Maria initially worried about Cameron being held hostage in the garage because she had feared him for many years. However, she had somehow grown accustomed to it.‘So what if he’s a member of the cabinet? Now one will ever know Rhea is keeping him here.’Although Maria felt uneasy, she was glad her daughter was still alive. She shut the garage door and pushed it to ensure she had securely locked it before heading to the front yard.Alexander saw her leaving and shifted his body as he sat inside a car on the street. The man in the driver’s seat looked over his shoulder, asking, “Mr. Russell?”Alexander narrowed his eyes. “Not yet.”He had been waiting for over three hours. He saw Rhea and Mike coming and going together before Maria came out to lock the door. Alexander knew they must be hiding something inside the garage.When it was late at night and the surroundings quieted down, Alexander checked the time and said, “Now!”Several men moved swiftly and soundlessly toward the gar
Alexander sat quietly in the car, seemingly waiting for something with a calm expression. Although he had many problems to solve, he never lost his patience.Ten more minutes passed, but it felt like hours. The house remained silent without a single sound. Suddenly, the communication device in the car beeped, emitting a red light.Alexander pressed the answer button, and a deep voice sounded, “Mr. Russell, we found him.”Alexander heaved a sigh of relief, then opened his eyes, not allowing himself to be lax. “How’s the situation?”“He’s unharmed.”He nodded. “Extract him now.”“But…” The caller sounded hesitant.“What’s the problem?”“Well…” After a pause, another voice came.Although it was weak, Alexander knew it was Cameron’s voice. “It’s me.”“Cameron.”“Tell them to leave without me,” Cameron said lowly.“But why?” Stunned, Alexander soon caught on. “You want her to keep you hostage?”“Yes, I can’t tell you much now. Just tell your men to leave. I’ll explain when ther
One of Alexander’s men asked over the radio, “Sir?”“Leave him,” Alexander slowly said, “Don’t leave any traces of your presence.”“Yes, sir.” Soon, the men slipped through the garage door and disappeared into the shadows. It was as if they were never around.“Secretary Rollins refuses to leave,” the man reported as he returned to the driver’s seat.Alexander nodded. “Well, at least we now know he has a plan.”He initially thought Rhea had retaken control of Cameron.‘Cameron let Rhea hold him because he knows how dangerous those viruses are. It almost destroyed Burnwken. Only God knows what the other viruses can do. Besides, Rhea once controlled Cameron using the virus. ‘Cameron knows how ugly things can get if no one stops the organization. Still, he won’t be able to stop Rhea from controlling him again, no matter how strong-willed he is. Fortunately, he’s not under any influence, from what I can tell. Since Cameron has his plans, I shouldn’t worry too much.After some thoug
The driver turned his face slightly. Although dark, one could see it was indeed him. Edward casually answered, “It was all right.”Even so, Alexander knew it must have been a nightmare for him—even more so than the gunfights, assassinations, and betrayals they once faced together.‘The sense of helplessness that we’re no longer in control of our bodies and that we might’ve hurt even those closest to us is unthinkable.’“If it weren’t for—” Alexander started, but Edward quickly interjected, “It’s not your fault. The organization is inhumane. Even if it weren’t me, they would target another person. Besides, it allowed me to obtain helpful information.After a pause, he casually continued, “Perhaps fate made it happen.”Alexander chuckled, feeling slightly relieved. “Since when have you believed in fate, Edward?”“People change.” Edward laughed. “Lily once said we all think differently at different stages of our lives due to what we’ve been through.”His smile gradually froze, and
Afterward, the maid quickly shut the gate and said nothing more. She would not have revealed anything if anyone else were asking questions.However, Alexander was worried as he did not expect Anastasia’s condition to worsen so fast. She told him she was okay but started vomiting blood so suddenly.“Let’s head to the hospital!” He said.“But…” Edward hesitated. After all, Alexander said he wanted to minimize contact with people.“We’ll keep our distance. Also, tell the hospital to get me a hazmat suit,” Alexander said gravely.‘I must see her no matter what and find out more. If I have something to do with her being sick, anyone who has contact with her must go into quarantine. If not, there will be a serious outbreak!’“Yes, sir!” Edward immediately called the hospital. Soon after, he quickly drove Alexander to the hospital.…When Dominic regained consciousness, he turned his head but saw no one around. He looked left and right and found he was alone. Tired and in pain, he let
“I was taking notes,” Austin answered again patiently. He saw Dominic’s puzzled look, then fetched his notebook and showed it to him.Dominic stretched but was too weak to hold the notebook, so Austin crouched by the bed and held the notebook for him. He said, “I’ll hold it for you.”The older man narrowed his eyes and started to read. Austin had filled the book densely with neat handwriting. His notes were detailed, too. He included dates, wrist pulse results, analysis, pathological speculations, and thoughts about various possibilities.He also marked personal speculations as references only.Dominic was surprised by what his grandnephew wrote.As he read on, Austin explained, “I took your pulse once every two hours for the past two days and then jotted down my notes. I know the pulse doesn’t change much over a short period, but I wanted to see the difference.“After all, the virus is unlike any we’ve encountered before. Since I have nothing else to do here and can’t help much,
Dominic tapped on the notebook. “Even if the interval is short, the information can be helpful. See? The wrist pulse records might not have changed much, but there are differences. The morning, afternoon, and evening periods show evident fluctuations here and here. Oh?”He sounded astonished at the last part as if he had made an extraordinary discovery.“What’s the matter?” Austin asked eagerly.Dominic narrowed his eyes, then waved. “Get me my glasses.”He was far-sighted. Although he had a pair of reading glasses, he seldom wore them because he did not want to admit he was old. Furthermore, he usually did not need them while preparing medicine or gardening.Austin was surprised he wanted to wear them and quickly fetched the glasses. Dominic put them on and carefully reread each line.Curious, Austin leaned closer to see what he was reading. However, he saw nothing unusual since these were his notes.“How come?” Dominic cocked his head and became thoughtful.Although curious,
After a while, Dominic casually said, “Did you notice a pattern with the virus?”“It’s active during the day and dormant at night?” Austin thought for a moment and answered.The older man nodded approvingly. “Most viruses are active at night, but this one is most active during the day. That’s why I slept well at night while suffering various discomforts during the day.”Austin patted himself. After all, he had also monitored his condition over the past two days. “This could be one of the traits the organization developed during the research. Still, I don’t understand how the transmission works. How come Alex, Galen, and I are okay?”Even so, his pulse had always been average and steady.“Let’s say I’m immune to the virus because I’m the source—what about Alex and Galen? It doesn’t make sense,” he quickly added after a momentary pause, “Of course, I’m happy they’re okay. I’m just curious why.”Dominic was curious about it as well.‘If it’s not contagious, how come the servants an