Chapter 556: Forming a Good Connection
Howard Thorne finally cracked and confessed.
"Don’t you dare let this slip. I’m just helping her through a tough time. If she doesn’t get engaged to me, her stepmom is going to sell her to a gambler. That bastard works at Second Uncle’s distillery. He’s into drinking, whoring, and gambling—rotten to the core. Marrying a man like that is a dead-end, and besides, Kelley Xavier’s grades are so good. It would be a real shame if she didn’t go to college."
"And you’re sure the Xavier family will agree to you swooping in?" Patrick Thorne asked calmly.
Howard Thorne puffed out his chest, his tone full of conviction. "As long as the Xavier family isn’t blind, they’ll definitely agree. I’m a hell of a lot better than that gambler."
"That gambler is at least an official employee at the distillery. He gets a salary every month. You’re still in school and might not even get into college. How are you any better than him?" Patrick Thorne’s words were like a dagger, piercing Howard’s inflated ego. He immediately deflated like a punctured ball, hanging his head in dejection.
"Then what should I do? I can’t just let Kelley walk into the fire!"
"Don’t tell me you actually like Kelley," Patrick asked, cutting right to the heart of the matter.
Tang Xiaonan pricked up her ears. She wanted to know, too.
Howard’s face turned beet-red, a rare shyness appearing on his features. "I... I never said I liked her! I’m just helping out. This is me, being a hero."
"Then does she like you?" Tang Xiaonan asked curiously.
Howard shook his head vigorously, saying with absolute certainty, "No way. She’s aiming for a top university. We’re on completely different paths. We’d never end up together."
’How could a girl like Kelley Xavier possibly like a slacker like him?’
’As if a poet would fall for a brute.’
Patrick rolled his eyes in disgust. "Then why are you bothering with all this charity work? You’re not getting anything out of it. If Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma find out, they’ll skin you alive!"
"Patrick, Howard is just sowing good karma. He’ll be rewarded for it," Tang Xiaonan said earnestly.
’Kelley Xavier was the type of person who always repaid kindness. The book said that after she became famous, she paid back everyone who had ever helped her, no matter how small the favor. Kelley remembered everything. Building some good karma with her was a great idea.’
Howard nodded again and again. "My sister’s right, it’s about sowing good karma. In any case, I can’t just stand by and watch Kelley walk into the fire. My mind is made up—I’m helping her."
He shot a harsh glare at Patrick and raised his fist threateningly. "If you breathe a word of this..."
"As if I have nothing better to do. It’s none of my damn business!"
Annoyed, Patrick rolled his eyes, then jumped into the water to splash around with Jim. Howard breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled at Tang Xiaonan, resolving to find Kelley the next day and bring her home for a meal.
Tang Xiaonan, however, felt a nagging worry. ’It won’t be that easy,’ she thought. ’That stepmother is incredibly vicious. She wants Kelley to live a miserable life, to never amount to anything. She’ll probably whisper poison in Mr. Xavier’s ear and turn him against the engagement to Howard.’
"Howard, does Grandpa know about you and Kelley?" Tang Xiaonan asked deliberately.
Howard shook his head. It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision; he hadn’t even thought of it himself a few days ago, so there was no way Grandpa could know. ’But I should probably tell Grandpa about this,’ he realized. ’Things will probably go more smoothly with his help.’
"I’ll tell Grandpa tomorrow."
Howard pinched Tang Xiaonan’s nose, feeling his heart lighten. ’First, I’ll find Kelley tomorrow, then go see Grandpa. The engagement should be as good as settled then.’
The next day after breakfast, Howard ran off to Xavier Village again. Tang Xiaonan went to the Hawthorne family’s house to play for a while, but she still felt uneasy. She had a bad feeling something was going to happen, so after lunch, she rounded up Jim and Patrick to head to Xavier Village with her.