good and relaxed as he finished up his stretching when his phone started ringing. It was from an unknown number.

Harold rarely answered such calls, but he was in a good mood today so he decided to see who it was. “Hello, who’s this?”

“Mr. Husson, you need not know who I am. I’m just a Good Samaritan who wants to inform you of something.”

Harold frowned. His voice was a lot sterner as he asked, “Who on earth are you?”

“Did you know that your son, Ren Husson, and your daughter’s goddaughter, Ruka Singed, are cohabitating?”

“What kind of nonsense is that? My son is a decent and righteous man. Don’t bother coming up with these ridiculous claims,” Harold snapped back.

“Hah. It seems like you don’t know your son very well. Your son went behind your back and started living together with Ruka Singed. How can you not know about such a scandalous affair?”

“Who on earth are you? You have no grounds for questioning my son’s character,” Harold snorted.

“Someone plans to use this against your son during the upcoming elections. You better make sure that they break off their relationship, or else, your son won’t be serving a second term as Vice President. After all, I heard that your son intends to give up on the elections for that woman! Mr. Husson, it would be a waste if a woman ends up destroying the Hussons’ family legacy. You should break them up at once!”

The call ended, and soon after, Harold received a text. His chest was heaving in anger. Who was the one recklessly spouting baseless rumors about his son’s private affairs? Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

The call ended, and soon after, Harold received a text. His chest was heaving in anger. Who was the one recklessly spouting baseless rumors about his son’s private affairs?

Harold bent down to check the text and his angry internal monologue came to a grinding halt. He had received a photo that looked like it was taken inside a hospital room. His son was lying on the bed with

his arms around Ruka, and they seemed to be… kissing?

The phone slipped out of Harold’s hand and fell to the ground. He, too, began to wobble and had to hold onto the nearby rock fixture for support.

W-What’s going on? Is everything that man said in the call true? My son is really dating Ruka?

Harold picked his phone up and sat down on a chair beside him to look through all the photos. They showed Ren and Ruka staring at each other and behaving like a loving couple. There were also two photos of them kissing. After seeing it all, Harold’s fury reached its peak again.

Why was Ren messing around now when the elections were coming up soon? That man had even claimed that Ren wanted to give up on the elections because of Ruka!

Harold was so mad that his chest began to hurt. He was consumed by rage and immediately called Ren.

“Hi, Dad,” Ren greeted.

“Come back and see me at noon today. I want to talk to you,” Harold commanded in a displeased tone.

“Did something happen, Dad?” Ren asked in concern.

“We’ll talk about it when you’re here,” Harold responded sternly.

“Alright. I’ll be there at noon,” Ren replied.

“Make sure you do,” Harold insisted. Although he was dying to clarify this right away, he felt that it would be better if they spoke in person instead.

This brat has been pushing off getting married for so long. How did he end up falling in love with Ruka? Ruka, of all people! How can he get into a relationship with the girl that his sister raised?

It was scandalous and unthinkable!

Meanwhile, at the Vice President’s Residence.

Ren told Ruka that he needed to make a trip to Husson Residence, and she figured that she should not be accompanying him since their relationship was not entirely public yet.

By eleven, the car and entourage were ready. Ren noticed that Harold sounded a little off, so he sensed that something must have happened. The elections were around the corner and a lot of people were starting to find all sorts of ways to attack his family.

Ruka saw him off at the doorway and reminded him, “Be mindful of your injury. You can’t get hurt again.”

Ren circled his arm around her waist and bent down. “I’m the one who’s most eager to be well again.”

Ruka shoved him off with a look of embarrassment. “Hurry up and go! Remember to be careful.”

At Husson Residence.

When Charlotte heard that Ren would be coming back for lunch, she called him up right away and reminded him to not bring up Ruka.

“Your dad is in a foul mood today. I have no idea who made him mad,” Charlotte said.

“Yes, I got it. I’ll make sure to avoid any mentions of it,” Ren promised.

“He was fine this morning. Seriously, despite being an old man now, his temper hasn’t changed at all. He locked himself in his study and refused to even let the servants bring him some tea.”

“Something must’ve happened. I’ll be right there,” Ren said consolingly.

Ten minutes later, Ren’s car came to a stop in the driveway. When Ren entered the hall, one of the servants immediately came over and said, “Mr. Ren, Mr. Husson is waiting for you in his study.”

“Alright.” Ren headed up the stairs for the study on the second floor.

He knocked on the door and heard Harold’s deep voice calling out, “Come in.”

When he went in, Harold barked, “Close the door.”

Ren had a bad feeling. He saw the furious look on Harold’s face. It had been a while since he last saw Harold being this angry.

“Dad…”

“Kneel!” Harold commanded sharply.

Ren froze and stared at his father. Harold did use corporal punishment on him before he turned eighteen, but he was thirty-three now. Why did Harold want to punish him now? What did he do?

Out of consideration for Harold’s age, Ren could only do as he was told. He kneeled on the ground with his back straight and looked up at his father’s seething expression. He only hoped that Harold would not give himself a heart attack. At his age, it was dangerous for him to be this angry.

