A Healer’s Journey (Finnegan and Nuthana)

Chapter 4

“When you’re poor and live in a bustling city, no one will offer a helping hand. When you’re wealthy and live in a remote area, distant family members will be eager to visit. Only the affluent will be celebrated at gatherings…” “Dad, don’t be upset. Uncle Adrian and the like have always been like this.” After leaving the Zimmerman residence, Finnegan bought some herbs for Desmond and went home. Outside, he heard Desmond lamenting his fate and his younger sister, Rhiannon Larkin, comforting him. Finnegan pushed the iron gate open, wondering what his relatives were up to this time. “I’m back!” “Finn!” A gorgeous young lady clad in a white dress ran over excitedly and threw herself into his arms. “You’re back for real! I thought Mom was kidding when she told me about your return.” When Finnegan left, Rhiannon was just sixteen years old. She was all grown up now. However, they were still as close as ever despite being apart for five years. Finnegan patted her back. “You’ve grown up already, but you’re still clinging to me. Aren’t you afraid your future boyfriend will get jealous of me?” Rhiannon released Finnegan and stuck her tongue out cheekily. “I’ll break up with him if he dares to get jealous of you. Besides, you promised to provide for me forever if I can’t find a boyfriend.” Finnegan patted her head affectionately. “Silly girl! Anyway, I heard you mentioning Uncle Adrian. What happened?” Rhiannon harrumphed. “Back when we were doing well, they couldn’t wait to flatter us. Now that our family is in dire straits, they wouldn’t even come when we invited them to dinner, and Dad got all upset.” As Finnegan was back, Desmond and Quiana wanted to celebrate the occasion. Aside from asking Rhiannon to come home from university, they also contacted Raymond Larkin and Adrian Lane. Raymond was Desmond’s brother, but he claimed he wasn’t free as he had to visit some relatives. Meanwhile, Adrian’s wife, Melinda Cork, answered the call and accused Quiana of wanting to borrow money from them before hanging up rudely. Desmond was disappointed by their change in attitude. Feeling guilty, Finnegan knelt down and took Desmond’s hand. “Dad, it’s all my fault. Our family wouldn’t have ended up like this if not for me. But I’m back now. I swear I’ll do whatever I can to make our lives better again.” “Yes, Dad,” Rhiannon chimed in. “Finn’s back now, so our family can restore our glory soon. And when Uncle Adrian and the others show up, trying to get into our good books, I’ll definitely insult them for what they did to us!” Desmond felt much better at their comforting words.

“That’s enough. All I want is for you both to build your families and build successful careers. Let them be, even though it pains me to see their disdain. Their behavior is not something we can control.” Finnegan knew Desmond wasn’t telling the truth. However, he didn’t expose him. “Dad, I bought some herbs to treat your broken bone and damaged meridians. It’ll take at most a month to get the other herbs—” “It’s time to sign the contract, you old fools!” Suddenly, the iron gate was kicked open with a loud bang. A young man with a python tattooed on his arm strode in with a group of menacing-looking thugs in tow. Hearing the commotion, Quiana quickly abandoned her task of making the bed for Finnegan and rushed out. Her expression was grim as she shouted, “Scram! We will never sign anything!” Finnegan frowned and got to his feet. “What’s going on?” Rhiannon huffed angrily, “Our area is going to get demolished soon, but the developer is evil enough to offer us only fifteen thousand per square meter as compensation for both the land and the house. Mom and Dad initially agreed because they didn’t want to cause trouble, but the thugs only offered our family four thousand per square meter!” Jadeborough was a bustling economic hub located in the nation of Loang. Potential buyers must be prepared to pay at least two hundred thousand for a home in the city center. Although the Larkin residence was situated on the outskirts of the city, the cost of the land in this area was still a hefty twenty thousand per square meter. The other families were offered fifteen thousand per square meter, and their family was merely offered four thousand. It was daylight robbery. Python licked his lip and gazed at Rhiannon lustfully. “Gorgeous, if you’d be willing to come away with me for a few days, I could sneakily provide you with two thousand extra. Mr. Killian has left orders that your family can only receive four thousand.” Rhiannon fumed, “Scoundrel! Hurry up and…” She trailed off as the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped. Python and the thugs felt as if a boulder was crushing their chests. Before long, they discovered Finnegan was staring at them icily. Rhiannon returned to her senses. “Sh*t!” Desmond and Quiana also paled visibly. They had been busy trying to get rid of the thugs that they had forgotten that Finnegan was back home. The “Mr. Killian” referred to by Python was the very individual who had forced Finnegan to leave his home, thus resulting in the Larkin family becoming bankrupt. Tristan Properties, a branch of Tristan Group, which was owned by the Chomsky family, was responsible for the development of the area. That was why their family was offered four

thousand in comparison to the fifteen thousand offered to the other families. Python shook his head and thought it was a figment of his imagination. He snapped, “Stop wasting my time. You must sign this today!” “Are you referring to Killian Chomsky when you mentioned Mr. Killian? Is their family in charge of developing this area?” Finnegan asked, a menacing glint in his eyes. Knowing her son’s hatred for Killian, Quiana quickly said, “Finny, don’t get involved. I think it would be wise for us to just accept their offer. With the proceeds, we can easily pay for the security deposit on a smaller house. When you and Rhia both become successful and earn more money, we can look into moving to a larger residence.” If the situation were to blow up and Killian was made aware of Finnegan’s return, he would not hesitate to take action, as his earlier attempts to track down Finnegan had been unsuccessful. Desmond and Quiana had lost Finnegan for five years. They didn’t want to see him leave anymore. Finnegan had gotten the answer he wanted from Quiana’s reaction. An icy snort escaped his lips as he said, “Killian Chomsky, huh? Interesting!” I was going to exact revenge against Killian a few days later, but it appears he has no intention of giving our family any respite. Python was squirming uneasily under Finnegan’s gaze. “F*ck you! Who you are to call Mr. Killian’s name directly…” Crash! Finnegan kicked a pot, which then landed on Python’s head. Python shrieked in pain and pressed a hand to the bleeding wound on his head. “Damn it! How dare you hit me… Ow!” Finnegan suddenly materialized in front of him and delivered a powerful slap to his cheek, causing him to lose his balance and stumble backward. As he fell, two of his teeth dislodged from his mouth. “Look, I’ve hit you again!” Quiana blanched in horror. “Finny, stop it. Killian will get back at you!” “Finn, that was awesome!” Rhiannon’s eyes were sparkling with admiration. Python covered his mouth and commanded viciously, “Get him! I want him dead!” Four thugs dashed toward Finnegan while the neighbors who had gathered to watch the commotion shook their heads silently. They all assumed that Finnegan was on the brink of yet another misdeed and would have to flee his home in order to evade the wrath of Killian. “Rhia, look after Mom and Dad,” Finnegan said coldly, then he calmly took a step forward. The first thug who lunged at Finnegan got kicked in the chest before he realized what was going on. The force of the blow was so strong that two of the thug’s rib bones snapped, and a stream of blood gushed out from his mouth as he crumpled to the ground.