“Dr. Green, is everything alright? Are you happy with this place?”
Julian Farley walked into the room just now.
Joseph was not pleased with Julian getting in uninvited. He squinted his profound eyes, turned around to lean on the balcony railing, and motioned a hand gesture casually with his hands behind his back. But he did not say a word.
Lucas in the dark was feeling a bit stunned.
That was their unique hand gesture. Joseph was “telling” him to be patient and stay put.
Was Joseph aware that Lucas would come?
Lucas had a slightly surprised smile on his face.
Joseph was a great soldier material, and it was a shame that he wasn’t.
He told everyone to stay put. Instantly everywhere around quieted down.
Joseph wasn’t sure if Lucas had seen his hand gesture though. He gave Julian a cold look and said, “You didn’t know you should knock before getting in, Mr. Farley?”
Joseph had always been straightforward when he spoke with Julian, as well as with Mr. Frye.
Even though Joseph came prepared, he still felt a bit awkward. He coughed to disguise his embarrassment, “Dr. Green, I’m here for my son today.”
“I’m not changing my mind. You have to agree to my terms before I save anyone. I can save your son, but you have to let my family go, my brother Lucas and his future wife included. I won’t back down.”
Joseph insisted on this.
Julian was put into a dilemma.
“It is not that I don’t want to make the deal. But you should know that I don’t have any say in this unless Mr. Frye gave me the authority. If not, you know, I am just no better than a security guard here.”
Julian said this with bitterness.
Joseph wasn’t sure if Julian was speaking from his heart or he was just feeling it out. He kept a calm face and raised his head to look outside from the window in plain silence.
It was cloudless sunny outside, which was quite pleasant.
Seeing Joseph stop responding, Julian clenched his lower lip and said nervously, “Dr. Green, as long as you can save my son, I will promise you three things, no matter what these three things will be.”
His words stunned Joseph.
As a doctor, Joseph had seen enough births and deaths. He learned that it wasn’t granted that all parents would care for their children.
It stood to reason that the existence of the child directly prevented Julian from getting Mr. Frye’s attention. If we were speaking from human selfishness, it would make a promising chance for Julian if the child died, hence Julian would be the only heir to the Mr. Frye family.
So Joseph froze in shock for a while and asked, “Why?”
“Why what?”
“You’d never know what it was like to find out you were adopted and that your biological father was out there somewhere. I thought I finally could have a united family and that I got a promising future ahead. Unfortunately, my natural father didn’t see me as legitimate.”
“He despised that I came from the countryside and thought I was petty. He sent me abroad alone for education. In that unfamiliar country, I was unaccompanied. I was terrified. I called him and begged for his help. I said I would like to come back, but he disagreed. And even worse, he threatened me with my mother’s life. If I hadn’t completed my studies, or if I didn’t do well in the exams, my mother would be in imminent danger.”
“At that moment I knew that, to my father, I was nothing. However, I would always want to get his approval, just because he’s my father. I studied hard and tried to settle in as soon as possible. I thought my father would change his mind about me after my graduation, but unfortunately, he didn’t. What lied ahead in line for me have been endless tasks, one after another, which was overwhelming.”
Listening to all of Julian’s complaints, Joseph’s eyes showed uncertain gloominess.
Joseph didn’t interrupt him though. He listened quietly as if he was a trash can for all of Julian’s hard feelings.
Julian seemed to be drowning in his own memories, the bitterness showed on his face was accelerating and he seemed a bit agitated.
“Dr. Green, it was no one’s fault that I ended up in a situation like this. But I really care about my son. He is my blood, and I don’t want him to blame his father like I do mine one day. I want to fix things for my son when I still can. He’s still so young and his life is just getting started. Aren’t you doctors life-saving angels? Why do I have to negotiate terms with you even when you have a patient like him?”
This was what had been troubling Julian’s mind.
Either Yasmeen or Dr. Ashley, or any other doctors Julian had met would risk doing whatever it took to save their patients. But Joseph was cold-blooded in a frightening way.
Joseph being like this surpassed Julian’s speculation. Now he realized Joseph was never going to treat his son.
That was why he panicked.
Joseph saw the confused look in Julian's eyes and he said, “I studied medicine out of my pure interest in it. I understand there are rules and standards doctors should live up to. All those premises are implemented only when my family’s safety isn’t under threat. Mr. Farley, you are a persistent father trying to save your son, and my bottom line is to keep my family safe. If I fail to protect my family, there would be no point in me staying alive. I’m going to live as a Green and die as one. Just like what you told me - you would hate to have your son hate you someday. I don’t disgrace the Green’s name, either.”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Don't Try to Escape, My Wife!
The book is slow....too many words are wasted to explain...need a better translator.......
God I want to read the book but it's freaking annoying, Samuel Green, Nicole Bush, Lucas Bush, Jacob Brown in every line.....I hope this author grows...the book would have been okay but it's affecting my mood...
Does the author have write the full names of the characters all the time...it's annoying...we are reading the book, we know their surnames already.......
What is it with Chinese authors. The characters are slow, he finally opened his mouth, it took him so long just to say two words...the house keeper would have put the person out before he even spoke....is this really how people are over there..the characters are always lost in thought, they might as well live in their heads.....
What is it with Chinese authors. The characters are slow, he finally opened his mouth, it took him so long just to say two words...the house keeper would have put the person out before he even spoke....is this really how people are over there..the characters are always lost in thought, they might as well live in their heads.....
She left for 5 years to come back emotionally stupid. wow what's up author...
She's questioning his brain, her brain is broken. How easily she keeps forgetting her own kids for a man, especially her sick daughter shame then kid might as well die huh...