Lily discovered that her phone was getting hacked.Alexander had previously installed an anti-hacking system in her phone that would alarm her with a siren. When Alexander tried to install it on her behalf, she even teased him for being overly cautious.She was a perfumer, after all, and no one would want to hack her phone to eavesdrop on her calls, not to mention she had no secrets to hide. Now, she had to hand it to Alexander for having such foresight.After hanging up her phone, she stared at her phone thoughtfully.‘If I got hacked, my conversations with Dominic and Alex might have leaked. I can’t wait for bad things to happen, so I might as well go on the offensive.’Lily turned her car around and went to get herself a new phone and a new number, which she then used to call the number Alexander had called her. However, no one answered.Thinking that he might have refrained from taking unknown phone calls, she did not worry too much and drove straight to the research institut
The man was courteous, and Lily could not find fault for his words. She would be deemed as unreasonable to barge into the place with her men.Lily turned her head. “You guys stay here. I’ll be right back.”“Ma’am!” The bodyguards were worried.“I’ll be fine,” She said casually, held up her hand, and glanced inwardly. ‘Even if it’s the lion’s den, I’m still going in!’She walked in, and the gate closed behind her. The research institute looked deserted and eerie.‘When Professor Thompson and I were around, the gate wouldn’t be closed during the daytime, and people would come and go freely. Although I wouldn’t describe the place as lively, there were activities. Now it’s just like an abandoned building.’She craned her neck, took a glance, and walked toward the building.The moment she entered, she saw Rhea in her white coat, one hand in her pocket and another pointing at something on a document, whispering to someone beside her. Only when the person nodded and left did she look u
The laboratories Lily passed were empty. Although the equipment was still there, there were no specimens. Apparently unused for experimentation for a long time, some places had even gathered dust.Now she had stopped before what used to be Thompson’s room.When she was busy with her experiment here, she hardly had time to go home and would stay in the building. Those with higher ranks like her and Thompson had been allocated rooms to rest.Since Thompson had passed away, the door to his room was wide open and empty inside, without any documents on the desk. As she stepped in, she heard a voice say, “Professor Thompson’s room had been cleaned up. I doubt you’ll find your stuff here.”Lily looked over her shoulder and saw Rhea nearby. For an alert person like Lily, she would not fail to notice Rhea having come so close. ‘I didn’t feel like I was being followed. It means… she didn’t take the same route. I wonder where she emerged from. There are pathways… or secret chambers or p
“How would we know if the research hasn’t succeeded yet? Maybe you're heading in the wrong direction.” Rhea said it meaningfully.The elevator dinged as it reached the floor. Lily no longer responded to her words. As the elevator doors opened, she wanted to step out but found someone blocking their way.“Mike?” Lily was stunned.Seeing him, Rhea knitted her brow. “Mike, what are you up to again?”“Mrs. Russell no longer works in the lab and shouldn’t come here.” Not answering Rhea, Mike looked at Lily and said, emphasizing each word.Holding back her anger, Lily looked at him. “I’m here to pick up what I left behind. Is it not allowed, Mr. Corden?”She stressed his last name on purpose. ‘What is Mike up to? He keeps getting in my way.’“What have you left behind?” Mike’s gaze showed no emotions. “You won’t be able to find anything that belongs to you here, and you shouldn’t be here either. Tell me what you left behind, and I’ll get someone to return it to you. Please leave now,
“Mike, I feel like I’ve only just started to know you today. You’re truly somebody, aren’t you?” Lily said it coldly and backed into the elevator. “You’re right. Since I already quit, I shouldn’t be here. I’ll leave right now, so I won’t be putting you two on the spot.”“Don’t go!” Taken aback, Rhea tried to pull her, but Lily’s wrist easily shifted to dodge her grasp.“It’s not up to him to make the decision!” Rhea spoke angrily as she looked at Lily. “Don’t you want to take a look at my workplace? Don’t you want to look for what you’ve left behind and see what you want to see?”Her words were extremely tempting and yet felt like a trap.Lily let out a half-smile. “I wanted to, but not anymore. Mr. Corden is right. This involves your secrets, and I shouldn’t ask too much about it. Goodbye!”She pressed the button on the elevator.“Don’t go!” Rhea tried to stop her, but Mike dragged her back.Caught off-guard, Rhea knocked into him. Missing the elevator, she saw the elevator doo
It was a weird feeling as if Lily had just returned from the darkest abyss to a sunlit world. She left the building and went outside the research institute.Having remained outside, the bodyguards saw her and hurried over. “Ma’am!”Lily nodded slightly and asked, “Did anything happen while I wasn’t around?”“No.” The bodyguards shook their heads to indicate that nothing unusual had happened.She nodded gently. “Let’s go!”She glanced over her shoulder at the building and saw it was awash in sunlight and dazzling. However, instead of making her feel warm, it gave off a chilly feeling.Not long after she left, Dominic called, extra concerned. “Lily, are you all right?”“I’m fine.” Lily rubbed between her brows. She was only a bit tired, and there was gentle movement in her tummy as if the twins were restless. She palmed her tummy and caressed it soothingly, feeling weighed down.“Good. You almost scared me to death just now! Why did you hang up without finishing what you were say
Alexander’s return was supposed to be good news, but Lily did not look relaxed and became gloomier instead. That would only mean that something was up.‘He might’ve gotten infected with the disease. I’ve yet to see him and am unsure of his situation.’ Lily picked up the teacup and took a sip to calm herself.“The disease?” Dominic’s hand paused as he lifted the teapot. He knitted his brow. “He’s back? I mean, he’s home?”“No.” Lily shook her head and continued, “He also knows it’s serious and naturally wouldn’t return or meet me for Galen’s and my sake. He’s not even in Kingsland. I suppose he’s recuperating in a relatively remote area.”“Oh.” Letting out a sigh of relief, Dominic put down his teapot and sat before her. “What’s your plan?”“I’m going to meet him.”Dominic frowned. “Are you out of your mind?!”“I’d like to know what the disease is all about,” Lily said seriously.“Every country is studying it. There’s no need for you to meddle in this.” Dominic reasoned objectiv
“Then take proper safety measures, okay? The pandemic is the real deal. I think a virus might have caused it.” Dominic thought for a moment and spoke.“Yes, I think so too.” Nodding, Lily agreed. “Also, I think it has something to do with the experiment in the lab.”“The lab you worked in?” Taken aback, Dominic thought about the question he had put aside just now. “Oh, yes, you don’t think that brat, Austin, is the person behind it, do you?”He suddenly thought that Austin might be the culprit as he was messing with those plants in the laboratory.Lily chuckled and palmed her head, shaking it. “No! He’s not up to the task. More accurately, I think he doesn’t know about it.”“As I expected!” Dominic sighed in relief and also felt that his suspicion was ludicrous.‘I know how capable Austin is. If he could truly create a virus so devastating to the world, I would have to hand it to him.’“Then what happened to him?” Dominic sighed in relief again, thinking it must not be anything