Ralph did not expect “Heather” to be here so soon. He could not even avoid her and was standing face to face. Surprise flashed across her eyes, then she asked coldly, “What are you doing here?”“I…” He moved his arm and laughed awkwardly, “Ha, ha!”‘You should see what you’ve done to me,’ Ralph thought, but he did not expect her to be surprised when she saw his injured arm. She even asked, “Are you hurt?” “It’s all because of you…” He paused as he saw her expression and decided against it, “It’s fine. I wasn’t standing properly.” Seeing her innocent expression, Ralph was furious. ‘How could you act like nothing had happened when you were the one who was so rough with me? You even saw me fall when you dragged me by the arm!’ He thought but would not dare to say this out loud for fear of being beaten up by her. “No, no, it’s definitely me. I lost my balance,” he remarked sarcastically. Then, he lifted his head and noticed they were standing in front of the neurology de
Hannah frowned as she leaned backward. Her back was against the elevator's wall, but she did not look disgusted. Ralph’s arm, which was in a cast, was placed in front of her chest. His arm moved, and it brushed against her. She immediately flushed red as she drew her lips into a thin line. This gave Ralph a flashback to the cute image she had when he had just met her. He would have thought she was adorable and would have tried to tease her if it had been before. However, after a few encounters with her, he was sure that there was something mentally wrong with this woman. Why else would she appear at the neurology department? In the face of a woman with both violent tendencies and mental problems, he would not dare cross her. However, it was a rare occasion when she did not lose her temper. He could not help but tease as he wiggled his finger and said, “See, it’s not my fault. It’s just too crowded here. It was an accident.”Heather glared at him but kept quiet. When the e
Ralph took time to think about what had just happened, but he still could not comprehend the situation. Then again, “Heather” was visiting the neurology department, so he could not explain her actions using traditional means.Judging from her reaction, it looked like she believed what he had told her. At least, she was also starting to suspect the authenticity of her handbook. Just the thought of this brightened Ralph’s day. He looked at the time and decided to hurry to his mother and convince her to help him.After obtaining the report from the hospital, he went straight to the Russell Estate. Margaret was already awake when she answered Ralph’s call. She was waiting for him while enjoying her breakfast and was about to finish when Ralph entered the dining room.At first, she tried to maintain proper table etiquette, but the moment she saw her son limping into the room, she shot up from her seat and went to him. She held his arm and asked, “W-What happened to you?”She looked at h
Margaret had been listening in silence. When she heard what Ralph said, she was astonished. "What did you say? Are you saying the secret handbook you stole was a fake?""Yeah. I had no idea, but Heather does. She knew it was a fake as soon as she saw it. Alex had intentionally set a trap for me. An arrow almost hit me. If I had been, I wouldn’t be able to see you anymore."Ralph sighed. "You said I've been cruel to him, but hasn’t he been the same to me? Even if I was wrong to steal the handbook, Alex could've told me directly or dissuaded me. Instead of doing that, he set a trap and even used dangerous weapons. Mom, does he even see me as his uncle?""Well…" Margaret did not know what to say."I'm not being petty, but if I don't fight back, I'm afraid I won't be able to preserve my own life. You're here now, so maybe he won’t make any drastic moves. I-I'm afraid he’ll push me to a dead end the day you're gone!" Ralph slumped over, looking dejected.Margaret felt conflicted. This
“Don’t you believe me, Mom? I've already told Heather about it. She said she would help me. Did you forget that Alex had hurt her as well? Once I become the family patriarch, Heather and I will continue being in a cooperative relationship. It’ll have long-term benefits for our family’s growth.“Alex, on the other hand, has offended the Riggs. With him in charge, who knows what dangers will arise in the future.” He paused for a moment before continuing, "Whatever the case, this is all for our family’s good. Can’t you just agree to help me?"Margaret stayed silent for a long time before slowly saying, "Are you honestly doing this for our family and not yourself?"Ralph was taken aback by her question. His mother had never questioned him like this. After all, it was no different whether it was for the family or himself.After getting over his initial shock, he immediately retorted, "Of course, it's for the family and me! Mom, you're acting like I'm not a part of the family. Of course,
Seeing his eyes light up, Margaret questioned again, "Have you ever thought about what will happen to Alexander?""He will fall off his high horse and no longer be able to boss us around. He can't control our money any longer!" He was dreaming of his bright future and wondering why he hadn't thought of this plan sooner.If he had, he would have gotten what he wanted early. However, it was not too late. There was still time!"Then, have you thought about how he would have nothing left? On top of that, he'd be labeled as a 'by-blow' of the Russell family. Have you thought about how sad his future will be?""Mom, why are you being so benevolent? The way he treated us…""He didn't treat us that badly. We didn't have to worry about what we were going to eat or if we had clean clothes to wear. You don't even have to do anything to have money. You have a mansion of your own and a sports car. In the future, the Russell Estate will be yours as well. Relatively speaking, he had provided you
