The Healing Avenger novel Chapter 14

“You idiot, are the gears in your head rusty? I can't believe you didn't take the opportunity despite how initiative Rhia's senior was!”

“Mom, I'm not interested in her in that way. You can't force me to go. Also, I'm going to the Zimmerman residence for dinner tonight, so I'm not free.”

“I don't care. You'll have to take action when you treat her in the future. Hurry up and get into an official relationship with her.”

“Finny, your mother is right. With our family's terms, we can't be picky. Don't miss the opportunity if she's interested in you.”

Rhiannon told their parents about what happened between Finnegan and Lindsey the moment they reached home. In response, Desmond and Quiana berated him.

It was only when evening came did Finnegan leave home to go to the Zimmerman residence for dinner.

“Parents who force their children to get married are terrible,” Finnegan commented under his breath while he was on his way to Xendale.

He had already refused to work as Bernice's assistant in Firebird Group, so he could not refuse to have dinner with her too.

By the time he reached Xendale, the sky was almost completely dark. Once the security called the Zimmermans to ensure that they were expecting a guest, the security let Finnegan into the neighborhood.

Vroom!

Right as he was about to reach the Zimmerman residence, the engine sounds of a sports car came from behind him. A Maserati was speeding over, and Finnegan was sure the driver was driving faster than eighty kilometers per hour.

The driver only spotted Finnegan when they were dozens of meters away from him. Hastily, they slammed their foot on the brakes and honked at him.

The corner of Finnegan's lips twitched. “What the hell? Do the rich not care about human lives?”

Are they really driving that fast in a neighborhood with speed limits of twenty kilometers per hour?

But the car was meters away from Finnegan by then, so there was no time for Finnegan to do anything but dodge to the side. As he was too close to the side of the road, his clothes were torn by the branches of an ornamental tree.

The sports car zoomed past him and finally stopped dozens of meters away from him. There were even skid marks on the road.

A dark look crept onto Finnegan's face.

If someone else was in his place, they would have been run over by the car.

Just as Finnegan was about to walk over to the car, a stack of cash was thrown out of the car, and a woman's impatient voice rang out.

“Look where you walk next time. This is for your clothes.” With that, the driver started the car again and sped off.

Finnegan's expression darkened even more as he walked over to pick up the wad of cash.

By the time he turned his head, the sports car was no longer anywhere to be found. “She has no regard for human lives at all. Is this how rich people behave?”

After keeping the money, Finnegan suppressed his displeasure and continued his way to the Zimmerman residence.

Just as he pressed the doorbell, Bernice opened the door for him. “Finnegan!”

Finnegan's eyes lit up when he took in the sight of Bernice, and the frustration he felt earlier had dissipated.

Bernice was wearing a fitting white dress with a silk belt on her waist. Her outfit accentuated her already-perfect body. She was also wearing a pair of light blue heeled sandals, which made her slender legs look even slimmer.

Her divine appearance, along with her graceful demeanor, was a sight to behold.

When she realized Finnegan was staring at her, she blushed and lowered her head. “Finnegan?”

Her voice was soft, and she sounded shy.

Realizing that he had lost his composure, Finnegan cleared his throat and said, “Hello, Ms. Zimmerman.”

Bernice gave him a small smile. “You don't need to be so polite. You can just call me by my name. Come in. My parents are waiting for you.”

Perhaps she was clumsy, or perhaps she was nervous about seeing Finnegan. When she turned around, she twisted her ankle and fell forward.

Finnegan was quick to react as he lunged forward to circle his arm around her waist to catch her. Instinctively, she grabbed him as well.

When their eyes met, Bernice's face turned redder as her heartbeat sped up.

Finnegan was dazed by the sight of Bernice in his arms, and he had completely forgotten that he needed to let her go.

“You guys...”

Right then, Patrick and Jennifer, who had come out to look for them, saw Finnegan and Bernice hugging. Jennifer was taken aback.

She had never seen Bernice being so intimate with anyone.

Finnegan and Bernice snapped back to their senses and quickly parted. Nervously, Bernice explained, “Mom, it's not what you think. I nearly fell, and Finnegan caught me.”

“You nearly fell, and he caught you?” Jennifer parroted with a strange look.

The two of you were hugging each other! What do you mean by he caught you?

Bernice immediately figured that Jennifer had misunderstood the situation.

However, before she could clarify anything, Patrick cleared his throat and said, “Um, let's bring this inside.”

Jennifer nodded slowly. “Yes, let's head inside first.”

Bernice turned to look at Finnegan with an amused smile and asked, “What do we do? My parents think that we're in a relationship now.”

Finnegan more or less knew Bernice, so he teased, “So be it, then.”

What?

Bernice's earlobes were hot, and her cheeks were rosy. She spun around and protested, “It's not that simple.”

Finnegan chuckled and stopped dwelling on it as he followed Bernice into the house.

“Mr. Larkin, your clothes...”

Right as Jennifer was about to call the rest to the dining room, she realized there was a tear in Finnegan's clothes.

Finnegan turned to look at the tear. “I accidentally tore it while trying to avoid a car earlier.”

“I'll take you to get changed, then,” Jennifer replied.

