Chapter 53: Chapter 53: We Thought He Would Never Get Married

Yvonne Sutton smiled and walked in. She saw Mr. Rhodes pouting, still looking displeased.

"I’m fine," he said.

"Dad, let me tell you something. You can disrespect me, but you can’t disrespect my wife!" Wyatt Shaw said, a roguish look on his face.

The sight of him acting like this made Mr. Rhodes’s temper flare up again.

"Dad, let’s not go to the hospital. It’ll be fine if I just give you a massage," Yvonne Sutton said in a soft, gentle voice.

In the end, Mr. Rhodes felt too embarrassed to refuse Yvonne Sutton, so he held out his arm for her to take his blood pressure. It was indeed a bit high, but not excessively so.

Yvonne Sutton took Mr. Rhodes’s hand and began massaging it from the palm to the fingertips. As she worked, she asked about his recent daily routine, just as she would when questioning a patient at the clinic.

Mr. Rhodes must have had a bit of a fear of doctors. The moment he heard her tone, he sat up straight and swore he hadn’t had any alcohol recently, nor had he eaten any rich, heavy foods.

"Haven’t you?" Daisy Shaw huffed. "Who’s been secretly ordering takeout at the office? Crayfish, deep-fried skewers, grilled pork belly... And you haven’t quit drinking or smoking, and you hate exercising."

"I... I have not."

"I have a security camera in your office. You still think you can hide it from me?"

Mr. Rhodes pressed his lips together, still looking defiant.

Yvonne Sutton massaged for a little while longer, then took Mr. Rhodes’s blood pressure again. It had dropped significantly.

"First, you need to quit smoking and drinking and get more exercise. That’s essential. Your diet also needs to be light, with a reasonable balance of meat and vegetables." Yvonne Sutton slipped into her professional doctor persona without realizing it, her brow furrowing. "At your age, high blood pressure is very dangerous. It can lead to many other conditions, so you must take it seriously."

"Yes, Doctor. I’ll definitely listen to you."

"Good. Let’s start with quitting smoking and drinking."

"Huh?"

"You can’t?"

"I... I guess I can."

"Excellent. I’ll create a plan for you. We’ll take it step by step."

"So... can I have a drink tonight? As a... as a farewell?"

Yvonne Sutton shook her head. "No."

As Yvonne Sutton spoke, she instinctively reached for a medical chart to take notes. ’My hands are empty.’ It was only then she remembered she wasn’t at the hospital. High blood pressure in pregnant women is extremely dangerous, and she had unconsciously projected that sense of urgency onto Mr. Rhodes. ’I think I might have scared him.’

"AHEM. I’ll be supervising you."

Daisy Shaw nudged her son. "Finally, someone your dad is afraid of."

At dinner, Yvonne Sutton put together a light meal for Mr. Rhodes. Under her supervision, he ate every bite with a wooden expression. At one point, the thought of eating the braised pork belly crossed his mind, but a single soft cough from Yvonne was enough to make him retract his chopsticks.

"I told you, once your blood pressure and all your other levels are normal, you can have a little of the food you like every now and then," Yvonne Sutton said, placing another serving of green vegetables on his plate.

Mr. Rhodes silently picked up his chopsticks and silently ate.

"Very good. After this, I’ll accompany you for a walk outside."

"We have to go for a walk, too?" Mr. Rhodes was shocked.

"Yes. Since you’re usually very busy and don’t have time to exercise, we’ll start with walks in the morning and evening, then gradually increase the intensity. Also, how long has it been since your last full physical?"

"Not that long," Mr. Rhodes mumbled.

"Almost three years," Daisy Shaw said, refusing to cover for him. "Every time he’s due for a checkup, he always comes up with some excuse to put it off."

Mr. Rhodes shot Daisy Shaw a small glare, then lowered his head.

"Then let’s schedule a physical as soon as possible."

"I’ve been quite busy lately."