What he meant was that even if Alexander were born of the Russell bloodline, she would have to pretend he wasn't. This was like cannibalism!"Don't worry about the DNA report. I've prepared it for you. All you have to do is just take it and read it!"As he said this, he immediately took out the DNA report and handed it over to Margaret.Once she had taken it, she opened the report and read through it a few times. It seemed like the one she had just read, but the report's conclusion had been altered. She glanced at Ralph and said, "You've outdone yourself this time!""Mom, I had no choice!" He chuckled before continuing, "You know how hard it is to deal with Alexander. If I don't do this, I'm afraid I won't be able to get back what’s mine.""Get back what's yours?" At this moment, Margaret suddenly felt an unknown rush of anger. "Those are all your father's things. Get that right! It’s everything that your father has worked for!"As far as she was concerned, Alexander did indeed
"I'm almost ready. Do you want me to clear everything here?" He asked."Yes. Dismiss all the servants except for those that are coming with us. Let no one stay behind," she replied coldly.She would consistently recruit a new group of people no matter where she went, only bringing a few from home with her. Everyone else would be new recruits. Those servants were kept at arm's length so that no one would know her secret.Chump nodded. Heather stopped him just as he was about to carry out her orders. "Wait a minute! Where's that brat?" "Inside the house.""Bring her here. I have something to tell her.""Okay!"After Chump left, Heather couldn't suppress the dull pain in her chest. She began to stroke her chest when her throat began to feel funny. Then she suddenly spurted out a mouthful of blood. It seemed that advanced kickboxing was too stimulating for her body. She had to go back and practice.Hannah quietly went up the stairs. Her footsteps were so soft and light that no
Lily tilted her head up to fight back her tears, saying, “There’s something I find strange.”“What is it?” Mike asked after comforting his son.“Instead of detaining Prince Ross, Her Majesty has sent him back to Yudonia. If so, why couldn’t we reach him?”After some thought, Mike answered, “There are two possibilities. It’s probably due to poor signals, or he doesn’t want us to contact him.”The two shared a look, knowing what each other was wondering.‘Why can’t we contact Ross? Is he planning something?’…Three days later, Lily inserted the last needle into the queen’s leg and looked up at her, saying, “You should start feeling your legs tomorrow. Still, it’ll take some time before you can stand.”Suddenly, Lily chuckled.“Why are you laughing?” Yasmin touched her legs. She had begun to regain sensation in her legs over the last two days. She then began to believe that she could get up. However, the queen was hesitant when the queen heard Lily chuckle.Lily shook her head
Lily straightened up and said without resentment, “Of course, you wouldn’t.”“That’s… quite a pity,” the queen murmured thoughtfully.“Well, there’s a price to pay for everything. That’s how the world balances itself,” Lily continued, “I can’t stop you if you must carry on with R10. Still, I won’t witness whether or not it succeeds. I just wish the outcome isn’t something you’ll regret.”Lily smiled and turned to head out the door.Rick heard their conversation as he stood guard outside. After exchanging looks with Lily as she brushed past him, he entered the room and saw the needles in Yasmin’s legs. “Your Majesty, those needles—”The queen waved dismissively. “It’s okay. Lily will remove them later.”Even so, Rick was wary. “You’re being too careless, Your Majesty. What if that woman—”“She wouldn’t,” Yasmin interjected, shaking her head."Why do you trust her so much?" Rick asked despite himself. The queen fell silent. If Rick had not asked her that, she would not have rea
Lily took out a cloth and unfolded it, revealing a row of silver needles inside. Yasmin was surprised she carried the needles with her.“Tell me. What do you want?” The queen took a deep breath to calm herself. She then reminded herself that she could always say no to Lily’s request. Still, Yasmin was cautious about Lily trying to trick her.Lily casually said, "I left because Prince Ross wanted to help me. I hope you don’t punish him.""That's it?" Yasmin thought she had misheard Lily. 'Is she trying to talk terms with me just so that I won't punish my son?' she wondered in disbelief."Ross is my son. I won't harm him. Don't you think you've wasted an opportunity by making such a request?" The queen shook her head. "I wasn’t sure if you’d blame him, but he did rescue me once. If I don't do anything, it would be ungrateful of me," Lily said gently, "Also, didn’t you already lock him up?"Yasmin was puzzled. "No, I only sent him back to Yudonia. He kept trying to get me to sto
