Chapter 10: No Lasting Grudges Among Family
Caleb casually rose to his feet, nonchalantly accepting the cup of water. His gaze was calm yet intimidating as he looked around. “I must indeed thank you all. If not, I wouldn’t have been this tough.” His tone was light as a feather, yet they felt like it was a heavy shackle locking around their necks.
Once the sound of the second-floor door closing faded, the living room remained silent for a long time. After a long pause, George murmured, “We owe him an apology…”
Deborah was even more worried, clutching George’s arm. “Will he really be in danger?” She couldn’t help but feel annoyed with Yelena. “Why did you have to provoke others when there was no need? Now you’ve put Caleb in a precarious situation.”
Jesse hurriedly defended, “Mom, don’t blame her. She’s just worried about Caleb.”
Catching their troubled expressions from the corner of his eye, he bit his lower lip, and a sense of displeasure and panic flashed in his gaze. Then, he made a difficult decision. “I’ll go.”
Yelena’s rebuttal came immediately. “No way! Caleb is tough as nails. Let him go! He’ll be fine!”
The sound of the suitcase wheeling on the ground abruptly filled the air. Unbeknownst to them, Caleb had descended the staircase, suitcase in hand. He cast them a cold, indifferent glance, clearly having heard every word of their previous conversation.
The group’s expression was stiff. He didn’t say much. Scoffing coldly, he walked out carrying his suitcase. Whether he could return alive or not was entirely up to his fate, so he didn’t want to waste any words with them.
Deborah said in a tone of mild annoyance, “Hurry up and apologize to Caleb! He heard everything you just said!”
With her lips pursed, Yelena firmly defended, “I’m not wrong! Jesse has never been to jail. How could we let him endure such a thing?”
Jesse secretly was filled with joy. In the end, his sister cherished him the most. Her affection for him did not lessen even when Caleb returned, which he was glad about. However, on the surface, he said, “It’s all my fault. I caused Caleb unnecessary hardship. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so eager to move out.” His eyes were filled with sorrow, making him quite pitiable.
Upon seeing that, George felt the sliver of guilt that lingered in Iris’s heart dissipate once again. “Helping out one’s family is only expected.” If he can’t come back, so be it. After all, he’s penniless and powerless.
Deborah felt a pang of sympathy for Caleb, but in the presence of the head of the household, she found it difficult to defend that sympathy. All she could do was silently hope Caleb would return safely and release his resentment toward them. To her, there was no such thing as lasting resentment among family members, and even if Caleb had changed his civil registration, he was still a part of the Quixall family.
It had been raining continuously in the south of the city for several days, causing the progress on the construction site to slow down significantly. The foreman, Conley, was extremely dissatisfied. Using the workers’ slow progress as his excuse, he had already withheld two months’ worth of their wages.
The workers waited and waited, risking their lives every day to go to work, yet their income showed no signs of increasing. Over time, everyone grew increasingly frustrated. They caused disturbances all day long, clamoring for Conley to distribute their wages. They threatened that if he didn’t, he would face consequences.
When Caleb arrived, he found a group of about a dozen people gathered at the construction site entrance, each holding a tool in their hand, exuding an air of intimidation.
“Conley, hurry up and settle the payment. Let’s go our separate ways without holding each other back!”
“My wife and kids are waiting at home for their food! If you don’t give us the money, don’t expect to enjoy your life carefree!”
“Listen up, everyone. If this guy doesn’t pay us soon, we will shut down his construction site and bring his work to a halt!”
A round of applause echoed. Suddenly, someone noticed Caleb’s presence.
“Hey, you rascal, who are you and what are you doing at the construction site?”
“He’s holding a suitcase. Is he here to deliver money on behalf of Conley?”
The crowd was fixated on Caleb’s suitcase, a glint of greed flashing within their eyes.
“I don’t know Conley. I’m only sent here to tell you all to stop causing trouble. You won’t end up with anything good,” Caleb spoke with an indifferent tone, yet his frame was frail, so the workers didn’t take him seriously at all.
“Also, you’re here to speak up for Conley! Men, grab your tools. Let’s show him a thing or two!” Seeing that Caleb was weak and outnumbered, they raised the shovels in unison, determined to teach him a lesson.
Caleb sighed. Words aren’t enough. I thought I could settle this peacefully, but it doesn’t seem to be possible. Whatever. It’s been a few days since I stretched my arms. This is about to get rusty.
He had one hand gripping a shovel, the other resting on someone’s shoulder. With a swift sweep of his leg, several workers were knocked down instantly.
“Well, it seems he’s a trained fighter!”
“Don’t worry, we have the advantage in numbers. There’s nothing to fear.”
Livid, the remaining individuals fought with increasing ferocity, cornering Caleb at the center. Their rage, previously aimed at Conley, was all directed at Caleb at that moment. Those workers were relentless, determined to fight Caleb to the death if necessary.
In the blink of an eye, a dangerous number of shovels came down hard on Caleb. The situation was dire, and even a deity would likely have a hard time escaping that predicament.