Chapter 284: Walter's Reaction
"Huh?! You're taking grandma with you too?!"
When Sammi learned that Frank was bringing Peggy along, she was genuinely shocked.
She knew Frank and Pinkman were leaving to handle some business—but she had no idea they planned to take Peggy with them.
They were going off to do business. What reason was there to bring Peggy along?
Besides, with Peggy's current physical condition, even lying still at home was a struggle. Long-distance travel would be nothing short of torture.
"We're taking her along because of… other matters," Frank said, offering no further explanation.
"Then I'm coming with you," Sammi insisted, clearly worried about Peggy.
"It's fine. I'll be there," Frank waved her off. "You stay home and take care of things."
"Don't worry about me," Peggy added. "Just keep an eye on Chucky. Make sure he exercises."
"…Alright," Sammi sighed, forced to give in.
After settling everything at home, Frank and Pinkman left with Peggy and boarded a flight to New Mexico.
"Hang in there, Mom. We'll be there soon," Frank said softly, trying to comfort her during the flight.
Peggy had already taken her medication before boarding, and they'd even bought business-class seats—but it was still an exhausting ordeal.
"Don't fuss over me," Peggy snapped irritably, waving him off before closing her eyes and reclining in her seat.
Once the plane landed, Peggy pulled out her medicine again as soon as they exited the airport. Her expression finally eased a little.
"So," she asked coldly, "you dragged me all the way to this godforsaken place to show me what, exactly?"
"You'll know soon enough," Frank replied.
Frank and Pinkman brought Peggy back to their rented house.
"Jane!"
Pinkman swept the landlady's daughter into his arms the moment they walked in, kissing her deeply.
"Uh—hello, Peggy," Jane greeted awkwardly only after the two finally separated.
"..."
Peggy looked Jane up and down, frowned slightly—and said nothing. The silence was painfully awkward.
"Go do your thing," Frank cut in quickly. "I'll take care of Mom."
He ushered Pinkman and Jane away, neatly dissolving the tension.
Not long after, a car pulled up outside.
"You're back?" Walter said as he stepped inside.
Then he noticed Peggy—and froze.
"And this is…?"
"This is my mother," Frank said. "And this is Walter. He's the person I wanted you to meet."
"Meet him?" Peggy eyed Walter skeptically. No matter how she looked at him, he seemed like nothing more than an ordinary middle-aged man.
"Mom," Frank said slowly, "you've heard of the Blue Angel on the market, right? The rumors about Heisenberg?"
"Frank," Walter warned sharply.
"It's fine," Frank replied, shaking his head at him.
"You mean to tell me," Peggy said calmly, "that the Blue Angel is your work… and you are Heisenberg?"
She was far too sharp not to connect the dots instantly from their reactions.
"That's right," Frank said. "More precisely—he made it. He redesigned the chemical formula from the ground up and created the highest-purity Blue Angel in history."
"!!"
Peggy stared at Walter again, disbelief written all over her face.
That breathtaking Blue Angel—the product that had stunned even her—was created by this man who looked so… meek?
"Walter was my classmate," Frank continued. "My roommate, too. A true chemical genius. He even worked on a project connected to the Nobel Prize."
The room fell silent as Peggy reassessed the man before her—this time, with completely different eyes.
Hearing Frank say this, Peggy finally believed him.
"Frank, what exactly are you doing?"
Walter pulled Frank aside, his voice low and tense. They had agreed from the very beginning that secrecy was paramount—even family members were not to be told.
"My mom has terminal cancer," Frank explained quietly. "Late stage. She doesn't have much time left."
Peggy had once worked in workshop labs herself. She'd always been self-taught, walking an unconventional path, but she had dreams too—dreams of seeing what a true master in the field looked like.
That was why Frank had brought her all the way to New Mexico: to let her see how Walter worked with her own eyes.
To see how the Blue Angel—the product that had shaken the entire industry—was truly born.
Once Walter understood the full story, his emotions gradually settled.
He had cancer himself. He knew better than anyone how much suffering that diagnosis brought—especially in cases like Peggy's, where there was no hope left and time was already running out.
"Thank you," Frank said sincerely, seeing that Walter had understood and agreed to let Peggy observe the production process.
With that, Frank stood up, intending to go check on Peggy.
"Frank!"
Just as he rose, Walter grabbed his arm tightly.
"If something like this happens again," Walter said sternly, staring him straight in the eye, "you tell me in advance. We discuss it together. Everyone decides together."
The three of them were partners—co-founders. Their status was supposed to be equal. Profits were split evenly.
Yet over time, Frank had gradually taken on the role of leader. Whenever something happened, it was usually Frank who made the call.
Pinkman didn't have much of a backbone. Under normal circumstances, he had few strong opinions of his own—whatever Frank decided, he followed.
Even when Pinkman was unhappy, he only complained a little. In the end, he still did whatever he was told.
But Walter wasn't Pinkman.
Walter had his own thoughts, his own pride. He valued this enterprise deeply—because it was the one thing that truly proved his worth.
And so, he would not allow Frank to jeopardize it.
Bringing Peggy here without warning, revealing the truth to her—even if there were reasons—was not something that could be brushed aside.
If it happened once, it could happen again.
And what if next time Frank brought someone back… and that person was an undercover cop?
Walter needed to stop that possibility at the root.
They were equals. From now on, anything like this had to be discussed beforehand—decided together.
Walter's grip tightened, firm and unwavering.
"I understand," Frank said after a moment, meeting his gaze.
"This time was my fault. There won't be a next time. If anything comes up again, we'll talk it through and decide together."
"…Alright."
Only then did Walter release him.
"Mom, take today to rest," Frank said gently. "Tomorrow, I'll show you around."
He gave up his bedroom to Peggy and slept on the couch himself.
After a while, Walter spoke again, his tone softened with guilt.
"Sorry about earlier. I got a little too worked up."
"It's fine," Frank replied. "You were right. Bringing people back casually is a problem."
"If an undercover cop ever gained one of our trust and got brought here, we could all be exposed and wiped out in one sweep. We really do need to sit down and discuss this properly later."