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…"
“What?! An abandoned factory?!” Maria exploded when she heard what her husband said. "How can you let her work at an abandoned factory?! That is such a terrible place! You have so many factories and places. Can't you make space for her?!"Maria jumped angrily. "Give her a proper working space immediately! How can you be so stingy?!"Facing the accusation, Fabian cried out in grievance. "That's not the case! Rhea insists on working there. She said she didn't want a proper place and that the experiment was tricky. She wanted to work in a place she could easily leave behind. What can I do?! Even if I'm stingy, I won't do that to my daughter!""She…" Maria was at a loss for words after hearing her daughter's request. Although she was angry and anxious, there was nothing she could do.If this were Rhea's request, no one could talk her out of it."This child is something else. What is she thinking?!" Maria sighed. When she saw people still carrying things out of the house, she expressed
Fabian squinted, looking at the man that spoke. He thought the man looked familiar but could not put a name to the face."You are…""Mr. Moore, you've raised an amazing daughter!" The man snickered. His words were full of sarcasm and contempt, and the eyes that looked at Fabian were cold as they shot daggers at Fabian."Who are you guys?! How dare you come to my house and cause a ruckus? Do you think we're easy to bully?!" Maria growled.She could not stand hearing others slander or mock her daughter. She got riled up when the group of people appeared, looking like they were about to start a fight.‘Does this group of people not know who we are? How daring of them!’"Are you saying your family isn't easy to bully, but ours is? If you don't hand over that murderer, Rhea Moore, today, you won't see the end of this!" This time, a woman's voice sounded.Maria was already in a terrible mood. After hearing that, she almost burst into flames. "Who are you calling a murderer?! You b*sta
"Tell us what?!" Maria refused to back down. "Why should she? Just because you said so? Do you have any evidence? If my daughter did kidnap your son, show us the evidence!""Evidence?" Elijah snorted coldly. "My son, Austin Fike, is the best evidence! He’s recovering from what happened. How can what he said and saw with his own eyes be false? I will not let this slide if you don't hand Rhea over today. It'd be useless even if you try to get Secretary Rollins to help! Nothing will work!"Before coming over, Elijah had already done all the preparatory work he should have done. The police station reported the case and informed the higher-ups for fear that Cameron would overshadow it.Although Cameron had always been upright with a good reputation, the incident with the vaccine development project a while ago made everyone question him. On top of that, Elijah was unfamiliar with Cameron, so he had to keep a good hand.Hearing how Elijah had called out Fabian's trump card, he suddenly r
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