At last, the Yeats family left—taking Queenie with them.
But John wasn't worried in the slightest.
When he'd promised Queenie a "big surprise," he meant it. And that surprise would soon rock the entire Yeats family to their core.
That promise was the only reason Queenie agreed to return with them in the first place.
After they left, Mr. Wood turned to John with a tone of indignation. "Mr. Lopez, the Yeats couple must be blind! They dared to look down on you... They'll regret it someday."
John glanced at him and asked casually, "You sound happy about that?"
"No, no! Mr. Lopez, you've misunderstood me…" Mr. Wood stammered.
"There's no need to explain," John replied lightly. "To be honest, I don't like them either."
Hearing that, Mr. Wood lit up. Encouraged, he quickly changed the subject. "This is their loss. By the way, Mr. Lopez—do you have a moment? I'd like to introduce someone to you."
"Who?"
"The alliance director—Mr. Hugh Kurds. He's an old college classmate of mine. He's actually waiting at my house right now."
When Mr. Wood heard that something had happened to John at the Brown residence, he rushed there immediately. At the same time, he called Mr. Kurds to ask for backup.
Even though Alan was a martial artist, he still had to respect the state's martial alliance. That was why Mr. Wood reached out to Hugh Kurds—his last resort in case things escalated.
But once he saw that John had resolved the situation on his own, he told Mr. Kurds there was no need to intervene. So instead of heading to the Brown residence, Mr. Kurds went to the Wood estate to wait and share a cup of tea.
John thought for a moment, then nodded. "I have some time. Let's go."
"Excellent!" Mr. Wood beamed.
When they arrived at the Wood estate, Hugh Kurds was already in the living room, enjoying tea alone. He was a man of noble bearing with a warm, upright demeanor.
Mr. Wood and Mr. Kurds had been friends since junior high and attended the same university. Their bond was strong. In fact, during Mr. Wood's recent illness, Hugh Kurds had helped him seek out top doctors—though none could cure him.
"Mr. Kurds!"
Mr. Wood entered with a smile, but then frowned. "Where's Noah? I told him to come home to meet you."
"Ah, no need to trouble him," Hugh said kindly. "Young people are often restless."
"Hmph! I'll have a word with that brat when he gets back," Mr. Wood muttered angrily.
But Hugh just laughed it off. Then his eyes fell on John, and his smile widened.
"Mr. Wood, is this your future son-in-law? Handsome young man! Emily made a fine choice."
John and Emily froze in surprise.
Mr. Wood's face turned red.
Hugh looked at their expressions, confused. "Wait… didn't you call me earlier saying your future son-in-law was in trouble and you needed my help?"
"Ahem!" Mr. Wood coughed loudly to cut him off.
Hugh raised an eyebrow, but quickly caught on. "Ah, I see. You're worried Emily might be shy, right?"
He turned to her with a friendly chuckle. "Come now, Emily. We're practically family already—"
"Uncle Kurds!"
Emily's cheeks flushed scarlet as she glared at him. "Don't listen to my father's nonsense. This is Mr. John Lopez!"
Then, flustered and embarrassed, she turned and stormed off to her room. As she passed Mr. Wood, she stepped firmly on his foot.
"Ow…"
Hugh blinked, baffled.
Mr. Wood gave a sheepish smile. "She's gotten a bit wild—just like her brother. Mr. Kurds, allow me to introduce you properly. This is Mr. John Lopez—the miraculous doctor who cured me."
"So he's that doctor you kept talking about?" Hugh's eyes widened.
Clearly, he'd heard about John before.
"You're young and incredibly accomplished, Mr. Lopez," Hugh said with admiration. "No wonder everything finally makes sense now."
He glanced at Mr. Wood knowingly.
It was clear: Mr. Wood had been so impressed by John's abilities that he wanted him as a son-in-law. And judging by Emily's reaction earlier, she clearly had feelings for John as well—waiting to see how John felt in return.
Then, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, Hugh leaned closer to John and said, "You know, Mr. Lopez… I also have a daughter—"
"Hugh Kurds! Shut it!" Mr. Wood barked.
"I'm joking, I'm joking! Don't worry—I won't steal your future son-in-law," Hugh said with a hearty laugh.
Mr. Wood looked helpless and turned to John, silently praying he wasn't offended.
To his relief, John didn't seem to mind. If anything, he looked more confused than annoyed.
This guy's the alliance director? John thought. He doesn't act like one.
But oddly enough, he liked Hugh Kurds. The man was approachable, relaxed, and sincere.
As they drank tea and chatted, the tension eased.
After half an hour, Hugh suddenly said with a nostalgic smile, "Hey, Mr. Wood—remember that calligraphy class we took in college? We both got scolded by the professor…"
"Yeah, what about it? That professor is your wife now, isn't she?"
"Exactly! And you were jealous of me back then, weren't you?"
"Hah! You wish."
"Why don't we have a little competition right now?"
"Fine by me. Don't think I'll go easy on you."
"You? Win against me?" Hugh grinned. "You'll always be second place, just like old times."
They both laughed heartily, the years of friendship evident in their banter.