Babel Novel
Chapter 18
Chapter 18
Chapter 18 Repulsive Faces
Quiana wore a bitter expression as she said, “Rhia, please don’t speak like that. They are your
relatives, after all.”
Melinda huffed in agreement, “That’s right. Is that how you speak to your elders? Moreover, when your father was left paralyzed after being beaten up previously, our family was willing to lend you two thousand, so what’s wrong with asking you to lend us some money now?”
“How do you have the audacity to say that?” Rhiannon’s face flushed red with anger. “You lent us the two thousand after my mother begged you on her knees. Moreover, you even shamelessly charged us interest and made us pay four thousand!”
“Isn’t it customary to charge others interest when lending money to another person? Just cut to the chase and tell me whether your family is willing to lend us the money.”
“Aunt Quiana, your family will receive four million in compensation for the relocation, so what’s the harm in lending us three million?”
“Relatives should help one another. How can you be so heartless when we need assistance now?”
Melinda acted willfully while her son, Max Lane, and her daughter, Helen Lane, chimed in with their opinions, preventing Rhiannon from interjecting.
Hearing that, Finnegan roughly figured out what had happened.
Poker-faced, he pushed open the metal door and entered.
Rhiannon hastily approached him and said, “Finn, hurry up and chase Uncle Adrian and his family out of here. They are without shame. When Dad was met with mishaps in the past, and we needed money, Mom begged them on her knees for half a day, yet they only loaned. us two thousand. After that, they demanded we repay them four thousand for the principal and interest. Now that they know we’ll receive the relocation compensation, they knocked on our door early in the morning to borrow money from us.”
Finnegan patted Rhiannon’s shoulder to calm her down. Only then did he turn to gaze at Adrian and his family.
Melinda immediately uttered with a smile, “You’re back, Finny. We’ve missed. you. You should persuade your parents to lend us the money now that you’re here. Max needs to buy a house for his wedding. Otherwise, the girl won’t agree to marry him!”
On the day of his return, Desmond invited Adrian and his family over to have a meal, but they mercilessly rejected the invitation. Hence, Finnegan doubted those relatives, who would only show up when there was something to gain, would actually miss him.
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“Aunt Melinda, doesn’t your family own a house and a commercial property? Can’t you give one of the properties to Max for him to get married?”
“That won’t do!” Melinda shook her head. “Not to mention, we have rented out one of the properties for three thousand a month. Even if we don’t rent it out, we must keep the properties ourselves. In the future, your Uncle Adrian and I will each stay in one unit, so Max and Helen still lack a property each. Therefore, after your family receives the relocation fund, we’ll borrow three million from you to purchase another house.”
Her selfish and entitled demeanor disgusted Finnegan.
Nonetheless, after glancing at his mother, who was caught in a tight spot, Finnegan didn’t ask them to leave at once. “If we lend the money to you, where will we stay?”
Unexpectedly, Melinda provided an utterly inconsiderate response. “You can rent a house temporarily. We’ll repay you when Max makes money. Relatives should help one another. Besides, Max is the Lane family’s only male descendant. You and your family can’t just do nothing and watch as he fails to get married, right?”
Suppressing his rage, Finnegan retorted, “I’m also my family’s only male descendant. Moreover, I’m one year older than Max. Don’t I need to buy a house and get married?”
Melinda was instantaneously displeased. “Finny, Max is your cousin, so shouldn’t you care for him? You’re too selfish!”
Max cut in, “That’s right. How can you compare yourself to me? The Lane family relies on me to extend its bloodline since I’m the only male descendant. On the other hand, the Larkin family still consists of your Uncle Raymond. Your family name will be passed on even if you don’t get married!”
Melinda waved her hand impatiently. “That’s enough. He’s too self-centered and only thinks about himself. Let’s stop talking to him!”
Then, she turned to target Quiana. “Quiana, just tell me whether you’re willing to lend me the money. You promised to take care of our family after Mom and Dad passed away. You’ll be as lowly as a person can be if you go back on your words now.”
