Chapter 22 I Will Not Treat It âQuiana, you have to save Max! Heâs your only nephew.â
âWhat happened, Melinda?â
The following morning, Finnegan had just finished Desmondâs treatment when he heard his aunt, Melinda Cork, crying in their courtyard.
âIâll go take a look, Dad,â he said before stepping out of the house, only to see Melinda. clutching Quianaâs hands in sheer desperation and agony.
Upon seeing Finnegan, Melinda let go of her sister-in-law and rushed toward him, seemingly wanting to grab his hand.
Thankfully, Finnegan managed to dodge her in time. I think I know what sheâs so upset about⦠Max mustâve been diagnosed with leukemia.
âFinny, you have to save Max!â
âWhatâs wrong with Max, Aunt Melinda?â Finnegan replied, feigning ignorance.
Melinda knew Finnegan was merely putting on an act, but given that she needed his help, how could she expose him? âAfter what you said yesterday, we immediately sent Max for a check-up. It turns out he really does have leukemia, and weâve already hospitalized him.â
Kind-hearted as usual, Quiana grew increasingly worried. âWhat? So itâs true that Max has leukemia?
What should we do now, then?â
âThe doctor said Max requires a bone marrow transplant, and a family donor would most. likely give the best outcome,â Adrian blurted out, looking nothing like his usual quiet and reserved self. âSadly, Mel, Helen, and I arenât compatible donors, so weâre turning to you, Finny, and Rhia for help.â
âPlease help us,â Melinda begged as she wiped away her tears. âWeâd be able to save a lot of money if we can find a family donor.â
Just as Quiana was about to agree, Finnegan pulled her back and fixed his aunt with a cold. stare.
âWhat gives you the right?â
âFinnegan Larkin, are you even human? Max is your blood-related cousin, for goodnessâ sake. How can you be so selfish?â Melinda fumed.
Quiana, too, tugged at her son angrily. âHow can you say that?â
Alas, Finnegan remained unfazed. âMom, have you forgotten how they treated us? When Granddad and Granny were still alive, Uncle Adrian insisted we took care of them because he claimed we were more well-off. I didnât mind that because itâs right to do what we can for the elderly. However, as soon as something happened to us, Uncle Adrian and his family ignored. everything we had done for them and turned their backs on us. They were so eager to put some distance between our families!
So what if he eventually loaned us two thousand? That was only because you got on your knees and begged for it. We even had to pay him back double! Have they ever cared about familial ties? More recently, they learned about our relocation compensation and showed up at our house to guilt-trip us into lending them. money. How much more shameless can they get? Theyâre now putting on the same act because Max needs a bone marrow donor. What gives them the right?â
After hearing Finneganâs articulate speech, Quiana fell silent while the Lanes turned red in the face.
However, the thought of Maxâs dire situation was too much to bear, and Melinda shamelessly replied, âThatâs all in the past now, Finny. Thereâs no need for such pettiness. Besides, weâre family. Why should we hold on to these grudges?â
âIâm your uncle. Do you expect me to get on my knees and beg you? Must you be so ruthless?â Adrian chimed in.
âSorry. We wonât help even if you did that. We arenât obliged to.â Finnegan scoffed before turning to Quiana. âMom, I hope youâll listen to me on this matter. Trust me. Some family members arenât worth helping.â
Just then, Quiana recalled her sonâs impressive medical skills. âFinny, since you were able to treat your father, do you think you can do the same for Max?â
âQuiana, Finny has never even attended university. How is he able to treat illnesses?â Adrian asked, clearly taken aback.
Having recalled the incident from the day before, Melinda beamed with joy. âOh, thatâs right! Finny, you could tell that Max has leukemia, so does that mean you can treat it too?â
Finnegan glanced at his mother and huffed in exasperation. âMom, if I can diagnose the condition, I can also treat it. However, I wonât treat those who are disloyal, unfilial, and immoral.â
Hmph. Uncle Adrian and his family are guilty of three of my ten non-treatment rules. Thereâs no way Iâll help them.
