“Uncle Fabian, why aren’t you going in? My father is resting inside.” Anastasia made an inward pointing motion and stated blandly. The half-smile on her face made Fabian feel that she was up to something. ‘I’m already here. If I back off now, not only could I not resolve my doubts, but I’d also look like a complete coward.’ He gave her a deep look, gritted his teeth, and quickly stepped in. As he went in, he chuckled and said, “Ron, I heard you’re sick, so I’ve come to check on... you…”Even before he could finish saying “you,” Anastasia entered and shut the door with a bang. Fabian was somewhat shocked. “Ron?”‘Cameron is lying on the bed, but… he doesn’t seem to be just sick. Why isn’t he moving at all?’“Ron?” He called out again, but Cameron showed no sign of response and did not even open his eyes. His eyes shifted to Anastasia, and he was struck by a sense of strangeness at the sight of her closing the door and blocking the exit.“Tasia, your father…”“I told you
Fabian questioned Anastasia, who nodded and pursed her lips. “Yes!” Without waiting for his reply, she said, “There’s no doubt that my father has been poisoned. Besides… don’t you know about it?”She asked probingly, but Fabian shouted, “How would I know?! I didn’t poison him, did I?!”He looked upset but did not avert his gaze, and this got Anastasia thinking. ‘Rhea was able to slowly poison me behind her parents’ backs at a young age, so I guess they wouldn’t know about what happened to dad either.’In the last few days, the young woman had been blaming herself. ‘Why didn’t I pay more attention to dad? How could I let dad become her victim when I know how vicious and unreliable Rhea was? ‘I know it’s useless to feel bad about it now as I can’t turn back time, and Rhea can’t come back to life. I only wish that Lily would come up with the cure and dad could recover sooner.’ Thinking so, she looked toward Fabian and took a deep breath. “Don’t be mad, okay? I was only asking. I
Fabian wondered whether or not Cameron was still approachable and whether or not he would still have his back. Fabian was surprised to face such a situation. He slowly lowered his phone-holding hand in response to Anastasia's words and hesitated. “Then…”“Uncle Fabian, I’ve kept this from everyone because I’m worried. I've got no idea how far along the project is or whether it would be affected now that Rhea has suddenly passed away,” she said, placing her hand on Fabian’s hand. “Still, we’re family, Uncle Fabian. You must help me keep this a secret.” Her suddenly pressing the back of his hand startled him, and he became flustered. “Until when? People will find out sooner or later!” He hesitated but seemed open to the idea. “As long as we can.” Anastasia added, “I’m trying to find a cure for my father. When he wakes up, we’ll have nothing to worry about, and I’ll tell my father you helped us get through this difficult time.”Hearing this, Fabian was tempted. ‘If I help her and
Anastasia sighed lightly. “Maybe it’s because I’ve grown up.”“Grown up?” Fabian was momentarily confused.“Yes. I used to lead a carefree life under Aunt Maria’s, yours, and my father’s care. Now that my father is like this and with so many things happening at home, I must become more mature than I used to be.” She looked sincerely at Fabian.“Uncle Fabian, I know you and Aunt Maria are sad by Rhea’s sudden passing, but you mustn’t give up. You still have to take care of your business, and there are many things you need to handle.“Aunt Maria needs you to look after her as well. We must both be strong for our family’s sake!” She let out a long sigh, her eyes filled with resignation.Anastasia’s words touched Fabian, and he nodded. “You’re right. We can’t give up, and we must be strong! Tasia, you’ve done well. We shouldn’t let others know about what has happened to your father. Rest assured. I’ll help you keep it a secret.”“Thank you, Uncle Fabian.” Anastasia glanced over her s
“Two days is unacceptable! We can’t wait that long,” Mike rejected straight away. “How about tomorrow? I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”“No!” Lily was firmer and answered readily, “Mike, I only promised to help you for old times’ sake and Nicky, so don’t push it!”Mike was not upset after Lily scolded him, but he was still anxious. “Lily, it’s not that I want to rush you, but we’re running out of time. Although we agreed to give you some time, you can’t keep dragging your feet forever! I’ll—”“He’ll pick you up tomorrow!” Suddenly, a strange hoarse voice sounded over the phone. It sounded eerie, shrill, and distorted.Taken aback, Lily felt a chill run up her spine, and the phone nearly slipped off her hand. She calmed herself, sat up, leaned forward, and asked, “Who are you?”A peal of giggles came, so ear-piercing and creepy that it made Lily’s hairs stand on end. She felt uncomfortable, but the person kept giggling. He halted just as she could not take it anymore and wanted
Alexander heard Lily’s voice as soon as he approached. Although he could not tell what she was yelling about, he could hear the emotions in her voice. He quickly walked over and saw her standing there with her phone. The sullenness on her face had not completely faded."What?" Alexander turned his head and glanced at the things on the concoction table. The concoction’s progress was still ongoing, and seeing that no alarms were ringing, he quickly walked toward her.He raised his hand and touched her forehead. Her body temperature was normal, but he noticed her chest was heaving violently. Just as he was about to take the phone from her, she tightened her grip. "I'm fine.""Who called?" He knew it was a call at a glance but did not hear who it was."Mike Corden." Lily glanced at him and supported herself up slowly.She casually pulled the pillow beside her waist and adjusted it to a more comfortable position. "It's not actually Mike, but the person behind him.""The mysterious ma
"Don't say that!" She raised her hand to cover his lips, looking up at him. "What are you going to spend your money on? They don't need money. Besides, what will the children and I eat if you spend all your money?" Seeing her serious look, Alexander laughed and pulled her hand away to kiss her. "At least you can still joke around. That means you're not in a bad mood.""I'm not, but I'm not in a good mood either. It's been a few months, and I still don't have a clue. It's a real mess. I feel like they've been leading me by the nose." Lily pursed her lips, a little discouraged.Before, she had always been confident. Now, it seemed like it was faltering."What?" Alexander leaned back and put one hand on the sofa, gently stroking her hair. His gesture was gentle and had a surprisingly calming power. She didn't answer but instead tilted her head to think. Then, she said, "I've been thinking about things for the past few months. There is always a link between them."Following her, he
"So, you're saying that if you want to detoxify someone, you'd have to approach it in two directions?" He glanced at the concoction table and the steaming, traditional herbs on it as he spoke. "Yup." She nodded and pointed in the opposite direction. "I've been developing it since I tried to detox you. Dr. Blanc had already researched the medicine to conquer the plague then. I heard from him that the medicine has been approved by the higher authorities and will soon be given to everyone who had been infected with the plague. Don't you feel like the plague is coming to an end?"Alexander nodded. ‘That’s true.’The plague had not been as crazy recently, especially in Hyderland. It almost felt like it had disappeared. Even Burnwken had passed its peak period. They were just dealing with its aftermath. Although there were still small-scale infections, it was much better than before. "The most important thing now is to get rid of this!" Lily frowned with a solemn expression."Don't ov