Quiana felt a little helpless. “Melinda, three million is too much. We also wish to pay the downpayment for a property to prepare for Finny’s wedding in the future. I’ll lend you five hundred thousand after I receive the relocation fund. What do you say?”
“Five hundred thousand? That’s just being stingy!” Melinda’s voice turned shrill. “Lend us three million if you’re going to do it. We’ll contribute a little and buy a house outright for Max. Otherwise, who’ll pay for his loan in the future? Quiana, as Max’s aunt, how can you be so selfish and let Max suffer?”
Quiana hurriedly explained in a panic, “That’s not what I meant. 1-
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Finnegan stopped his mother and stared impassively at Melinda, who was a selfish person accusing others of being self-centered.
“Aunt Melinda, I think you don’t need to buy a house for Max because he won’t live long enough to move into the new house.”
“B*stard! How dare you curse your cousin!”
Melinda immediately lashed out at Finnegan. However, he merely pulled Quiana aside and dodged the assault without retaliating. Failing to steady herself, Melinda tripped on a stool and fell onto the ground. © NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.
She yelped and bellowed, “Are you two blind? Can’t you see I’m getting bullied?”
Only then did Adrian and Max come back to their senses.
Max, who had snapped out of it first, tried booting Finnegan right away. “F*ck you! How dare you say that? I’ll kill you!”
Finnegan didn’t hold back when facing Max. He kicked the latter and sent him sprawling on the ground while simultaneously roaring, “This is my house. I’ll forcefully chase all of you out of here if you continue causing a stir!”
Adrian, Melinda, and Helen shuddered. They didn’t dare to move an inch afterward as they didn’t anticipate Finnegan to be so fierce.
Quiana tugged at Finnegan. “Why did you hit him out of the blue and utter such nonsense?”
Finnegan calmed himself and said, “Mom, if I don’t fight back, should I have let him harm me instead? Besides, I’m not spouting nonsense. Max is indeed not going to live much longer. He has leukemia.”
Max, who was being helped up from the floor, scolded, “Bullsh*t! I’m fine.”
Hearing Max’s vulgar remark, Finnegan kept his murderous intent under control. “You experienced three episodes of fever in the past month, and the condition recurred a few days. after you got well. You also occasionally vomit and feel lethargic. Also, the wound on your arm hasn’t recovered even after twenty days, right?”
The enraged expression on Max’s face instantaneously stiffened. “How did you know that?”
He had been feeling under the weather recently, and the total time he had spent on a drip was over ten days.
Adrian, Melinda, and Helen stopped throwing fits too.
Finnegan sneered, “Quit visiting clinics. You’re suffering from leukemia, so your body’s
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immune system is weakening. Receiving drips and taking medication can only temporarily relieve your symptoms but won’t help cure the illness. I suggest you go for a checkup at the hospital as soon as possible. Perhaps you can live for another six months by doing that. Otherwise, you’ll start
experiencing persistent high-grade fevers, and the wound on your arm will become severely infected. By then, you won’t even last for another two months.”
Max gulped. He wanted to refute Finnegan’s statement, but the latter had accurately described all his symptoms.
He immediately lost his cool and urged his parents, “Hurry up and bring me to the hospital for a health checkup.” Then, Max turned around to warn Finnegan, “If nothing is wrong with me, and your family is still unwilling to lend us the money, I’ll beat you to death!”
Subsequently, Max and his family left in a hurry. Peace and quietness ensued in the courtyard.
Quiana rebuked, “Finny, how can you scare your Uncle Adrian’s family in that manner?”
Finnegan replied, “Mom, I’m not scaring them. Max, that disrespectful and rude piece of trash, is indeed ill with leukemia. Just wait for it if you don’t believe me. They will definitely come here again later today or tomorrow.”
Recalling the medical expertise displayed by Finnegan, Quiana uttered worryingly, “Max is still so young. How did he develop this disease?”