"Then…get used to it!" Lily laughed.…It was late at night.The room was quiet, and the person on the bed seemed sound asleep, breathing evenly.Suddenly, a corner of the quilt was lifted, and the man sat up. However, he didn't seem to be in a hurry. He turned his head to look at the woman beside him. When he saw that the woman was still fast asleep with her back against him, he slowly put his feet down and stood up lightly. Then he quietly walked out.As soon as he left the room, the woman on the bed opened her eyes and stared at the closed door.Amid the darkness, her clear eyes were filled with tears. She turned her head slowly and saw that the wheelchair parked beside the bed had not moved at all. However, there was no one sleeping beside her. She felt her heart slowly drop to the ground, breaking into a thousand pieces.‘He’s really lying to me! Why did he pretend to be handicapped and sit in a wheelchair when he could already walk?’Taking deep breaths to calm herself do
Lily walked into the house and sat on the sofa before answering the phone. "Olivia, what's wrong?" Lily had a suspicion in her heart that Olivia would somehow reach out to her after she and Alexander left.Olivia was not brainless. Although she loved Edward very much, Lily believed Olivia would be able to tell who was lying after the confrontation today.Olivia sounded a little rushed on the phone, panting. "Lily, Edward… he went out.""Went out? What do you mean?" Lily glanced at Alexander, who was subconsciously warming up some milk for himself. As if he could sense his wife’s gaze, he looked in her direction."He got up while I was asleep and secretly went out alone. I don't know where he drove off to. Lily, I-I'm scared!" Olivia's voice trembled as she spoke, sounding like she was about to cry. She was scared of what Edward was hiding from her. She was scared of the truth.Lily frowned and sat up slightly. "He drove out alone? Wait, isn't he injured? Doesn't he need a wheelc
“Me?” Lily did not understand and was puzzled."You told her she should be careful since she's pregnant, but what about you? Have you forgotten that you're also a pregnant woman?" Alexander spoke gently, placing one hand on her swollen belly.It pained him to see her running around like this. Apart from sharing her burden with her, there was nothing much he could do.Hearing this, Lily burst into laughter. She wanted to say she was fine but only nodded after seeing how concerned he looked. "Okay, I'll listen to you."Only then did Alexander have the peace of mind to call someone to track Edward down.Meanwhile, Edward drove the car through a majestic gate to the underground parking lot. After leaving the car, he walked toward a black jeep with its engine still running. As soon as he got into the black jeep, it drove away.…Alexander soon persuaded Lily to go to bed first. After all, no one knew when Edward would go home. The person Alexander had sent to find Edward’s whereabout
Alexander glanced at her. "The vaccine research and development base.""The vaccine…" Lily was at a loss for words for a moment. That was where she least expected Edward to be.However, it made sense that foreign cars would not be allowed in. After all, it was a heavily guarded place. No one could enter and exit at will. It only meant that Edward knew someone inside who allowed him to enter.The vaccine research and development base Alexander mentioned referred to the one Fabian had snatched from La Beaute Group’s hands. It was the project Cameron called for a rebid that tarnished him with infamy.‘Could this mean Edward, Cameron, Fabian, and Rhea are a team?’Even those unknown organizations in the previous research institute had something to do with this."I guess we can assume that someone has poisoned or controlled Edward," Lily stated after analyzing the situation. Everything was starting to make sense. The fog in her mind gradually dissipated, and she felt they were getting
"You're right!" Alexander nodded and immediately called his henchman. It turned out that other cars were coming in and out.Although it was already late at night, the vaccine development base hustled continuously to catch up with the progress. Even then, people were still going in and out of the area."Call your man back!" Lily said, "It's pointless to stay there now. Edward might not even be there. If you can't enter the base, there's no use."Alexander did not answer as his brows furrowed. She had no idea what he was thinking."What's wrong?" Lily asked, seeing that he did not reply."Actually, we might be able to get in." He raised his eyebrows."Huh?" Then she quickly understood. "You mean…through Secretary Rollins? But he's still in a coma, and outsiders can't know about it." After a pause, she thought of something and continued, "Tasia can still hold them back for now, but…if the Moores go over, Tasia will be overpowered.""You're right. That's why we’ll have to be one s
"Listen to me!" Lily could tell that Olivia was starting to lose it and quickly said, "I know you're worried about him now. We are too! But no one knows what's going on and why he’s doing this. Don't act rashly until this is all figured out. We'll at least have to trust the Edward we know, right?"Lily sounded calm, but her heart was racing as well.Olivia was silent for a moment before she nodded. "Okay, I understand!""Good. The most important thing for you now is to take care of yourself and the baby inside you. You shouldn't get too riled up. Understand?" After a few more words of advice, Lily was about to hang up.However, Olivia seemed to think of something again and said, "Wait! Since you've been occupied, I've helped you with some of your emails. I replied to some simpler ones, but there are still a few encrypted emails. You can look at them yourself when you're free.""Okay." Lily nodded. "Thank you for helping me."After saying that, she hung up.She had not had time t
"I understand those data, but I can also tell it's used for some kind of experiment. Are they all experimental data? Are you creating a poisonous perfume with all the poisonous plants and drugs?!"Lily was speechless. She did not expect him to come to such a conclusion. Lily would definitely spray him in the face if he were in front of her eyes."No. As for what you're doing, don't ask so many questions. Knowing too much might be your downfall. Can you forward that data to me?" She asked."Of course!" He agreed happily. Then, he thought of something and asked curiously, "Wait, I did send it to your email a few days ago. Didn't you read it?""I…" She did not look at her mailbox for days. "I've been busy."He didn't blame her but instead asked, "Yeah, that's what I thought. I've called your home a few times, but you weren't there. I haven't seen Mr. Russell in a while either. Rumors are going around that he’s dead. He…""He's fine," Lily replied directly upon hearing his hesitation
Yes, humans. The experiment included human test subjects. Although the data only showed numbers, one could tell through the collected data and reactions throughout the process that the test subjects were people.This research institute seemed to be far more terrifying than Lily had imagined. She felt a chill rising from her back. The more she looked at the data, the more frightened she became.At some point, a hand on her shoulder sent her jumping up in shock. When she turned her head and saw that it was Alexander, she breathed a sigh of relief. "When did you come upstairs?"After a pause, she returned to her senses and asked another question, "Are you done?""What's wrong?" Alexander did not see the content of Lily’s email but noticed she was staring at the computer screen intently."Nothing. I'm just looking at some data." She took a deep breath and turned around to look up at Alexander. "I got someone to hack into the encrypted database from the previous experimental base and 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