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
"I believe you’re capable, and I believe you can do it!" He cheered softly. "It's just that our strength is limited, and we shouldn't be the only ones carrying the burden and responsibility."Lily leaned back a little to put some distance between them and stared at him wide-eyed. She was startled."What's wrong?" Alexander let go of her shoulders slightly. "Am I wrong?"She shook her head. "No! I just didn't expect you to agree with me!"At this point, she got excited and regained her spirits. "There's something I didn't tell you, but you must promise not to get angry."Seeing her finger pointed at him with a serious look on her face, Alexander raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "Oh? Tell me!""No, you have to promise you won't be angry before I continue!" When the two got together, they promised never to hide anything from each other and would always discuss things. Later, she was worried and angry when he faced danger in Burnwken and did not notify her. Then, when the
Lily stopped but poked Alexander after realizing he had no intention of speaking. "That’s it.""Oh," Alexander responded."Oh?!" She raised her eyebrows, clearly dissatisfied with his reaction. "Just 'oh?!'"Alexander immediately laughed when he saw her face. "What else can I say? You have your idea, you’ve prepared everything, and you have strong support and reinforcements. Besides praising my wife for being so capable, what else can I say?"Lily scrunched her nose and said, "Why do I hear a hint of sarcasm behind your words? I told you I didn't mean to hide it from you. We discussed this not long ago, and on Dr. Blanc's side, he… You know what I mean."Alexander was an exception when it came to secrets. Lily had nothing to hide when it came to him."I understand." He nodded and sighed faintly.Feeling that something was wrong, she looked at him suspiciously. "Is there something you want to say? Why does your reaction feel so flat?"His reaction was a little too calm, as if he
Lily’s mind quickly started turning and found the answer. "Was it Dr. Blanc?"She raised her brows, and Alexander's eyes revealed everything."Damn it!" She cursed despite herself. She was astounded. "Dr. Blanc is something else, isn’t he?! He repeatedly told me to keep it a secret and emphasized the severity of the situation, yet he told you.“How can someone with such a big mouth hold such an important, confidential, and high-ranking position?!" She grumbled angrily.‘I wish Dr. Blanc were in front of me right now, so I can give him a piece of my mind!’Alexander chuckled softly. "Don't blame Dr. Blanc for this. He didn't tell anyone else. To be precise, it's a three-way secret.""What do you mean?" Lily was puzzled and wondered what he meant."He needs to cooperate with you and La Beaute Group simultaneously." After a pause, Alexander continued, "Don't forget, La Beaute Group was the first to win the previous vaccine development project. We will always chime in whenever the c
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