Chapter 1478

Austin's father was embarrassed. "Well, Austin might be experimenting in the lab. He often turns off his phone while experimenting," he explained thoughtfully.

"What's the matter? Has Austin done anything wrong?" Quincy Fike asked carefully, sensing Dominic's upset.

"Experiment? It's gone on for so long. Anyway, he's your son. Haven't you tried contacting him?" Dominic's mocking tone was evident.

Quincy chuckled. "There's a reason, Uncle Dom! Austin doesn't like us interfering and is quite similar to you in some ways. He's very focused on his work. We've called before, but he either said it was inconvenient to talk while experimenting or that he had no time and would contact us later. Both his mother and I are used to it, so we rarely call unless it's urgent."

Knowing Dominic remained upset, he added, "Would you like to leave a message, or know when Austin will be back? I'll ask him to visit and apologize."

"Apologize for what? Did I say he offended me?" Dominic's dissatisfaction was clear. "Forget it. It's a waste of time asking you! Being his parents, you two don't care about him, do you?"

"Austin's a grown man, Uncle Dom. We can't interfere too much with his private life," Quincy patiently explained.

"Okay, okay! Talking to you is a waste of my breath." Dominic hung up.

Reprimanded for no reason, Quincy looked at his phone and shook his head. His wife spoke, "Was that your uncle?"

"Yes," he nodded. "How unusual! He's calling to talk to Austin? Has Austin offended him?"

They were all afraid of Dominic's unpredictable temper; one could easily offend him unknowingly. However, because he wasn't a bad person, and the family benefited from his fame as a miracle doctor, they also revered him. Only Austin had cultivated a close relationship with Dominic, exchanging gifts and receiving his mentorship.

"No idea. It doesn't seem like it," Quincy said, shaking his head. He considered Dominic's words, sensing something was amiss. He looked at his wife. "Have you called Austin the past few days?"

She shook her head. "No! Didn't our son say not to call needlessly since he's busy with an important experiment? He said he was on the home stretch."

"Yes, he did," Quincy agreed, thoughtfully inclining his head. "How long has it been since Austin came home?"

"I have no idea," she replied, estimating, "About four to six days?"

"You're really on top of things, aren't you?" Quincy chuckled, finding Austin's number on his phone. "I'll give him a call."

His wife felt he was being unfair; Austin was his son, too. "Besides, our son's a grown man. How can I keep tabs on him all the time?"

Quincy looked at his phone and disconnected the call. "What's the matter?" she asked urgently.

"It's turned off!" Quincy looked at her, puzzled. "How could he be experimenting for so long?"

"Could it be a coincidence? How about we try again later?"