Chapter 209: Master Drake
In the morning, after breakfast, Julian Faulkner had some leftover work to deal with, so Vivian Lowell put on her cat backpack and accompanied Grandma Faulkner for a walk in the neighborhood with their large golden retriever!
Vivian had named the adopted white Lion Cat Yuumi!
Yuumi’s fur was smooth and glossy. As a long-haired cat, she was very beautiful with an excellent temperament. Even when carried outside in Vivian’s cat backpack, she remained completely quiet. She simply stayed in the bag, looking outside through the transparent cover without squirming around. She was very easy to manage.
"Yuumi, Yuumi?"
Grandma Faulkner was also very fond of Yuumi.
The two women walked a lap around the neighborhood before sitting down on a bench under a large tree in the center. Grandma Faulkner unclipped the leash, letting the golden retriever go play on its own, and then asked Vivian to take Yuumi out.
"I had Shaw buy some canned food. Come on, Yuumi, it’s time for a treat!"
Grandma Faulkner truly doted on Yuumi. Usually at this time, she would have taken out the Frisbee to play with the golden retriever. Today, however, all she could think about was feeding the cat!
Vivian affectionately rubbed Yuumi’s head, smoothing her fur. Yuumi was so comfortable that she purred loudly while eating.
Not far away, the golden retriever ran off a short distance and then turned back, looking at Grandma Faulkner with eager eyes. It probably thought they would continue playing Frisbee like they always did. But the dog soon realized that wasn’t happening!
Looking disappointed, the golden retriever wagged its tail and trotted back, rubbing its body affectionately against Grandma Faulkner and Vivian.
Grandma Faulkner was still busy petting Yuumi. When the golden retriever came over, she merely gave it a perfunctory pat and said, "Oh, go play by yourself for a bit. We’ll walk some more later, alright?"
Of course, the golden retriever couldn’t understand her words, but it could definitely sense her mood! Realizing it had fallen out of favor, the dog let out a sad little whimper before having no choice but to run off and play elsewhere on its own.
After all, it was a good, obedient dog—naturally, it wouldn’t cause trouble for its owners!
Yuumi finished the canned food quickly. Once done, she rolled over, exposing her soft white belly for Vivian and Grandma Faulkner to rub.
Grandma Faulkner was overjoyed. It had been a long time since she last kept a cat. She remembered that back when she was still living abroad, she had gone to great lengths to get a black cat. That cat had also been very obedient and highly intelligent. Unfortunately, a feline’s lifespan was much shorter than a human’s. After it passed away from old age, Grandma Faulkner never kept another pet.
Saying goodbye to a family member was always a heartbreaking affair. Now, after so many years, Grandma Faulkner finally had another cat to dote on. Of course she was thrilled!
"So cute." Grandma Faulkner adored Yuumi, earnestly smoothing her fur again.
The two women played with the cat for quite a while. The golden retriever had been playing with a small ball nearby. Probably bored of playing alone, it trotted back to Vivian with the ball in its mouth.
"Alright, I’ll play with you for a bit." Vivian couldn’t help it; she didn’t have the heart to keep neglecting their dog. She took the ball and threw it a little farther away.
Overjoyed, the golden retriever let out a loud BARK and bolted after it, tail wagging furiously.
After a few rounds of this, the golden retriever grew a little tired. Just as Vivian was about to throw the ball one last time before heading home, her throw went a bit too far. The ball rolled onto a nearby pedestrian path in the neighborhood where people occasionally passed by.
Vivian watched the direction the ball went, worried that someone might suddenly appear and be frightened by the large dog. As coincidence would have it, an elderly man leaning on a cane slowly emerged. His pace was very sluggish—a true, leisurely stroll.
He stepped out from behind some bushes and was nearly knocked over by the golden retriever. Fortunately, the dog braked just in time, tumbling into the grass nearby.
Seeing this, Vivian feared the old man was startled. She turned to Grandma Faulkner. "Grandma, watch Yuumi here. I’ll go check on them."
"Alright, go on," Grandma Faulkner agreed, remaining on the bench to stroke Yuumi’s fur.
Vivian quickly hurried over to the elderly man. He didn’t seem scared by the golden retriever at all. Instead, he slowly bent down, picked up the small ball from the ground, and handed it to Vivian.
"Is this your dog?" He looked at the golden retriever, a kindly smile flashing across his face. "So cute, and what a sweet, loving dog."
"I’m just sorry. If I hadn’t suddenly appeared here, it wouldn’t have tumbled over."
The elderly man was very polite and somewhat apologetic. He glanced at the golden retriever with concern, clearly worried that the fall might have caused a fracture or some other injury.
