Peregrine was silent for a while after watching Lucian leave with Roxanne. He then felt that it was time for him to meet Shawn. After all, he was technically here at Shawn’s behest. Now that things had settled, he should inform Shawn about it.
With that thought in mind, Peregrine went to the mansion Shawn was living at after lunch. Right as he entered the house, he saw Frieda and Shawn on the couch.
Frieda was all smiles, and she seemed to be leaning toward Shawn, though Peregrine did not know if that was intentional or not. Shawn did not seem like he wanted to avoid her either, so their interaction seemed intimate.
At that, Peregrine furrowed his brows and cleared his throat. It appeared as though the two people had only just noticed his presence, and they swiftly distanced themselves from each other.
“Old Mr. Lomax, what brings you here?” Shawn was far more composed than Frieda as he turned to greet Peregrine nonchalantly before asking the butler to prepare tea for him.
Peregrine nodded and sat down on the armchair beside them. “I only came to tell you that the request you asked of me is done.””
Shawn redirected his attention to Frieda upon hearing that. From Peregrine’s words, it appeared that Roxanne had made a recovery, but Frieda had not given him any updates on her case.
Frieda, who was sitting stiffly, noticed Shawn’s gaze and panicked. She parted her lips to explain to him, but by then, he had already looked away.
“Are you… planning to head back now?” Shawn took the cup of tea from the butler and placed it in front of Peregrine. The elderly man shook his head and said, “I’m planning to work at that girl’s research institute for a while.”
Frieda and Shawn’s expressions changed the moment those words left Peregrine’s mouth. Shawn drew his brows together and asked, “Why the sudden decision to work at her place? Haven’t you been reclusive all these years? I thought…”
I thought you came because of me and were planning to return immediately. If that were the case, that would mean the Crawford family was the only one who could hire Peregrine, and that exclusive right would bring honor to the Crawford family.
Nevertheless, Peregrine seemed like he did not notice Shawn’s odd look as he slowly sipped on his tea before giving his response.
“I’ll be honest with you. I nearly failed in curing her of the poison. However, she managed to devise an antidote for it herself, despite being poisoned. It’s uncommon to encounter someone as skilled in medicine as her.”
In other words, he was staying because of Roxanne. Shawn’s mood turned grim at that, but he did not let it show on his face.
After all, Peregrine was someone he had rushed to hire, but now, Peregrine was choosing to renounce his reclusive lifestyle for someone else. How was this not an attack on his reputation?
What was more, Roxanne’s matter had become a charity case for the Crawford family instead. of a favor. It was a huge loss.
However, Peregrine had made up his mind, and Shawn knew there was nothing he could do to change it. Hence, he could only slap a fake smile on his face and congratulate him.
“That’s great! It’s wonderful that you’re rejoining the medical industry. Moreover, this is fulfilling your life-long wish. Please feel free to come to me if there’s anything I can help with.”
Shawn was merely a benefactor to Peregrine, and therefore, he was apathetic toward the former. Moreover, Peregrine felt that he had already mostly repaid Shawn’s favor at that point.
Thus, Peregrine only gave him a slight nod before uttering, “In that case, there isn’t anything else I have to say. I’ll be taking my leave now.”
