Standing at the main door of the living room, Dominic looked up at the sky, watching the sunset. However, the peaceful moment was ruined by the sound of hurried footsteps.Although Elijah was in a hurry, he still had to support his father with one hand. He had a very anxious look on his face. Michelle was also rushing over while wearing high heels.She greeted Dominic and hurried in without even raising her head."Stop!" Dominic called out in a deep voice. Michelle had no choice but to stop abruptly with a look of embarrassment on her face. "Uncle Dom, I’m anxious to see Austin. I apologize for my lack of manners!" "You can't see him now!" After a pause, Dominic looked at the father and son in front of him. "You two can't go in either.""Why not?!" Elijah couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Dom, you called us to pick him up. Why can't we see him now?""There’s a change in the situation," Dominic said slowly. "Wait a minute."As he spoke, he clapped his hands. Then a servant came over
"Austin, Austin…" Michelle called out. She wanted to run in, but as soon as she entered the room and saw the situation inside, she froze. "Oh, my God! What’s going on?!""What's wrong?" Elijah was a step behind and could not see inside. He heard his wife's exclamation and hurriedly pushed her aside. He was taken aback once he had a clear view.The room was a mess. The big bed in the room was empty. Austin was tied to a recliner with iron chains wrapped around his body. His clothes were torn, and he looked haggard."Austin, what's going on?!" Michelle cried as she ran over to hug him, tears streaming down her face. "Why are you tied up? Who tied you up?!""Me!" A clear voice came from the door. Dominic had also followed them up and stood by the door."Uncle Dom! Why are you treating Austin like this?! He's your nephew. You've watched him grow up! How can you bear to treat him like this?!" She cried. Although sad and angry, she did not dare lash out at him."Where's the key?! Unloc
“Uncle Dom, that's not what we mean." Elijah began to panic as well. "Please. Please save Austin. I'll do anything!""Hmph!" Dominic shot a glance at him before walking toward Austin. Michelle was about to speak when she saw Dominic tie Austin up again and pull a blanket over him."You've seen him. You can decide whether you want to take him away or leave him here," Dominic turned around and said."That goes without saying! He's staying here, of course!" Elijah did not hesitate. "Only you can save him. You must!"Daniel also chimed in with a trembling voice, "Yes. No matter what happened in the past, Austin has always been dutiful to you. Oh, my child, you must’ve suffered!"Daniel raised his hand and wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes.Dominic turned to look at Austin. "What do you say?""I'll follow whatever you think is best, Uncle Dom. I'll do anything you say!" Austin gritted his teeth as delicate beads of sweat appeared on his face.Michelle was distressed b
Then Elijah’s tone became harsh as his eyes filled with hatred. "If we have to blame someone, we'll blame those who injected Austin with the virus! Who are these people?! What virus did they inject you with?!""It's…the people from the old research institute," Austin said softly, "Besides some underground employees, the only one I know is Rhea Moore, and…"Mike's face flashed across Austin's mind. He thought about it momentarily but did not know why he did not say Mike's name. He felt conflicted about Mike.Austin did not know what kind of person Mike was. Although Mike had hurt him, he had also saved him. Austin wanted to know what Mike’s real purpose was."And?!" Elijah urged. He only wanted to arrest the people who hurt his son and torture them to vent his anger."I don't know." Austin shook his head slowly and frowned. "I suspect a more threatening power behind her, but I've never seen that person. They set up the research institute as a cover. The real purpose is to study vir
Daniel sighed as he slowly sat down with his hands on his crutches. "How could this happen?" He turned to look at his grandson and continued, “Don’t you worry, Austin. Your granduncle will cure you, and you will get better.”"I never made such a promise!" Dominic quickly denied it from the sidelines.However, Daniel just smiled, not taking Dominic's claim seriously. When they were younger, Daniel would always get irritated by how Dominic responded to things. It would then lead the two to quarrel.Now that they were a lot older, Daniel had seen through Dominic. He was just a crude but soft-hearted man. Despite what Dominic said, he tied Austin up so he would not hurt himself. It meant that Dominic was not going to give up that easily.If he genuinely did not care, he would not have rescued Austin from the street in the first place. Why would he bother to call the other three and ask them to rush over?"What are you smiling at?" Dominic snapped when he noticed Daniel's dazzling smil
Michelle was furious when she entered the room. She might have lost her temper as she made the phone call. However, her eyes turned red when she laid eyes on her son."My baby! Oh, how much you've suffered!" She burst into tears and hugged him, distressed.After knowing that the iron chains were to protect Austin and not harm him, she dared not touch them anymore. Instead, she hugged him over the chain. "Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat? I'll make some food for you. Is it cold? I've called someone…""If you're so worried, bring him home with you." Dominic was already uncomfortable and became even more annoyed when he heard her continuous rambling.Michelle immediately kept quiet.With a nonchalant smile on Daniel's face, he turned to look at Elijah. "How is it?""We've called the police! The police initially wanted Austin to make a statement, but I've already explained his current situation, so they've pushed back the statement collection. As for the Moore family, I'v
Fabian had been occupied with the vaccine development project and didn't seem to care about other things. He was as pleased as punch.When Maria came home and saw that the things in the house had been moved out and thrown in the yard, she called out anxiously, "What is this for? Who told you guys to throw my things away?!""Me!" Fabian stood in the yard, arms akimbo, and declared confidently.With a chuckle, he walked toward her and softly continued, "I'm just throwing away the old things to replace them with new ones!""New ones? What new ones?" Maria inquired, perplexed. Seeing that all the carefully selected sofas were being carried out, she rushed over to stop them. "Who said you can throw this away? This is still good!""So what if it's good? There are better things!" Fabian held her back and smiled triumphantly. "Don't you know where we stand now? How can these things still be of any worth to us? Throw them all away so it'll be easier when we move to a new house!""A new ho
"I see, now! You're trying to kick me to the curb so you can find someone new, am I right?! Are you deliberately looking for a reason to kick me out?!" Maria immediately exploded. "Fabian Moore, you heartless man! You haven't even made it yet, and you're already considering abandoning your wife! How much hardship have I been through with you since then? How low did I stoop to kiss your brother-in-law's a*s? Now, you…""What are you talking about?!" He quickly covered her mouth and looked around warily. After all, there were people around them. It wouldn't be good if they heard her. "If you want to be happy, just keep quiet and follow my lead."With Maria muffled, the atmosphere became quieter in an instant.She frowned and remained silent for a while before she spoke again. "Then, you'd have to reduce the cost of production and recount everything. You shouldn't fall into someone else's trap. Does Ree know about this? She can be responsible for the quality control, just in case…"
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