Vivian hurriedly squatted down to check the dog. The golden retriever was sitting on the ground, panting happily with its tongue out and wagging its tail at her. It looked perfectly adorable, its eyes bright and full of energy. There didn’t seem to be any problems.
After a quick inspection confirmed this, Vivian looked up. "He’s fine, nothing’s wrong. You don’t need to worry, sir. What about you? Were you startled?"
"Not at all." The elderly man shook his head. He glanced at the bench beneath the large tree. "I’m just a bit tired from walking. I was hoping to rest over there. Your dog is very lovely. You don’t mind if I play with it for a while, do you?"
The old man was simply so warm, genial, and approachable that Vivian couldn’t find it in her heart to refuse him.
"Of course." Vivian blinked and agreed, helping to support the old man as they walked over to sit beneath the large tree.
Vivian hadn’t lived in the Faulkner Villa for very long, so she wasn’t familiar with the other residents in the neighborhood. However, she quickly noticed that Grandma Faulkner didn’t seem to recognize this elderly man either.
Grandma Faulkner studied him closely. Observing his elegant demeanor and fine attire, she could tell he wasn’t just an ordinary person; he had to be a resident of this exclusive community. But how come she had never seen him before? The residents in this villa district had always been very stable. She hadn’t heard of anyone moving, selling their house, or changing owners recently!
As Grandma Faulkner pondered this, a thought suddenly struck her.
There hadn’t been any new owners recently, but the elderly patriarch next door, who had lived abroad all year round, had just moved back! Could the man sitting in front of them be their neighbor?
"Are you the one who just returned to the country?" Grandma Faulkner asked, before proceeding to introduce herself.
The elderly man wasn’t surprised by her words. Instead, he smiled gently. "Yes, I am your neighbor. Speaking of which, I’ve actually seen you once before.
"To be exact, I saw this young lady and her husband leaving the house together. I happened to be on my balcony at the time, so you didn’t spot me."
Vivian was slightly stunned. She didn’t remember such an occurrence, but since Grandma Faulkner recognized the old man, it must be true.
Immediately, Vivian wore an apologetic expression. "I’m really sorry. We’re neighbors, yet we haven’t formally visited you to say hello. But it’s good that we’ve finally met. Sir, we seem to share quite a bit of fate. By the way, how is that little kitten we rescued doing at your place?"
The elderly man was clearly a huge animal lover as well. As soon as Vivian brought up the rescued kitten, he opened up and eagerly chatted with her about it.
After talking about small animals, they moved on to other topics. Vivian was surprised to discover just how knowledgeable and well-traveled this elderly man was. They actually shared a lot of common ground and held similar views on many issues.
After chatting for a while, the elderly man seemed tired. He took out his thermos to sip some tea before saying, "Young lady, I’ve seen all the commotions and discussions on the internet lately. If you need any help down the line, just let me know. As long as it’s within my power, I will help you!"
He spoke with absolute sincerity. It wasn’t just polite, empty talk.
Flattered and slightly overwhelmed, Vivian quickly waved her hands. "No, no, there’s no need. Um... I’m sorry if those matters disturbed you. I can solve them myself, it’s fine!"
Seeing her refusal, the elderly man looked a bit regretful, but merely said, "Well, I believe you can handle it yourself!"
"Yes."
Vivian smiled gently. Right at that moment, perhaps because she and Grandma Faulkner had been out for too long, Julian Faulkner came out looking for them.
"Sitting out here, are we?" Julian’s tone was gentle. As he approached, he quickly noticed the elderly man. He visibly froze, looking somewhat surprised.
Seeing his reaction, Vivian assumed Julian had never met the old man, so she briefly introduced them to each other.
Julian’s expression gradually relaxed, though his brows remained slightly furrowed. It was evident that he was suppressing some sort of emotion.
The elderly man, on the other hand, was incredibly amiable and warm. "Even when I was abroad, I heard all about President Faulkner. Seeing you today, you truly are an outstanding talent! Young and promising, young and promising indeed. Not like me—I’ve grown old!"
He chuckled good-naturedly.
Hearing this, Julian merely forced out an awkward but polite smile. "You flatter me. Master Drake, your return to the country is a monumental event. Even at your age, you’ve drawn everyone’s attention. To say that a hero is in his twilight years—that absolutely does not apply to you, does it?"
Julian instantly revealed the true identity of the elderly man before them.
He was the patriarch of the Drake Family—Master Drake. He was the head of the household, the very man Joy Drake and Sylvia Drake feared and revered deeply.
Vivian hadn’t recognized Master Drake. But trusting Julian’s judgment, she froze, turning her head to look at the old man in utter disbelief.