A Man with Nerves of Steel (Joseph Hart) novel Chapter 37

Chapter 37

“Honey, you did all that to get back at me! You’re not allowed to touch me again tonight. And go sleep in the guest room!”

Cora pushed Joseph off her. She was a bit displeased, but it wasn’t because he did a bad job. On the contrary, his skills were top- tier, and he made her feel amazing.

Ever since Joseph came back, whenever he had free time, he’d cling to her, asking for it. At first, she needed it too, so they had fun nonstop.

But gradually, Cora realized Joseph’s stamina was more than she could handle. He was like a high-powered sports car with a gas tank that never ran dry.

Naturally, his relentless intensity was more than her body could handle, and she ended up injured. Pushed to the limit and denied basic respect, she finally put her foot down to assert her authority.

Joseph didn’t say a word. He went to get some water, washed up, and then went into the study.

In the evening, Selena and Kimberly came home from school. They were both happy to see Joseph. Selena was a bit reserved, but Kimberly was a whole different story.

Rushing toward him, Kimberly wrapped her arms around his leg, calling him “Dad” repeatedly in an affectionate voice. Her innocence and cuteness brought life and warmth to the home.

Joseph had mixed feelings. Looking at his two beautiful daughters, whom he had put so much effort into raising, he was reminded that they were actually bastards Cora had had with someone else.

He wanted to explode, to tear this whole family apart. Even so, his wisdom and the maturity that came with being 40 kept him from being that impulsive. He believed he still had a future, so he forced himself to suppress the urge for revenge.

Regardless of the circumstances, the children knew nothing. They were still young, and they shouldn’t have to bear the consequences of an adult’s mistakes.

Joseph tried to act just like he always did. “Go wash your hands first. I’ll check your homework after you’re done eating.”

That evening, Selena’s tutor came over to teach her Orimplad maths. Joseph told the tutor not to rush into the lesson. Instead, he handed a test paper to both the tutor and Selena, then collected them when time was up.

After grading the papers, he found that the tutor couldn’t solve a single problem, whereas Selena only got a third of them right. Joseph fired the tutor on the spot, though he did make sure they were paid all the compensation that was due first.

When Cora saw the results of Joseph’s test, her first thought was that Joseph was right and that the tutor was incompetent.

But over the next two days, she noticed that none of the tutors she hired could pass Joseph’s test. She was pleasantly surprised by Joseph’s brilliance and assumed that since he didn’t have to work at the hospital, he would devote himself more to tutoring Selena and Kimberly.

Feeling reassured, she began going to social events to maintain her friendships, and she often stayed out from morning until late at night. That was, until Mary snitched. Joseph wasn’t tutoring Selena and Kimberly at all. He was letting them play video games instead.

She began to feel a vague sense of unease. Joseph seemed different ever since he came back home.