Chapter 199 - 198: Are You Trying to Get Your Steps In?

"Then, if I may be so bold, I’d like to ask for some pointers, Uncle Stark," Leo Grant calmly accepted.

Yvonne Lowell couldn’t help but let the corner of her mouth twitch. ’Does Uncle Stark have some misunderstanding of the word ’old’?’ she thought. ’He’s only forty-five. Their combined age isn’t even a hundred yet.’

"Let’s go, let’s go. Back to the house first. Have you two forgotten why you’re here?"

Yvonne Lowell spoke up, interrupting the three-way power struggle. Otherwise, she was sure she’d be in for it tonight.

Auntie Dahlia also came to her senses and quickly agreed, eager to meet William Lynch.

The four of them got into a tour buggy and headed for the main building.

...

「The Main Building.」

William Lynch paced anxiously back and forth in the living room, his pant legs a mass of wrinkles from being clutched so tightly. He was so on edge that he no longer felt afraid of the Leogryph lying nearby.

Nolan Crawford rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Look, can you please stop pacing? What are you trying to do, hit your daily step goal?"

Nolan Crawford had already heard that William Lynch might be the biological son of one of Yvonne Lowell’s elders and was happy for him, but the guy’s constant movement was making his head spin.

The Leogryph might be able to stand it, but he, Nolan, could not.

William Lynch scratched his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, Young Master Crawford. I’m just a little nervous..."

"What’s the point of being so nervous? Things will work themselves out," Nolan Crawford interrupted, pursing his lips. "You’ve just got too much time on your hands, I say."

Hearing voices outside the door, William Lynch froze mid-step, his eyes fixed on the entrance.

The moment Auntie Dahlia walked in, she saw William Lynch’s face, so strikingly similar to her own. Her eyes instantly filled with tears, and she froze where she stood, hesitating to move forward.

She was still murmuring, "My Kai..."

Uncle Stark and William Lynch weren’t in much better shape. The connection of blood can be a strange thing. Even without a paternity test, a voice inexplicably surfaced in their minds: ’It’s him/them...’

Yvonne Lowell and Leo Grant exchanged a look, then took Auntie Dahlia and Uncle Stark by the arm and guided them inside.

Coming to a stop before William Lynch, Yvonne Lowell said softly, "This is William Lynch. He’s the one I told you about."

Then Yvonne Lowell turned to William Lynch. "William, this is Auntie Dahlia and Uncle Stark."

William Lynch looked at the two of them and bowed slightly. "H... Hello. I’m William Lynch."

Auntie Dahlia reached out to help him up, her hands irresistibly drawn to his face. Her eyes were full of affection. "Good boy."

A stiff smile cracked Uncle Stark’s stone-like face, but his reddened eyes betrayed his composure.

"William Lynch? That’s a good name."

William Lynch stood there, at a complete loss, not knowing what he should say.

He instinctively glanced at his master and Miss Lowell, only to find them looking at the ceiling, the floor—anywhere but at him.

’Great, just great. A hundred years of professionally selling out your subordinates, huh?’

William Lynch took a deep breath and asked tentatively, "Um... maybe we should do a paternity test first?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Let’s go get the test done right now." Auntie Dahlia, sensing his unease, nodded repeatedly.

She then turned to Yvonne Lowell, asking, "Yvonne?"

Leo Grant was the first to answer. "Auntie Dahlia, the president of the largest private hospital on Continent R is a friend of mine. We can get it rushed. I’ll have someone take the samples over in a bit."

"Alright. Thank you," Auntie Dahlia said, giving him a grateful look.

"It’s no trouble. It’s the least I can do."

Nolan Crawford also chimed in at the right moment. "Hello, Uncle Stark, Auntie Dahlia. Please, have a seat. Don’t just stand there."

After collecting genetic samples from the three of them, Leo Grant had Ian Lynch deliver them to the hospital and stay there to oversee the rush on the test with the president.

With Nolan Crawford, the life of the party, acting as a social lubricant, the atmosphere gradually became less somber.

The couple didn’t want to put too much pressure on William Lynch either, so they suppressed their excitement, though they couldn’t stop their eyes from drifting toward him.

Seeing that it was still early, Uncle Stark turned to Leo Grant. "Young Grant, how about we go for a little sparring session right now?"

’He couldn’t bear to give that kid, William Lynch, a hard time, so he’d just have to give a hard time to this pig who was trying to steal his prized cabbage.’

"Of course. Then let’s head to the training grounds now," Leo Grant said.

"I want to go too!"

Yvonne Lowell had just spoken when Auntie Dahlia pushed her down onto the sofa. "What are you going for? Afraid we’re going to bully him or something?"

Yvonne Lowell was a little exasperated. "No, I just want to watch the show."

Auntie Dahlia didn’t say a word, just stared at her. The meaning in her eyes was obvious: ’Do you even believe that yourself?’

Yvonne Lowell raised her hands in surrender. "Fine, I won’t go. But you two better not hit him in the face, okay? That’s my favorite part of him."

Auntie Dahlia rolled her eyes at her. "I know."

Leo Grant squeezed her palm and whispered in her ear, "Wait for me here. I’ll be back soon."

Without waiting for Yvonne Lowell’s reply, he led Auntie Dahlia and Uncle Stark to the training grounds.

As soon as the three of them left, Nolan Crawford sidled up to Yvonne Lowell. "Yvonne, if Uncle Stark and Brother Grant go at it... what do you think the odds are?"

Yvonne Lowell shot him a sidelong glance and said faintly, "I can’t say for sure. I’ve never formally fought your Brother Grant. But, even with my foundational skills, it took me five years of training under Uncle Stark before I could beat him."

Nolan Crawford’s eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together with devious glee.

"In that case, Brother Grant is probably in for a beating! Nope, I’ve gotta go watch the show. Maybe I can even snap an embarrassing photo of him and blackmail him for some cash. Wait right here, Yvonne, I’m gonna go give you a live feed!"

With that, he dragged William Lynch out the door.

Yvonne Lowell shook her head in resignation, remaining in the living room with the Leogryph.

She reached out to stroke the Leogryph’s head and murmured to herself, "They... they’ll probably like him, right?"

"ROAR!" ’I don’t know, but for your sake, I can try to like him, I guess.’

...

A little over an hour later, all five of them returned.

When Yvonne Lowell saw the irrepressible smiles on Uncle Stark and Auntie Dahlia’s faces, she knew her handsome man was in the clear.

Sure enough, when she looked behind them, Leo Grant had a calm expression, and his face was indeed un-scuffed.

In contrast, William Lynch and Nolan Crawford were both sporting new bruises on their faces.

Yvonne Lowell raised an eyebrow. ’Didn’t those two just go to watch the show? How did they end up getting hit?’

And that promised live feed? She never got a video call.

"Auntie Dahlia called those two over for a spar, and she took them down in less than three moves. Uncle Stark and I weren’t even finished yet, and they already ended up like this."

Leo Grant, seeming to notice her confusion, leaned in to explain and report the results of his own battle.

"I managed to fight Uncle Stark to a draw. But he mentioned you beat him when you were sixteen, so it looks like I still have a ways to go."

"Fighting him to a draw is already incredible. It looks like you’ve passed their test," Yvonne Lowell said softly, squeezing his palm.

A spark of delighted surprise flashed in Leo Grant’s eyes. ’Two roadblocks, gone just like that.’ He suddenly felt he could endure a few more beatings!

Auntie Dahlia cleared her throat, bursting the pink bubble around the two of them.

"Yvonne, have you set your heart on him?"