"Because…" Anastasia dragged on hesitantly while looking at Alexander. Her hesitation showed she was baffled and afraid."I don't care what they told you, but think about it. You can't hide it now that I already know about this. It doesn't make much difference whether or not you tell," Alexander said patiently, “Don't you trust me? Do you not trust Lily?"He resorted to playing the emotional card.Although Anastasia might not trust him completely, she still had absolute trust in Lily. It was to the point that Alexander felt they would have easily solved this matter if Lily had been standing here instead. Then Anastasia would express what was happening and ask for Lily’s advice.Thinking about it, Lily had a certain charisma and charm that surpassed him, making people have an inexplicable sense of trust and reliance on her. However, Lily was captive at this moment, which made Alexander’s heart sink unconsciously."Lily…" Sure enough, Anastasia's eyes flickered upon hearing Lily’s n
Although Anastasia might have had ideas and enough courage, she was still young and lacked experience. She was in a mess after seeing the video. On top of that, Cameron had been missing for a few days with no news. It was understandable that she dared not speak up.Although it had been less than a day since the video, it was still hard for her."No." Alexander shook his head and explained, "If they genuinely wanted to harm your father, they could just do it. Why would they bother sending you the video to threaten you? They simply want to buy some time or just need these few days."While their words might not be trustworthy, and it was uncertain they would release Cameron after three days, at the very least, their demand for Anastasia not to call the police or tell anyone was true within the three days.Since that was the case, they wanted to cover up Cameron’s disappearance. Although Alexander could not figure out the purpose behind this, what they did was very obvious."Then what
Alexander had Anastasia sent home, not before reassuring her not to overthink and to eat and rest when she was home. He also told her to contact him immediately if she received another message.Although Anastasia agreed, her frown was still prominent.Alexander did not say much, as his words would sound empty, no matter what he said. In truth, they both knew his intention. Still, it was difficult for the person involved to remain optimistic and worry-free when faced with the actual situation.After all, talking was cheap, just like Alexander was concerned about his wife’s safety. He tried comforting himself by trusting in her ability to protect herself so he did not have to worry. Besides finding Lily, he was responsible for finding Cameron, too.Things just kept getting increasingly confusing.…Lily could not feel the car shaking when she woke up. It seemed she had arrived. Her brain started working again after a short rest. She considered what had happened before passing out.
Lily could feel her babies turning like they were yawning and stretching. There was a bulge on her stomach that eventually disappeared. It indicated everything was going well, making her feel relieved.Amid her recent ordeal, she realized her children must also have suffered. She could find some peace of mind as long as they were safe.After taking a moment to gather herself, she stood up and walked around the room. She noticed there was no one else in the room. However, it was evident there were surveillance cameras present.As Lily approached the window, she drew the curtains and realized it was blocked, so she could not see the outside. In other words, the window was just a decoration.The room was quite spacious, resembling a suite. When Lily exited the bedroom, she entered a living area with a sofa, coffee table, and a water dispenser, among other things. Overall, it felt relatively luxurious.‘Yeah, I’m in a hotel suite. Or more like a luxurious cage.’Even if she did not t
Not knowing whether they saw through her thoughts or if it was time, the door suddenly swung open. The two thugs stood aside while someone pushed a food cart in. The three looked foreign.Without saying a word, the person parked the cart next to the table, opened the lid, and took out the dishes individually. The aroma was enticing as Lily looked on, only to discover the dishes were local.Moreover, they were her favorite foods. There were fajitas, pot roasts, tater tots, etcetera. The table was full of various dishes, a feast, even for her eyes. After laying out the food, the person glanced at Lily before pushing the cart out.Lily sat down, looking at the table full of food. She knew they were trying to convey a message. They knew her well, even up to what she liked eating. Since they had gone to such lengths to bring her here, they would not simply poison her food and end everything so quickly.However, there was no guarantee they would not tamper with the food. After all, these
Before this, the organization had urged Lily to speed up the experiment’s progress, emphasizing time was running out. Now, they seemed less urgent. Still, she did not know the situation on Alexander’s side or what had happened at the research base.‘What will Mike and Rhea do now that the organization has taken me away? Has Edward already left?’…Mike immediately returned to the research base after hearing about Alexander’s situation. Rick, who had taken Lily away, had caught Mike off-guard, quickly sending Mike into a spiral.Mike only remembered the “boss” was still locked inside the secret room while returning to the research base. Mike had planned to find an opportunity to move the boss out, but now it seemed no one cared about the boss.However, it was a good chance for Mike to gamble. He wanted to see if this vicious man, who the organization had already discarded, would still be as arrogant, fearful, or angry. Mike also wanted to see if there was a chance he could discover
Mike suddenly relaxed after seeing the agitated Rhea and the half-dead “boss.” He was interested in what Rhea had to say."So, tell me. How can we cooperate? How will we fight against the organization?" He asked, casually pulling over a chair to sit as he calmly engaged her.Rhea looked at him and said firmly, "I still have leverage.""Oh?" He raised his eyebrow and smiled. "What leverage? Don't tell me you have an even more powerful virus that can force the organization to listen to you.""What makes you think I don't?" She sneered, exuding an air of confidence.Mike noticed how she brimmed with confidence and started having doubts and hesitation from his initial questioning and disdain.‘Does she genuinely have something we can use?’"What's your leverage?" He asked again."It's none of your concern. You just have to know we have bargaining power," Rhea replied, "Mike, will you cooperate with me or not?"Mike collected his thoughts while lowering his gaze to the ground. He w
Mike’s heart raced, and his stomach turned. However, Rhea gave no response to the “boss’s” face and instead cocked her head to admire it. She loosened her grip after a while, and the “boss” simply slid back onto the chair.Rhea took a wet wipe to clean her fingers, then drawled, “What do you think of my bargaining chip?”“Bargaining chip?” Stunned, Mike looked over his shoulder at her and caught on after two seconds. “You’re saying he’s your bargaining chip?”He pointed toward the man.‘Yes, he used to be somebody but not anymore. Why would Rhea treat him as her bargaining chip?’“Didn’t you say the organization abandoned him, and he now means nothing to them?” Mike took a deep breath to calm himself down, disgusted by what he saw. When he first saw what the boss looked like, he felt appalled but not as revolted as he was now.The scary and dirty face had a few more bloody wounds, making it look even more unnerving and disgusting. However, the young and beautiful Rhea calmly admi
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