Chapter 1059

"I'm okay, Mom!" Margaret focused on Ralph, anxious to learn what had happened. Ralph, however, stomped his foot and declared, "I have something urgent to ask you."

"You..." Margaret choked, sighing helplessly after his outburst. "Okay, I don't care what happened to you. What do you need?" Ralph looked around cautiously, ensuring no one was nearby, before approaching his mother. "Mom, do you know if our family has any heirlooms?"

His concern centered on finding a secret handbook, but his mother's immediate reaction aroused his suspicion. After all, Margaret and Hugo had been married for years; how could she be unaware of such a thing?

Margaret was taken aback. Noticing his secretive demeanor, she pressed, "What kind of heirloom? What kind of treasure are you looking for?"

Ralph observed his mother's blank expression, surmising she might simply have forgotten. He therefore prompted, "It's not about a treasure. I'm just curious. Don't we have any kind of family heirloom? A secret, perhaps?"

Margaret was puzzled. "Secrets? What secrets? Our family isn't in the food industry. Why would there be any secret cookbooks?"

"Mom, I'm not talking about a cookbook! It's a secret kickboxing handbook!" Ralph paced frantically. "How could you not know?! Didn't I tell you about Alex learning kickboxing? He's a first-class kickboxer now! Didn't Dad send him to learn? We talked about the secret kickboxing handbook just two days ago! Shouldn't there be a copy at home?"

Margaret finally understood. "Oh, you mean that!"

"Yes!" Ralph exclaimed, overjoyed.

"There isn't any," Margaret insisted, shaking her head.

Ralph was incredulous. "What do you mean? If not, how is Alex so good? He even injured Heather, and she insists our family must have a secret! Mom, you and Dad have been married for decades. You must know something. Think about it again!"

Margaret replied unhappily, "No means no! I don't need to think. Do you think I have dementia? Our family doesn't do kickboxing. When your father sent Alex to learn, I thought nothing of it. How would Alex suddenly become so good? Besides, if we had something like that, why would we send anyone to learn from others? What are you up to? Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?"

"There isn't any? That's impossible. Is it hidden somewhere, or did Dad only tell Alexander? How could you not know?" Ralph continued to speculate.

Heather's certainty led him to believe the secret handbook might exist. From childhood, Ralph's physique had been superior to Alexander's, yet he'd never been able to defeat him. He knew future victories would be even more challenging. Alexander, as the eldest, held a position of authority. Ralph knew he had no chance against his nephew. He avoided fights; while not the best fighter, he was not someone to be trifled with. However, his fighting techniques proved surprisingly vulnerable during practice.