When May said those words, Kayden immediately realized something was off.
“Emma, don’t stand so close to him! If he takes a liking to you, it’ll be a disaster,” May snapped sharply. Then, with her usual condescending tone, she added, “Listen to me, Kayden. Don’t think you can come into our family with any ulterior motives. My daughter already has a fiance, and he’s the young master of a prominent family from Western Frontier.”
She narrowed her eyes and continued, “You? A discarded heir from the Scott family? There’s no way Emma would ever be interested in you. Don’t even think about dragging her down. All you’d do is bring trouble and ruin her future.”
May was that kind of person-snobbish and materialistic. If you were rich and powerful, she would praise you to the skies. But if you had nothing, she wouldn’t hesitate to trample you into the dirt.
“Hey!” John Baker overheard her and quickly stepped in. “What are you saying, May? Western Frontier’s young master or not, how can you talk like this? Kayden is just here to share a meal. He hasn’t said or done anything wrong.”
Turning to Kayden, John Baker offered an apologetic smile. “Kayden, don’t take her words to heart. That’s just how May is.”
Kayden nodded calmly. “It’s fine, Mr. Baker. I understand.”
“Understand? What do you understand?” May cut in again, her tone biting. “If you truly understood, you wouldn’t even be here. Let me tell you this: we don’t take in freeloaders. Don’t think you can eat and live for free in this house!”
May had already guessed that Kayden might be here to rely on them. And the thought of housing a castaway from the Scott family was utterly unacceptable to her.
“May, that’s enough!” John Baker shouted, his face darkening. “Kayden is here for work, not to live off us. I was the one who insisted he come over. If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll deal with you myself!”
“Deal with me? Go ahead!” May stood tall, glaring at him defiantly. “I’d like to see if you even dare. You’ve grown bold, haven’t you? After all these years of dragging Emma and me around, now you’re yelling at me over some outsider? Let me remind you, John Baker, he’s no longer the young master he once was. He’s just a castoff from the Scott family now.”
John Baker’s anger boiled over. Pointing at her, he roared, “Do you even have a conscience? Do you remember how I succeeded in Vernon back then? It was all thanks to Mr. Scott! Without him, I’d probably still be in the countryside raising chickens!”
“May, think about it. Even though we’ve faced hardships, aren’t we still better off now than we were in the countryside?”
May’s expression faltered slightly. “But if it weren’t for his father’s death, we wouldn’t have ended up like this.”
The moment those words left her mouth, she realized she might have gone too far.
“Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable!” John Baker shouted. “‘Ended up like this’? Do you even hear yourself? That was a life lost! Do you think anyone chooses that? If I could, I’d trade my life in a heartbeat to bring Mr. Scott back!”
Seeing John Baker so agitated, Kayden quickly stood up and tried to calm him down. “Mr. Baker, please don’t argue because of me. I don’t want to cause any trouble.”
“May, rest assured,” Kayden added firmly. “Once I’ve finished eating, I’ll leave. I won’t bring any inconvenience to your family.”
John Baker sighed heavily, his frustration evident. “Kayden, don’t take it to heart. Our family has always been like this. It’s just… how it is. Heh, you sit here and watch some TV. I’ll finish cooking in the kitchen.”
With that, he turned and headed back to the kitchen.
Emma glanced at Kayden, pouting angrily. “Troublemaker!” she muttered under her breath.
To her, Kayden’s arrival had only caused her parents to argue. Annoyed, she got up, moved to another couch, and began scrolling through her phone.
Not long after, dinner was ready. Kayden sat at the table with the Baker family to eat. John Baker, looking unusually cheerful, even brought out a bottle of wine he had been saving for years to share with Kayden.
After a few glasses, John Baker’s expression grew heavy. “Kayden,” he began, his voice tinged with regret, “I’ve carried the events of that year as a burden on my heart. I thought you and your parents might have… well, met the same fate. Seeing you here today, alive and well, makes me happy. At least Mr. Scott has a successor, and such a fine young man at that.”
He poured another drink, his voice trembling slightly. “It’s a relief. As long as you’re okay, it’s a relief for me.”
The memory of that tragic event weighed heavily on John Baker. Back then, he had wanted to take the blame, but Ambrose Scott had shouldered everything himself, ensuring that everyone under him was spared. John Baker had been Ambrose Scott’s most trusted aide. It was said that if Ambrose Scott had taken over as head of the Scott family, John Baker would have undoubtedly been the family’s steward.
But fate had other plans.
“Mr. Baker,” Kayden asked suddenly, “I need to know-was my parents’ death really just a business matter?”
John Baker took a long sip of his wine and sighed deeply. “I don’t know. I was an outsider to all of it. But knowing your grandfather, I can’t believe he would have so easily killed your father. Your father was his most trusted person, the undisputed heir to the Scott family. The authority your father commanded within the Scott family was unmatched-far beyond what even your grandfather could achieve.”
He paused, his voice heavy with emotion. “When your father was alive, the Scott family was at its peak. After he died, the family began to decline.”
“So, there’s more to this story, isn’t there?” Kayden pressed.
John Baker shook his head. “I don’t know. The schemes and secrets of powerful families are beyond people like us. There might be more to it, but we’d never be privy to the truth.”
Kayden nodded slightly, understanding that John Baker’s position made it impossible for him to know the full story.
Seeing the troubled look on Kayden’s face, John Baker, whether from the alcohol or genuine emotion, clutched his glass tightly and said, his voice quivering, “Kayden, don’t worry. As long as I’m still breathing, tell me-what do you need? Whatever it is, I’ll do it. Even if I have to go through fire and water, I won’t hesitate!”
May’s heart skipped a beat at those words. She was terrified that Kayden might ask to marry her daughter.
Quickly, she changed the subject. “Emma! By the way, how’s the job Mr. Ryder Steele found for you? What’s the starting salary again?”
Emma, still looking at her phone, replied nonchalantly, “Three thousand dollars a month base salary. If I do well, there are bonuses. And the best part is, there’s a chance to make a name for myself. If I perform well, I might even become a movie star.”
“Wow! A shot at stardom? Mr. Ryder Steele is really good to you, isn’t he?”
Emma nodded. “Yeah, he even invited me to dinner tomorrow.”