Chapter 298: She's Pregnant
When it came to his cancer, Frank had always been extremely sensitive. He deliberately avoided the topic, refused to talk about it, and tried not to think about it—as if ignoring it meant it didn't exist.
It was the same mentality as people who refuse to get medical checkups. As long as they don't get examined, no illness will be discovered—so, in their minds, they must be healthy. A classic case of self-deception.
But the increasingly severe reactions from his body made it impossible for Frank to keep pretending the cancer wasn't there.
On top of that, Walter's latest good news acted like a shot of adrenaline to his heart.
Just a couple of days earlier, Walter had called Frank with another update.
Because the previous treatments had shown results, the doctors now had more options. After further consultations, they proposed a lobectomy—a surgery to remove part of the lung.
In simple terms, the spread of the cancer had been brought under control and confined to a single area. But cancer cells can never truly be "cured"—there's always the risk of further spread.
So the best course of action was to take advantage of the current situation, while the cancer was concentrated in one lung lobe, and surgically remove it altogether. If the operation went smoothly and was successful—
Although a complete cure couldn't be guaranteed, as long as the cancer didn't recur, living several more years—ten years, or even a full natural lifespan—was entirely possible.
It all sounded promising. But surgery always carried risks. Even though the treatment center had brought in top specialists, Walter was still deeply anxious.
Walter called Frank not only to share the good news and seek emotional support, but also because of a very practical issue.
More importantly, the surgery would cost nearly $200,000.
Walter could obviously afford it—forget two hundred thousand, even two million wouldn't be a problem.
But Skyler didn't know where that money came from.
In her eyes, Walter's treatment expenses had only been possible thanks to Frank—thanks to the medical benefits provided by Frank's company.
So now that the surgery alone required $200,000, would Frank's company really be willing to cover it?
Skyler was extremely worried. Combined with the fact that she had just given birth not long ago, her emotions were unstable—she was already showing signs of postpartum depression.
Although Walter kept reassuring her, saying the company would definitely cover the surgery costs, Skyler didn't believe him. She would only believe it if it came directly from Frank.
Walter hoped Frank could personally explain things to Skyler and help calm her down.
Walter's improving condition gave Frank a spark of hope.
Because of that, Frank also decided it was time to face his own cancer head-on.
Still, he didn't want to burden his children. He planned to find some time to go to the hospital alone for a full examination—to see exactly what stage his cancer was at and how bad things really were.
"Dad, are you okay?"
Seeing Frank holding onto the wall as he slowly came down the stairs, Sammi—wearing an apron and preparing breakfast—hurried over to support him.
"I'm fine," Frank said casually. "I just bumped my foot when I got up."
With his ankle swollen, walking had become noticeably difficult.
"You hurt it? Are you sure you're okay? I'll get some medicine and rub it for you," Sammi said, reaching for his pant leg.
"No need. It's fine—there's no bleeding. It'll be better after a while," Frank said, gently stopping her hand.
"Go finish breakfast. The kids still have school," he added, deliberately changing the subject.
"Alright," Sammi replied, not thinking much of it.
As usual, the house was filled with noise as the kids argued and joked their way through breakfast.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A furious, thunderous pounding shook the front door.
"I'm coming—damn, it's still early. What's with the pounding?" Jimmy complained as he went to open it.
"Who are you looking for?" Jimmy asked when he saw the man outside. He didn't recognize him.
"Move."
Old Man Milkovich shoved Jimmy aside and barged in. "Frank— is your son Ian home?!"
"!!"
The moment Terry Milkovich stepped into the living room and spotted the kids eating, his eyes locked onto Ian. They instantly turned bloodshot.
"What's this about, coming in here this early?" Frank asked, frowning. His first instinct was that something had gone wrong with a shipment.
"I'm not here for you, Frank," Terry snarled. "I'm here for this little bastard!"
He strode up to the table, grabbed Ian by the collar, and hauled him straight up.
As he spoke, Terry drew back his fist, ready to swing.
"Wait—Terry, stop! What the hell are you doing?!" Frank jumped up, trying to intervene.
"Let me beat him first!"
Like an enraged bear, Terry shoved Frank and the other kids aside with brute force.
BANG!
A gunshot cracked through the room.
The chaos froze instantly.
"Frank…"
Terry stiffened and slowly turned his head, staring at Frank—who had fallen to the floor, a gun in his hand.
"Whatever happened," Frank said coldly, raising the gun and aiming it at Terry, "put my son down. Now. Or don't blame me for getting rough. I don't want things to end badly."
Faced with the black muzzle, Terry finally backed down. No matter how furious he was, he loosened his grip and released Ian.
"Dad!"
Sammi and Fiona rushed over to help Frank up.
"Ian," Frank said once the situation was under control, "what did you do?"
"I didn't do anything!" Ian said, completely stunned. Everything had happened too fast for him to even process.
"Terry?" Frank turned his gaze back to Milkovich and called him by name.
"My little princess—my Mandy… she's pregnant," Terry snarled, glaring at Ian. "And this bastard is going to take responsibility!"
"Mandy is pregnant?!"
Everyone in the room froze.
"That's right!" Terry growled, eyes burning with rage.
Frank understood immediately why Terry was so furious.
If someone slept with his daughter and got her pregnant, Frank would lose his mind too—he'd probably want to shoot the guy on the spot.
Given Terry Milkovich's temper, the fact that he hadn't kicked the door down with a shotgun and had actually knocked first already showed incredible restraint. He was giving Frank face.
But despite that, Frank's first reaction was simple:
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
Frank knew Ian better than anyone.
Ian's sexual orientation alone was proof of his innocence—unless Ian suddenly swung both ways, which he very clearly didn't. Ian had zero interest in women; he only ever checked out guys.
So Mandy's pregnancy definitely wasn't Ian's doing.
The only reason Terry had come after Ian was because, on the surface, Ian and Mandy were known as boyfriend and girlfriend.
What Terry didn't know was that Ian and Mandy were just very close friends—basically besties—using the "boyfriend-girlfriend" label as cover to shield each other.