“Austin, heed my advice. Don’t continue with the experiment.” Lily looked at him and continued, “I know you want to compete with me, but you don’t have to do it here. This experiment shouldn’t…”“Enough!” Austin cut her off and chuckled coldly. “Who do you think you are? Why do I want to compete with you? I think the experiment is meaningful and should continue. If you don’t want to do it, you can leave, and no one will stop you. Why destroy all the data? Who the hell do you think you are?”Lily did not know what to say. ‘It looks like I can’t convince them. Pig-headed people won’t listen to anything we say.’She walked over and stood before them. Staring at the stern-looking Austin and the grieving Thompson, she said blandly, “I’m nobody, but what I’ve destroyed is data I’ve personally gathered through the experiment. Since I created them, so what if I destroyed them myself?”She turned and left while others whispered among themselves, clueless of what happened and why Thompson an
"No, Aunt Tasia…" Galen pointed inside with his little finger."Lily, you're back!" Anastasia exclaimed with a smile. Although she was sitting at the dining table, it seemed she had not touched the food. It was evident that she had not started eating yet.Lily was a little surprised to see that. Usually, Anastasia would have almost finished her food by that time."What's wrong? Is today’s food not to your liking?" Lily was the one who had personally picked these dishes, avoiding the food that Anastasia did not like."No, it's not that!" Anastasia smiled slightly. "I just wanted to wait for you to come back so we can eat together.""Oh?" Lily looked at the different dishes in front of her. There were roasted chicken thighs with sauteed mushroom, steamed egg, steamed sea bass, and some salad. However, they looked a little cold. It was apparent that the maids had served them quite a while ago.Lily had informed the maids about Anastasia's meal time, so they prepared the food accordi
Lily smiled lightly. "Who told you?"Anastasia stiffened. Her fair skin betrayed the redness that appeared on her face."N-No one. I was just curious."There was a conflict in her heart. On the one hand, questioning Lily like this felt like she distrusted her friend. How could she believe a stranger so easily? On the other hand, Anastasia had some doubts about Lily.The man told Anastasia that she had been put under a spell, and he said all of this confidently. It was her own body that was put at risk."Is it Austin?" Lily asked after thinking about it. He was the only one who would get in between her and Anastasia, belittling Lily in various ways.She had never met a man as petty as he was. She had nothing against him. All the times he had fought against, belittled, and suppressed her were due to his sexism. Lily was bored with it.After being called out, Anastasia couldn't hold herself back and lowered her gaze before softly muttering, "I'm sorry.""There's nothing to be sorr
Anastasia should not have doubted Lily from the start."You have the right to be suspicious, and I should explain it to you," Lily said. "I didn't tell you before because I was unsure.""Unsure about what?" Anastasia asked curiously.Looking at her, Lily pondered for a while before saying, "I wasn't sure what poisoned you."When she said this, the colors immediately drained from Anastasia's face out of fear."You…don't have to be scared. The poison isn't fatal," Lily quickly reassured Anastasia after noticing her fearful expression.Anastasia wasn't frightened by the fact that she was poisoned. Instead, it was because Lily and that miracle doctor said the same thing. They both said the fact that she was unable to lose weight over the years and that she was always tired and disheartened was because she was poisoned.After calming herself down, she asked, "Then what am I poisoned with?""It's something relatively complicated. I think it's something that you've ingested for a long
"Now, don't you start overthinking. It might not be the maids." Lily paused as if she wanted to change the subject but suddenly asked, "By the way, you don't really like flowers and plants, and you don't know much about medicinal herbs either. Why do you have so many potted plants at home?"Anastasia was still upset by what she heard and replied mechanically, "Those were all sent by my aunt. She said I'm not in good health and don't like to leave the house, so having more greenery is good for me.She continued to mumble, “My aunt mentioned how being surrounded by greens can lift someone's mood, and they produce oxygen, which is good for my body. However, I don't think it made me feel any better…" Then she seemed to have remembered something and raised her head to look at Lily. "Could it be those flowers and plants? Could it be that my aunt is trying to poison me? No! That's impossible! Although my aunt nags me a lot and says hurtful things, she still cares about me.“I know this!
“Since we're still unsure of the cause of poisoning, whether it’s because of those plants or the people around you, I don't think you should tell anyone about this. If they ask, you can say I need the plants for my research, so I borrowed them from you."Anastasia replied, "Okay! You're right!"Her obedient and adorable appearance reminded Lily of the first time the two met. When Anastasia demanded Lily return her dress, she was arrogant and even slightly unreasonable. Ultimately, she was just a little girl who had put up a strong front.She had gained so much weight over the years that she stopped going out. She did not have many friends either and felt lonely. Anastasia was from a wealthy family with a father who was a Secretary. She was the person everyone wanted to curry favors with. She should have been full of confidence and pride.Instead, her figure had caused her to have low self-esteem. Anastasia always feared that people would flatter her before turning around and laughi
Over the past few years, Austin had been holding onto the title people gave him of being Dominic's secret apprentice. Others respected him, and people would beg for him to visit their friends or family who had contracted some disease from time to time.He had grown accustomed to living in the limelight, although he would repeatedly tell himself that he had never explicitly confirmed or denied the truth. It was all wishful thinking by the public. It had nothing to do with him.However, guilt started forming in him after such a long time. On top of that, he also feared that he might be exposed.Besides competing with Lily, he feared she might come out one day and expose that he was not Dominic's secret apprentice. Therefore, Austin had been trying to use his strength to prove that he did not need the title to be capable. Still, he was always a step behind when it came to Lily.This time, he retrieved the data Lily had deleted. It was all based on his own skills, thus making him feel
After sitting down with a glass of water, Anastasia sighed and said, "I didn't feel them making the air better or make me feel refreshed. Aunt Maria, you've watched me grow up. Have I ever looked refreshed to you?"Maria did not answer."I feel groggy every day, always on the verge of falling asleep. When I'm awake, I'll be overwhelmed with cravings. How can someone like me ever sit comfortably in the living room? I can barely feel happiness." Anastasia sighed again and shook her head before sipping her water."Tasia, you shouldn't think that way. Even though you're not in the best shape, the miracle doctor will cure you. He even gave you prescriptions. Which reminds me, have you taken them today?" Maria asked anxiously.Anastasia glanced at her. She avoided the question and asked, "Aunt Maria, do you think any medications can help me, my body?"Maria was shocked by this question and quickly replied, "Of course! The miracle doctor said you'll be fine. Don't think too much and just