Chapter 27

When it came to David going to Gorshire, there had been some room for reconsideration initially, but not after all these things had happened. Now he had to go.

Now that the matter had been decided, plus his body suddenly drained of strength, he was no longer in the mood to go to college and spent his days loitering here and there.

Despite having gone to the hospital a few times for examination, no anomaly had been found, and both the doctor and the rest of the Taylor family felt that it was a psychological effect.

Because he was upset about having to go to Gorshire, he started having random thoughts and hallucinating that he had lost his strength.

Liam and the others were very disappointed in him, feeling that he had become a habitual liar, making up laughable excuses like getting weak to avoid going to Gorshire.

Who would get weak for no reason unless it was due to illness? And he had been to the hospital many times. Even the hospital’s dean had said that David was fine, so what was he whining about?

Thus, the last bit of sympathy that the rest of the Taylor family had towards him had faded.

At home, David felt so aggrieved that he could almost go mad. No one here believed him. Even Emma, whom he had trusted the most, was treating him half–heartedly now.

She had disbelief clearly written on her face, yet verbally, she said, “Okay, okay, don’t be angry, I believe you, alright? You’ve lost your strength and become a little princess…”

With a boom, David suddenly stood up. The movement was so drastic that it shook vigorously as he bumped into the table.

He really could not tolerate the child–coaxing tone that Emma was taking with him now.

Paying no more attention to her, David raked his fingers through his hair in frustration, then ran outside.

However, after running a few steps outside, he stopped again. Though it was clearly and infinitely open outside, he had a feeling of having nowhere to go.

Having realized this, David felt even more frustrated.

He had no other place to go!

At that moment, the phone in his pocket rang.

Picking it up, he asked, “Who?” He was in a terrible mood, so his tone was neither friendly.

“Hoho, who made Mr. William angry?” The voice from the other end sounded mocking.

David furrowed his brows tightly. He knew this voice. It was Jackson Clark, whom he did not get along well with back in school. Back then, Jackson liked a certain girl, and confessed to her with a lot of fanfare, yet in the end, the girl ignored him and pursued David right after that. Jackson felt that his dignity had been trampled upon.

How could Jackson take such humiliation? So he went straight to David for a showdown.

And David obliged. The two had a solid fight, and David viciously beat Jackson.

The Clark family was no less influential than the Taylor family. It was just that they were mainly based in Nebuland, not Evervale. And so here in Evervale, they could not outshine a local power like the Taylors.

After that defeat, Jackson became sworn rivals with David, and the two would try to resettle their scores every now and then.

Clearly, nothing good was coming out of this phone call. Being in a poor mood and having no desire to bother with it, David was about to hang up the call when Jackson started provoking him further, igniting David’s anger with just a few sentences.

It just so happened that David had frustrations to let out, so he went straight to the place Jackson mentioned.

“You’ve come?” Standing over a pool table, Jackson made a shot with his cue stick, then raised his gaze to glance at David.

David leaned against the pool table, folded his arms before his chest, and said harshly, “What did you call me here for? Talk!”

“Let’s have a match!” Jackson gestured with his chin, signaling the people around them to put the billiard balls back in proper position. “You’re going abroad soon. I won’t be able to see Mr. William in the future.”

David’s expression darkened. “Are you mocking me?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare!” Jackson grinned cheekily. “I’m nowhere capable enough to get exiled by the family like you, Mr. William.”

As Jackson finished that sentence, David’s fist landed on the tabletop. Jackson glanced at it briefly, then harrumphed coldly, “What happened? It’s been a few days, don’t tell me Mr. William has weakened? The table didn’t even shake. Your strength isn’t working?”

He sinisterly stepped forward, made a fist, and playfully bumped it against David’s chest.

Frustrated, David raised a hand and made to push Jackson’s hand away, but… try as he might, he could not do it.

Upon seeing this, Jackson’s grin grew happier. “So Mr. William has really lost his strength. I thought it was just a rumor.” Jackson laughed out loud for a moment, then his expression suddenly became cold, and he grabbed David’s collar straight away, staring at the latter with a stern gaze. “Today, I’ve got you!”