"Three days," Lily replied.“That’s it?!” Yasmin was in disbelief. She thought Lily would try to buy some more time and suspected she would say the process would take several months or even years.‘I haven’t felt my legs for over a decade. I wouldn’t mind waiting for three more days.’“Are you sure I can get up and walk in just three days?” Yasmin pressed her legs hard but felt nothing. She would have treated her legs long ago if it were that easy.The queen had visited many famous doctors from various countries, but they could only stop her legs from getting weaker. However, Lily confidently told Yasmin that she could fix her legs so quickly.Yasmin wanted to believe it.After some consideration, Lily said, “I can’t guarantee that you’ll walk as fast as you once could. After all, you haven’t used your legs for a long time, and your muscles have atrophied. Still, you’ll recover slowly.”Yasmin nodded repeatedly, thinking it was good enough. She never dreamed of walking as well a
“Because only our opinions matter." Lily thought of something and said, "Unless you choose to believe Rhea.""I… don't trust anyone." Yasmin’s expression stiffened as she turned her wheelchair away."Your Majesty, I know you're dedicated to the experiment, but there are other things in life. Have you ever considered letting go of your burden to sightsee? You’ve done enough as a queen over the last few decades. Aren’t you tired of living a lonely life?”Lily gently spoke as she gazed at Yasmin’s back.The older woman caressed her knees with both hands and stared down at her legs, murmuring, “Sightsee, huh? I’ve forgotten what that’s like.”Yasmin had not used her legs for many years. Initially, she could still stand up and sometimes took a few steps. However, she could no longer get to her feet.She had grown accustomed to sitting in a wheelchair, but she felt a pang of sorrow after hearing Lily’s suggestion.Lily asked, “What if I can help you stand again? What if you can walk a
"Yes, I returned not just for him but also for you," Lily said, "I'm sure you were anxious for my return, weren't you?"Yasmin scoffed dismissively. "Why would I be? I have my bargaining chip. Besides, did you honestly think I couldn’t bring you back?""Bargaining chip? Do you mean Nick?" Lily shook her head with a smile. "Don't forget that he's not my son. Do you think he'll be much of a bargaining chip to you if I choose to ignore him for my three children?"She did not wait for Yasmin to reply and continued, "Besides, Nick still has a father who’s willing to die for him. If Mike decides to take drastic action against you— Yes, you're a queen, and you don't care much about an insignificant businessman.“However, don't forget that his business spans worldwide. There's no guarantee what he might do. Who knows, he might spread information that can affect Your Majesty and Yudonia's reputation?""You…" The queen was exasperated but could not retort.Lily noticed it and casually said
Rick could only remain silent at that moment.Yasmin then turned her wheelchair around and blandly said, “Bring Lily over. I’d like to see what excuses that sly woman can come up with.”"Your Majesty?" Rick was puzzled. "You know she'll just lie to you. Why must you—"Yasmin interjected, "I'd like to hear what she has to say."Rick had no choice but to leave and do as she said.As Lily was about to doze off, she heard noises from outside and opened her eyes. Immediately after, the door opened, and Rick appeared. He glared at her and spoke coldly, “Her Majesty wants to see you.”Lily glanced at Rick calmly and stood up as if she had expected his appearance. On the other hand, Mike rose before her and headed out.However, Rick stopped him as he reached the door. “You stay.”"But we came together!" Mike glanced over his shoulder at Lily, signaling her to persuade the man. Rick added, "The queen doesn’t wish to see you. Just stay here!"Lily patted Mike's shoulder and said gentl
Everyone was shocked when Lily returned to the embassy with Mike. One of the staff members quickly left to report the news to Queen Yasmin.Meanwhile, Lily saw people peering at her and Mike from the corner. Afterward, several guarded-looking men appeared. Lilt recognized them as the queen’s attendants. They brought Mike and Lily inside and then gave the duo a thorough search.The men only relaxed after finding nothing suspicious about the duo. Even so, Lily could not see the queen as the men told her to wait in an innermost room instead.After returning to the embassy, Lily felt a sense of strange familiarity. Although she knew the place well, her mindset had changed.She previously hated the embassy and simply wanted to escape. However, she had returned with a critical mission. Not only did she have to complete it, but she also needed to leave the place in one piece.While she was calm, Mike was somewhat anxious. He clasped his hands on his knees and glanced around as he sat dow
"I promise I'll do anything you want, okay?" Mike begged. He was desperate to see his son, so he decided to follow Lily when she insisted on returning to the embassy.Mike continued, “If any of you go with her, they might stop or suspect you. They won’t do that to me. It’s natural for me to want to see and rescue my son. I’m the best candidate because it makes sense for me to sacrifice myself for him.”After a short silence, Lily said, “You’re right.” She then looked at Alexander, who pondered before slowly raising his head and saying, “Me too.”Dominic tapped the table. "So do I."Cameron thought for a moment before saying, "I've no objections."Seeing this, Austin spread his arms and said, "Since you all agree, what else can I say? Let's do it!"It did not matter whether or not he agreed, but he just wanted to support Mike. The latter nodded and became emotional, saying, “Thanks, you guys!”"Why are you thanking us? Just be careful, and don’t be rash like you promised," Aust