"This Saturday should be fine, right?"

"I have a meeting on Saturday..."

"I’ll arrange it," Wyatt Shaw said with a grin.

Mr. Rhodes glared at Wyatt Shaw again. He was out of excuses and could only agree.

"Alright then. I’ll go with you."

After dinner, Yvonne Sutton stopped Mr. Rhodes, who was trying to sneak upstairs, and told him it was time for their walk. Wyatt Shaw wanted to join them, but Mr. Rhodes declared that if he came, he wouldn’t go.

Wyatt Shaw scoffed. "As if I’d want to go if it wasn’t to keep my wife company."

The old Rhodes family residence was huge, with woods and lawns that were perfect for a stroll.

Yvonne Sutton was a little reserved at first, but when she saw that Mr. Rhodes was even more awkward than she was, she started to relax.

"How old were you when you started taking over the family business?" Yvonne Sutton asked, looking for a random topic to break the ice.

Mr. Rhodes was immediately transported back to his youth. "I had just graduated from college back then. I was planning to go abroad, but Wyatt’s grandfather’s health suddenly took a turn for the worse, so I had to join the company."

"But what about your older brother, Silas Rhodes’s grandfather?"

"Wyatt Shaw didn’t explain it clearly. My ’older brother’ is the son of my father’s older brother—my cousin. The Rhodes Group was founded by my father."

Yvonne Sutton really hadn’t understood. She thought Rhodes had two children—Wyatt’s uncle and Wyatt’s father. It turned out they were paternal cousins.

"Not long after I joined the company, Wyatt’s grandfather passed away, and I had to step up. That was when many of the company’s problems came to light, and we were thrown into a crisis."

"That must have been very difficult for you."

Mr. Rhodes sighed and nodded. "It was incredibly difficult. To be honest, The Rhodes Group nearly went bankrupt back then. The turning point was a single project."

Mr. Rhodes began telling Yvonne Sutton just how critical the situation had been, how sharp his vision was, how brilliant his decisions were, and how strong his leadership was. He had single-handedly turned the tide and brought The Rhodes Group back from the brink.

In the years that followed, The Rhodes Group faced many more crises, but they overcame them one by one to become the company it is today.

Before they knew it, they had passed through the second gate and walked into the woods.

"Wyatt Shaw is supposed to carry the entire Rhodes Group on his shoulders one day, which is why I was so strict with him since he was a child. But I think I was wrong. The stricter I was, the more he rebelled. In middle school, he even wanted to study music. I smashed his violin, and he ran away from home. It took us a year to find him."

At the mention of it, Mr. Rhodes patted his chest in frustration.

Yvonne Sutton smiled. "But maybe the hardships he endured that year forged the Wyatt Shaw of today. But... did he really love music that much?"

"Hmph. He only did it to spite me. His violin playing nearly gave his great-uncle a heart attack."

Yvonne Sutton couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. Recalling the incident, Mr. Rhodes couldn’t help but laugh as well.

"That little rascal. He raised absolute hell, throwing the entire Rhodes Family into chaos. Even now, his great-uncle’s heart starts racing whenever he sees him. But, just as you said, when he finally came home a year later, he had matured quite a bit."

"Do you know what he did during that year?"

"Me? I didn’t dare to ask."

"Why not?"

"I was afraid it would break my heart."

Yvonne Sutton turned and said earnestly to Mr. Rhodes, "Don’t you worry. He didn’t starve or freeze that year. He was still raising all kinds of hell."

Mr. Rhodes laughed until his eyes turned red. "I’ve never said these things to anyone... not even to Wyatt’s mother."

"You’ve told me."

"Yes. Because you’re Wyatt’s wife. I know I can entrust him to you."

The two of them started walking back. After a moment of silence, Mr. Rhodes suddenly said, "Actually, we never thought he would get married in this lifetime."

Yvonne Sutton paused, stunned. "Why would you think that?"