Then he threw David to the ground and clapped. “Come, let’s give Mr. William a lesson! Today, I’ve booked this whole place. No monitoring, and it’s all my people around here.”

His tone was extremely malicious. “Today, we will not let him leave until we’ve beaten the arrogance out of him!”

The people around them slowly closed in. David had a calm expression but was starting to panic inside.

This was the first time he felt afraid.

At this moment, he suddenly thought of what Olivia had said. “Do you know… what it feels like to have neither strength nor power?”

So, this was what it felt like.

It was like a fish on a chopping board, about to be butchered.

David hugged his head and squatted down.

It was the only thing he could do.

However, the expected punches did not land. There was only a chuckle… from Jackson.

David lifted his gaze and looked over to see Jackson sitting on the tabletop, resting his arms on the cue stick and examining David through squinted eyes.

It was a gaze David had never seen before. He had never seen Jackson like this.

This young man, like him, had always been arrogant and overbearing and had never behaved like this:

calm, with a hint of jealousy in his eyes.

What was Jackson jealous of him for?

David suddenly wanted to laugh at the thought that he was worthy of someone’s jealousy.

“Go.” Jackson gestured with his chin.

David did not move.

“What?” Jackson continued mockingly. “Wanna stay longer? Get another round of beating?”

David looked at Jackson steadily. “Why?” He did not believe that Jackson would be that kind, to go to great lengths to get him here to give him a scare.

Sons of great families like them always had a measured approach to what they said and did.

David knew that Jackson would not inflict death or serious injury on him. At most, it would be a beating to satisfy Jackson’s vengeance.

When brought before the adults, this kind of tussle between children would always end in rapprochement, in which the aggressor would make amends and nothing more.

It would never become a fight to the death.

Jackson’s personality was similar to his and had all the advantages at this moment, and yet all Jackson did was give him a scare.

This baffled David a lot.

“Why didn’t you start hitting?” David asked again.

This clearly provoked Jackson, who threw down the cue stick, went forward, then grabbed and tugged at David’s collar. His other hand was closed into a fist, ready to give David a vicious beating.

Yet, after shaking for quite a while, the fist was never swung out.

Upon seeing this, David felt even more mystified.

“You are such a lucky dude!” Jackson said in a frustrated tone, filled with jealousy, as he let go of David.

Was he lucky? David frowned. Wasn’t Jackson just as fortunate in life?

Weren’t they the same, born into wealthy families as the younger children, with older brothers to shoulder responsibilities on the one hand and parents and other elder siblings to provide love on the other? Weren’t they both free to do whatever they wanted?

David was getting confused.

Jackson did not want to bother talking with him anymore. Instead, Jackson took out a rustic little wooden box from his pocket and threw it towards David. “Take this, it’s the antidote.”

What antidote? David was getting more and more confused.

“It’s from Olivia.” Jackson was so jealous he could turn green. He had followed behind Olivia for so long, addressing her lovingly and even enrolling in the medical course to be with her, and yet Olivia had always treated him coldly.

What had this David got, other than a bit of blood relation? Who was he to garner so much attention from Olivia, even so much effort on her part in educating him?

Jackson was angry, upset, and jealous!

“Scram, go do a blood test.” Jackson shooed, “Olivia said that you’d been fed with drugs when you were a kid, that gave you a bad temper. It’s dissolved into your blood now and hard to undo, so it’s up to you to control yourself.”

David frowned. He was now totally flabbergasted, unable to understand what was going on.

Why would Jackson be in contact with Olivia?

“Remember to test your blood. It’s got…” Jackson could not recall the substance’s name, so from his pocket, he fished out a strip of paper with a chemical formula written on it and then threw it towards David. “Yeah, this substance. You go do a careful exam.”

And with that, he left the premises with all his people in tow.

Eventually, only David was left, staring blankly at the wooden box and strip of paper.

She… Olivia went to such great lengths to teach him?

Since he was a kid, all he had faced were lectures, beatings, scolding, or just expressions of annoyance.

Never before had someone been so thoughtful for his sake!