âFinny, Max is your cousin. You-â
Before Quiana could finish her words, Finnegan interrupted, âI have to head out to run some errands, Mom. See you later.â
With that, the man strode off, leaving Melinda boiling with rage. âFinnegan Larkin, you selfish, heartless b*stard! Youâre inhuman!â
The next second, she turned to Quiana and scolded, âWhat about you? Are you going to be as cold-
blooded as your sc*mbag son? You promised Dad and Mom to take care of us! Is this how you should be treating us?â
Adrian, too, clutched his chest in agony. âQuiana, is this how you should act as a sister and aunt?
Whereâs your conscience?â
Alas, no matter how hard she tried, Quiana couldnât bring herself to say no to her family. âFinny wonât listen to me. Iâll go to the hospital with Rhia and check if weâre compatible donors. Will that do?â
Almost immediately, Melindaâs attitude took a hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. âWhat are you still waiting for, then? Are you going to wait till Maxâs condition worsens?â she urged.
After leaving home, Finnegan took a taxi to Xendale instead of getting a lift from Alisha.
As soon as he exited the car, Rhiannonâs call came in. âUncle Adrian and Aunt Melinda are utterly disgusting, Finn! They guilt-tripped Mom into testing if sheâs a compatible bone marrow donor for that jerk, Max. She also wants me to go with her. Otherwise, she said sheâll disown meâ¦â
Finneganâs gaze darkened as he let out a bitter chuckle. Ha! Why am I not surprised? âGo with her, then. Mom is old and in poor health, so thereâs no way the doctor will approve her as a donor. Youâll be fine, too. Maxâs leukemia isnât that easily curable.â
After leaving Rhiannon with some more advice, Finnegan finally hung up and went to the Miles residence.
The Miles family had prepared the medicinal herbs per Finneganâs instructions, so the latter asked for a room to begin formulating the medicine. As everyone had different physical attributes, the same prescription required different formulations.
Therefore, even if someone were to research the ingredients in Finneganâs prescription, no one would be able to tell the specific ratios used for each herb.
Two hours later, Finnegan had prepared fifteen daysâ worth of medicine and promptly handed them to Gilbert. âBrew one packet a day and finish it in three doses. Remember to carry on with your breathing exercises. After three days, youâll lose around twenty pounds, and the infection will disappear. At the five-day mark, new tissue will start growing in your wounds and continue to do so until the tenth day.
The wounds will be fully healed at the end of fifteen days.â
âThank you, Mr. Larkin!â Gilbert exclaimed as he happily passed the medicine to his housekeeper.
r âMr. Larkin, not only does your medicine have a slimming effect, but it also speeds up wound healing.
Do you think they can be formulated into two standalone medicines?â Kathleen suddenly asked.
Needless to say, Gilbert immediately understood what his wife was trying to imply. If we can separate this into two individual medicines, thatâd be two massive revenue streams. Theyâd be worth tens of trillions!
Of course, it didnât take long before Finnegan saw through Kathleenâs intentions. âWe can indeed create two standalone medicines, Mrs. Miles,â he said smilingly. âHowever, I donât have plans for that endeavor yet. Please keep this between us.â
Without further ado, Finnegan shared some other instructions and bade farewell to the Mileses. He had already solved Gilbertâs problem, so there was just no point in staying longer.
Kathleen watched the manâs retreating figure and turned to her husband. âGilbert, what do you think of Mr. Larkin? I feel heâs hiding something even more spectacular than the two medicines I mentioned earlier.â
âWe must remain close friends with Mr. Larkin Gilbert replied solemnly. âEven if he doesnât share his prescriptions with us, we can get him to save us in critical times.â
âThat was your intention for giving him Dragon Bayâs No. 1 Villa last night, wasnât it?â
âAfter so many years, youâre still the one who knows me best.â