Chapter 388

Steven shuddered at the thought of crowds chanting "The Master Sage of Mooching" everywhere he went. He sure as hell didn't want that kind of title. He hastily gathered Conrad's discarded gear and drove toward Imperial Villas. After Scarlett put Conrad in his place, Alfred would be in a frenzy, too scared to make any moves. Steven figured he was safe for now. He wouldn't need to be worried about some hotshot trying to ambush him. Just as he approached Imperial Villas, Rose called him. "Did you mess with the Silva family? Are you hurt? How bad is it? Where are you? I'm coming to find you!" Hearing Rose's rapid-fire questions warmed Steven's heart. He shifted into a rare comfort mode. "No worries, I've got my own connections. Alfred can't touch me." "Connections? You mean the Quarry family? But I heard you've also pissed them off," on the other end, Rose frowned and sighed. "The Quarry and Silva families? Give me some time, I'll handle them. I'll make sure they come to you and apologize for scaring you!" Steven spoke confidently, as if putting the Quarry and Silva families in their place was just a matter of time. Yet beneath his confident tone, there was an unmistakable aura of self-assuredness and dominance. He strongly believed that a man should make a woman feel safe. Besides, compared to being the heir of the Master Sage of Medicine, the Silva and Quarry families were nothing! "I'm being serious here, and you're still cracking jokes!" Rose chided, though she couldn't help but feel relieved that Steven's humor meant he wasn't in dire straits after all. Concern laced her voice. "Should I bring you some herbs?" "Absolutely not!" Steven refused firmly. The last thing he needed was Jessie crossing paths with Rose at his place. He'd rather face Alfred head-on! Realizing his tone might have been too harsh, he softened his approach. "The Silva family isn't someone to mess with. I don't want you caught up in this. If anything happened to you because of me, I'd never forgive myself." "Huh?" Rose was momentarily taken aback by his sudden worry. Her heart skipped a beat. Steven pressed on. His voice turned earnest and reassuring. "Look, I won't let any of the women I care about get into harm's way." His words carried a protective edge, as though he were ready to stand as a bulwark against any threat for the woman who had captured his concern. "What do you mean, 'your woman'? Don't say such things!" Rose protested, though she couldn't hide her shy excitement. Steven had always been hot and cold with her before. This felt like Steven's first straightforward confession, and it made her heart race. She tried to clarify, but it only made things more awkward. "Anyway, leave men's business to men! That's it!" Steven said firmly and hung up the phone. He was feeling quite pleased with his performance. His acting skills were on par with Reena's. If he weren't a grandmaster, he could totally win the Best Actor award in the entertainment industry. But his main goal was to keep Rose from worrying. She was just an ordinary person and really shouldn't be dragged into a fight between profound grandmasters. After all, his motto was: "Good women shouldn't be let down, and bad women shouldn't be wasted." And it definitely wasn't because Steven was a jerk. Meanwhile, on the other end, Rose heard the phone click off and muttered with a mix of frustration and affection, "What a big man, acting all tough. He's still just a big kid, trying to carry the world on his shoulders, saying men's business isn't for women. Seriously, who's his woman…" Yet, as she complained, her face showed a shy smile of happiness. Still, it was a shame about Steven's health. It was really unfortunate. Rose had been prepared to give herself to Steven. She didn't like the marriage the Miller family had arranged for her but couldn't resist it. Before getting married, she wanted to be with the person she truly liked. But after two failed attempts, Rose had come to think Steven might have a physical issue, which she found deeply regrettable.