Out of consideration for Harold’s age, Ren could only do as he was told. He kneeled on the ground with his back straight and looked up at his father’s seething expression. He only hoped that Harold would not give himself a heart attack. At his age, it was dangerous for him to be this angry.

“What on earth happened, Dad? Tell me,” Ren pleaded.

Harold retrieved a belt from somewhere before standing behind Ren and whipping him on the back. “Ever since you were a child, I taught you that the most important thing is a person’s character. Did you

forget everything I taught you? Is that why you’ve become so shameless?”

Harold’s belt landed a second time. Thanks to Ren’s clothing, Harold had no idea that his belt landed exactly on Ren’s wound.

Ren’s face was tightly clenched in pain. His wound was only a week old, and after being whipped twice, the pain was beginning to spread all over his back.

“Your mother introduced you to so many fine young ladies, but you did not take a liking to any of them. Instead, you went after Ruka! How could you do such a deplorable thing?!”

Ren took a deep breath. He finally understood what was going on. Harold was angry because of his relationship with Ruka. The family had kept it a complete secret from him, so someone must have leaked the news to him on purpose.

“I can explain, Dad.” Ren let out an exhale.

“What’s there to explain? You’ve forced Ruka to move in with you. How are you going to explain this to the Singeds and your sister? You… you have no respect for this family!” Harold’s belt came flying down on Ren’s back once more.

The smacking sound was so loud that the servant who came to the door with a tray of tea jumped in alarm. She could vaguely hear the sounds of someone being hit, so she quickly went to look for Charlotte.

Charlotte just so happened to be on the second floor as well. When she heard what the servant said, she immediately flung aside the flowers she had been arranging and rushed to the study.

Once she arrived, she began pounding on the door. “Open up, Harold! What are you doing? Why are you hitting Ren?”

“Stay out of it,” Harold growled toward the door.

Charlotte sent the servant to retrieve the key, and the servant did it as quickly as possible. As soon as the door opened, Charlotte saw her son kneeling on the ground as Harold raised the belt to continue lashing him. She was horrified and immediately stood in Harold’s way.

“Don’t you dare hit him again! What did he even do? He’s thirty-three! How can you treat him like that? Have you gone daft in your old age?!” Charlotte cried out before snatching the belt out of Harold’s hands. Despite his anger, he allowed his wife to take it away from him.

Charlotte threw the belt aside and helped Ren up. “Get up, Ren, quickly.”

Once Ren stood up, Harold looked at Charlotte and said, “Stay out of this. I’ll handle it.”

Harold thought that his wife was too old to withstand the news of such scandalous behavior and decided to keep it from her.

However, he heard Ren sighing and saying, “Mom, Dad found out about Ruka and me.”

Harold jumped in shock. How could Ren announce it to Charlotte just like that? Isn’t he worried that she might faint in anger?

Thus, he never expected that the first thing Charlotte did after hearing this was to turn around and glare at him. “You hit Ren because of this? Isn’t Ruka becoming our daughter-in-law something we should be celebrating?”

“Y-You know about it?” Harold’s eyes went wide. “What about Scarlet? And the Singeds?”

“All of us know about it. You’re the only one who doesn’t.” All this while, Charlotte had been feeling a little guilty about keeping it from Harold, but now that Ren had suffered a beating, all her guilt vanished into thin air.

“How can all of you hide such a thing from me? Don’t you know that this will affect him in the general elections?” Harold cried out in vexation.

“Dad, if you’re concerned that my relationship with Ruka will affect public opinion of me, then you need not worry about it. Your son isn’t so useless that he can’t deal with that,” Ren declared calmly.

“They’re in a relationship and they love each other very much! As a family, we should be supporting them instead of trying to separate them.”

“Dad, can you tell me who it was that told you about this?”

“Dad, can you tell me who it was that told you about this?”

“I received a call this morning from an unknown number. A mysterious person told me about it.”

“That person’s true intention is to incite you so that you’ll make me break up with Ruka. His intention is to mess with my emotions and make me deal with the pain of a breakup, which will affect me during the general elections. It’s clear that it was done with malicious intent,” Ren explained to Harold. At the same time, he could sense that his wound was on the verge of splitting again.

Harold finally got the gist of it. He glanced at Charlotte who staunchly declared, “I have my heart set on Ruka being my daughter-in-law. I won’t accept anyone else.”

Just moments ago, Harold had been enraged, but now, he was completely dumbfounded. “Is Ruka willing to marry Ren? Are the Singeds going to give their blessing?”

“They’re more than happy to. Ruka and Ren are in love. If you break them up now, then you’re really going to ruin your son’s life.”

Ren was deeply moved as he gazed at Charlotte. His family’s support was his biggest source of strength.

Harold sighed after hearing what Charlotte said. He looked at Ren. “Does it hurt?”

“I’m fine.” Ren smiled. “As long as you’re no longer angry, Dad.”

“Come, Ren. Let me take a look,” Charlotte said worriedly.