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
Mike was staggered by what Rhea said. He could not imagine her turning the “boss” into a guinea pig. Although he had witnessed humankind’s ugly side and many inhumane experiments, he found it hard to accept seeing how horrifying the man looked now.After all, hearing and witnessing something firsthand were wholly different experiences. The gory sight before Mike greatly affected him, but Rhea, having caused it, was unbothered.“Why are you…” Mike cleared his throat and continued, “Why are you so sure your experiment is what the organization wants? If they truly want it, I doubt you need to approach them, right? Perhaps what you think is great means nothing to them.”It was only a casual remark, but he hit her sore spot. Mike was right when he said the organization did not care about Rhea’s experiment. If they did, she would have openly conducted it with their support.Rhea only obeyed the “boss” and the organization to repay them for recognizing her skills. More importantly, her fa