Tina felt a pang of guilt and waved at them, saying, “Kiki, Mimi, come here.”
Kiki and Mimi looked up, glanced at Scarlett beside them, and only after receiving her nod of approval did they take small steps toward Tina.
Each of them grabbed one of Tina’s hands, their small faces full of worry. “Are you really okay now?”
Tina gently patted their little hands to reassure them, explaining that she was fine and only felt unwell because of the scent of pollen.
Kiki glanced at Jared, whose expression had softened, then lowered her head and whispered to Tina, “But Jared’s face looked so scary earlier. We got so scared that we went to tell Mom and Dad.”
Tina chuckled. “Kiki and Mimi did great. But this time, I wasn’t sick, so you don’t need to feel bad.”
The two little girls looked up at Tina, then at Jared, and finally nodded.
When Master Tam arrived, he only exchanged a single glance with Tina before understanding what had happened.
Before he could speak, Ian issued a sharp command, “You better watch her closely. If there’s even the slightest issue with Tina, you’ll return every single treasure you took from me today.”
Master Tam paused for a moment before retorting forcefully, “What could possibly happen to my disciple? It’s you who’s always jumping at shadows. A perfectly healthy person could be scared sick by your paranoia!”
Ian let out a cold snort. “And who was it that let something slip the other night…?”
Master Tam’s lips twitched. Afraid Ian would say more, he quickly raised his hand to cut him off. “Fine, fine, I’ll check her. You talk too much. Don’t forget, I care about my disciple even more than you do.”
With that, Master Tam walked over to a chair and gestured for Tina. “My dear disciple, give me your hand so I can check your pulse.”
Tina didn’t refuse. Years of understanding between them meant she already knew his intentions without him needing to say anything.
Master Tam placed his fingers on her wrist, waited a moment, then released her.
Standing up, he turned to face the crowd of people behind him, his expression exasperated. “You’re all making a fuss over nothing. I told you, my disciple is in perfect health. There’s nothing wrong. Now go on, scatter. You’re all using up all the good air in this room.”
The crowd collectively sighed in relief.
After all, as Tina’s master, Master Tam wouldn’t hide it if something was seriously wrong. His status as her teacher made him a trustworthy authority.
Tina also wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but before she could, she heard Kiki and Mimi innocently chime in.
“But Tina just threw up earlier…”
“Yeah, it’s true. I can vouch for it. After smelling our flowers, Tina covered her mouth, went to the bathroom, and made a retching sound. She seemed really uncomfortable.”
Master Tam: “…”
Tina: “…”
That single sentence undid a hundred explanations she could have given.
These two kids might really have a bright future if trained properly.
The room fell silent.
Everyone exchanged glances, as if they had a suspicion but didn’t dare voice it.
If it wasn’t true, asking would hurt Tina and Jared’s feelings.
If it was true, and Tina didn’t want to reveal it yet, pressing her would be inappropriate.
So no one dared to ask directly.
Ian, however, was not one for subtlety. He turned his intimidating gaze on Master Tam. “Didn’t you just say Tina was fine? Then how do you explain this?”
Master Tam maintained a calm expression. “Maybe she caught a chill last night. An upset stomach is normal. You can’t jump to conclusions, and you certainly shouldn’t let your imagination run wild. Who hasn’t had a dry heave in the morning now and then?”
After his explanation, the crowd’s trust in him dropped from 100% to 80%.
The remaining 20%? They were secretly hoping their suspicions were true.
The Brookes family, despite its grandeur, had only Kiki and Mimi in the youngest generation. If Tina were to have a child, the family would surely become livelier in the future.
Jared: “Don’t get it twisted. Tina belongs to our Farrell family. So does her child.”
The four Brookes brothers: “Tina is part of our Brookes family. Her child is naturally ours too. Do you have a problem with that?”
Jared: “…”
Ian, growing increasingly anxious, finally decided to clear the room. He even sent Master Tam away, leaving only Tina and Jared behind.
Tina, feeling uneasy under his intense gaze, decided to speak first. “Grandpa, what do you want to ask?”
Ian didn’t beat around the bush. “Tina, now that we’re alone, tell Grandpa the truth. Did you get injured on your last mission and are trying to hide it from us? Are you suffering in silence?”
“Huh?” Tina was momentarily stunned.
She hadn’t expected her grandfather to jump to such a conclusion and didn’t know how to respond.
Jared, noticing her hesitation, took her hand and answered for her, “Grandpa, you’re overthinking it. Tina isn’t injured.”
Ian didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he studied Tina’s pale face, his heart tightening with worry. Convinced his assumption was correct, he waved his hand. “You don’t have to hide it from me. I’ll just ask one thing-does your mother know about this?”
Tina hesitated but eventually nodded.
Her mother was, after all, the first to diagnose her condition.
But given the current misunderstanding, if she didn’t clarify, her grandfather might genuinely believe she was gravely injured during a mission. That would escalate things unnecessarily.
“Grandpa, actually…”
Before Tina could finish, Ian interrupted her with a gesture. “Tina, I’m in charge here. I’ll have Isaac bring a doctor to the house to examine you later. We have everything you could possibly need here. Just focus on recovering. I’ll handle your mother.”
Tina: “…”
What did she even say?
The room fell silent again. Watching Ian’s reddening eyes, Tina couldn’t help but glance at Jared, silently asking for help.
Jared understood her plea. The incident that morning had already shaken him deeply, and now he couldn’t bear to let her face this alone.
So he decided to tell the truth. “Grandpa, it’s not what you think. Tina isn’t injured. She’s… expecting.”
Ian, still immersed in his earlier assumptions, didn’t immediately grasp the meaning. “She’s what?”
Tina sighed, rubbed her forehead, and took Ian’s hand. “Grandpa, I’m pregnant.”
Ian froze.
“Tina, did Grandpa hear that right?”
Tina nodded firmly.
Ian’s mood shifted instantly. He shot to his feet, his expression transforming from concern to joy, before quickly recalling Master Tam’s earlier evasions. His anger flared. “I’m going to settle this with that old man! How dare he lie to me about something this important? Does he have a death wish?”
Tina quickly tried to explain. “Grandpa, don’t blame Master. I was the one who asked him to keep it a secret.”
Ian paused mid-step, realizing that Tina must have her reasons for keeping this news quiet.
“Is it because of the mission? Or are you worried about unwanted attention? If it’s either of those, Grandpa will handle everything for you!”
Ian ran through every possible scenario in his mind.
No matter what it was, he wouldn’t allow Tina to face any danger.
After all, it had taken him half a lifetime to find his granddaughter. Protecting her-and now his great-grandchild-was his top priority.