Just as she was about to ask the housekeeper to get some new clothes for Finnegan, Bernice led Finnegan away.

The Zimmerman couple saw her actions, and Patrick could not help but mutter hesitantly, “Jen, when did Bernie become so warm to others?”

Jennifer hooked her arm around her husband's and smiled bitterly. “It looks like it's almost time for our daughter to go separate ways from us.”

After changing, Finnegan went to the dining room with Bernice. The Zimmerman couple had already taken their seats, and the sumptuous dishes had all been served.

Once the housekeeper filled their glasses with wine, Patrick lifted his glass and stood up. “Mr. Larkin, thank you for curing Bernie.”

Jennifer stood up with her husband. “Thank you for saving Bernie five years ago. Otherwise, she would have been hurt by Killian, that animal. You're Bernie's and our family's savior. Here's a toast to you.”

Bernice stood up as well and said sincerely, “Thank you.”

Finnegan could not refuse their toasts.

“No need for such courtesy. Mr. Zimmerman, Mrs. Zimmerman, please just call me by my name too.”

Patrick chuckled. “All right. You can just call us by our names too.”

Once they drank the alcohol, the four of them loosened up. Patrick and Jennifer kept talking to Finnegan, and Bernice ended up getting neglected.

The man smiled. “I don't know her, but I almost got hit by Ms. Miles' car when I came here. But now it seems that I was the one who was in the wrong!”

“I was in a hurry to go back and see my father, and I already compensated you for the damages,” retorted Sasha with a look of annoyance.

The Zimmerman family's expression turned solemn as they pondered whether to tell Sasha that the person they were looking for was none other than Finnegan.

“Do you think that compensation can solve the matter, Ms. Miles?” Finnegan questioned.

“How can it not solve the matter?” she challenged.

After hearing the woman's shameless response, Finnegan replied with a hint of playful mockery, “Oh, I see. I've learned something new today.”

Suddenly, he picked up the ashtray on the coffee table and pretended to smash it at Sasha.

The woman was petrified; she immediately covered her head with her hands to protect herself. Unfortunately, she slipped and landed on the ground.

“What the heck are you doing?” Trey bellowed as he rushed over to help his sister.

Finnegan, who had tried to scare her, put down the ashtray and casually threw the stack of cash from his pocket onto the ground. “According to Ms. Miles' logic, there's no need to apologize for scaring people as long as you pay some money. So I'm compensating for my behavior. Mr. Miles, don't get angry. Otherwise, you'll be a hypocrite!”

Trey was left speechless, and he reluctantly glanced at his sister.

Since Finnegan was just following Sasha's logic, he had no reason to scold him.

Feeling the pain from the fall, Sasha shouted, “You jerk! How dare you trick me? Who do you think you are? Are you even worthy to compare yourself to me?”

Finnegan sneered and sat down, not planning to respond to her.

Seeing that the conflict was about to escalate, Patrick cleared his throat and interjected, “Ms. Miles, you scared Finnegan while you were driving earlier. Now that he has scared you, you're even. All of you are young people; let's not be so petty.”

Since they were still at the Zimmerman residence and needed the Zimmermans' help, Trey quickly stopped his sister from another outburst. She was clearly embarrassed and angry beyond words.

Trey said stiffly, “Mr. Zimmerman, could you introduce us to the expert who woke Ms. Zimmerman? He was able to save her when many experts could not. Hence, he might be able to cure my father's old ailment.”

Patrick smiled awkwardly. “Even if I introduce him to you, I don't think he would be willing to treat Mr. Miles.”

He remembered how he was made to kneel and apologize to Finnegan because he had disrespected him. It did not matter if he was Bernice's father.

Given Sasha's rude attitude toward Finnegan earlier, it was useless to tell Trey the truth. Based on Finnegan's style of doing things, the consequences would be dire.

After glaring at Finnegan, Sasha proudly declared, “Mr. Zimmerman, there are no experts in this world who cannot be bought. If we can't hire him, it just means the price is not high enough. So all you need to do is tell us!”

Patrick glanced at the siblings and sighed inwardly. “Well, I guess you can try. The one who revived Bernie was Finnegan Larkin.”

What did he say?

The siblings looked at Finnegan in unison, their expressions changing slightly.

It may seem like Patrick was joking, but they also understood that there was no need for the man to tease them.

Sasha scowled and sneered, “It was you?”

After taking a sip of his coffee, Finnegan responded, “Why couldn't it be me?”

The woman grabbed her brother's arm and said, “Let's go, Trey. We can only blame our bad luck if it really was him, but I don't believe he is more capable than the other experts. He might even be less capable than the people at the National Medical Center.”

Trey had the same reaction as his sister when he learned that the expert was Finnegan. However, he was a little more restrained than her. He nodded to Patrick and said, “Mr. Zimmerman, we won't disturb you then.”

After watching the Miles siblings leave, Bernice smiled and said, “Finnegan, in the whole of Jadeborough, I think only you dare to challenge Sasha.”

Finnegan replied calmly, “If you constantly mess with others, you'll be faced with retribution one day!”

Patrick and his wife looked at the man and then at each other. After the incident just now, their perception of him had changed slightly.