Lily looked at the doctor in astonishment while he indifferently packed his stuff and left as if he had not said a thing. Thinking back, Lily felt like she had just experienced an auditory hallucination.However, the doctor’s words kept ringing in her ear. The most puzzling thing to Lily was that the doctor who treated her surgical wound was not the one who passed her Alexander’s message.‘Is he one of ours too, or was that a case of a guilty conscience? It could also be…a trap.’She was momentarily confused.…Although Alexander had caught Rhea, he did not know what to do with her. Since she was an extremely dangerous psychopath and he could not hand her over to the police just yet, he could only lock her up for the time being.He tried interrogating her twice but failed to get any helpful information.‘Her way of thinking isn’t normal. Anyway, the most pressing matter is to find out where Cameron is.’Alexander and his men had searched the secret room several times but found
Alexander knew Edward would not listen to him otherwise, so he tried reasoning with Edward using his wife and child.Edward hesitated when he heard Olivia’s name but soon answered, “No, I should be doing something more important now. I’m familiar with that place, so I should be the one going!“If not, I would’ve infiltrated that place for nothing, right? Besides, most of those working for the organization have left, and those who remain are low-level lackeys. So, don’t worry about me, all right?“I’ll only be searching for someone, not going to war.” Edward, who rarely laughed, chuckled, trying to sound casual.However, he could not fool Alexander, who shook his head. “Cut the act, all right? We both know what kind of place that is. You’re already infected. If you catch another poison, you’ll die! You—”“That’s why I should go! I have nothing to lose since I’m already infected. You’re different. You have too many important things to do. I wouldn’t have survived or led a good life
The husband and wife were stunned as they turned to stare at Alexander. They asked simultaneously, “What did you say?”“It’s true.” Alexander nodded. He knew he had to tell them sooner or later.“Alex, I know I’m infected with the virus from the lab, which even controlled my mind. Although I did regain consciousness later on, I knew I couldn’t live for long. Besides, Mrs. Russel took my wrist pulse before, and she knew—”Edward thought Alexander was trying to console him and told his boss what he knew so that Alexander would not need to lie and give false hope to Oliva.Alexander interrupted and went straight to the point, “It’s Lily who told me that.”“Mrs. Russell?”“Lily?”Surprised, Edward and Olivia spoke at the same time.Alexander nodded and said, “According to Lily, the virus can damage your organs, but your condition isn’t irremediable. She plans to treat you when she returns. It’s just that…”After a pause, he slowly said, “You must be patient and wait for her return
“Wait a minute. What are you guys planning to do?” Seizing an opportunity to interject, Olivia asked, “Were you talking about the research center?”“Yes, the vaccine research center.” Edward turned to look at her. “But it has nothing to do with you. We’ll take care of the problem, okay? Just go home and rest.”Olivia looked up and shoved him aside. “I can do more than that, okay? Although I know little about what’s happening, I’ve also done my part.”She approached Alexander and held up the bag she brought as she continued, “I’ve completed Lily’s experiment back at the studio and bottled up the final products. I also brought her notes on the experiment. I figured you might find them helpful.”“Lily’s experiment?” Alexander was surprised yet puzzled as he took the bag. “It must be related to the perfumes, right? Anyway, thank you.”In other words, he did not find them helpful, although he was grateful for her gesture.Having expected such a reaction, Olivia smiled. “Just read it.”
Edward yielded to Alexander’s command but never expected his boss to go there alone instead of sending someone else.Alexander drove alone to the vaccine research center’s back entrance. The place looked the same, with the workers having to go through inspection and verification before entering or leaving the building.He had expected it as the workers still had ordinary jobs, even though the secret and evil experiments had stopped for several days.Several workers remained in the laboratory. However, they resembled headless chickens since losing contact with the higher-ups, and no one told them what to do next.Rhea or Mike used to come and give them work, but even the two had gone missing for two days. The workers had food and water since they lived there. Still, they did not know what to do next.The organization had brought them there to work. Despite not knowing the project, the workers knew it was illegal, judging from the experiments and equipment involved. Also, they had n
Alexander stopped before the innermost door and carefully studied it. The door had high-tech security measures, requiring fingerprints or iris scans for access. He had to wait and consider his options since he knew his fingerprints would not grant him entry.After a while, he removed something from his pouch and carefully wore it around his finger before tentatively reaching out toward the scanner. It was Lily’s artificial fingerprint. The couple had made one for each other in case of an emergency one day.Alexander thought it might be helpful in this mission and brought it with him. He seemed to have guessed correctly.In addition, Lily used to be an essential research personnel here for a long time. Alexander figured he should be able to gain access using her artificial fingerprint.Suddenly, someone appeared behind him and shouted, “Who the hell are you?!”Alexander was shocked since he did not expect anyone to be still conscious. He wondered if that person had already woken up
Edward ran toward a corner and slipped into a room, dragging Alexander along. The door shut independently, and the duo soon heard hurried footsteps outside as people rushed by. “Is there really an intruder? How can anyone break in so easily?”“Didn’t you smell the sedative? There has to be a trespasser somewhere. Come on!” The people’s voices trailed off as they left, seemingly searching for the intruder.Alexander relaxed and looked at Edward, saying, “Didn’t I tell you to…”He did not finish his sentence, knowing he would have been in trouble if not for Edward. Although Alexander could handle these men, he could not continue his search for Cameron if he attracted too much attention.“I was worried about you. Besides, there’s a secret chamber here too. You might not be able to find it if I hadn’t shown up,” Edward whispered, “Anyway, you’re lucky you didn’t try to get into that lab just now.”Alexander nodded. “I know it requires fingerprints or an iris scan to gain access. I hav
Rhea kidnapped Cameron to use him as leverage. A live bargaining chip was helpful, as there was no use if the person was dead. She would not bother with such a futile task."Well, where else do you think a person may be hiding?" Edward looked at Alexander and said, "I've been thinking about it, and the only place where someone could be hiding is the boss's office."Now that the boss is dead and the office is empty, that place is usually off-limits. It should be the most suitable place to hide someone," Edward added with some self-blame, "I'm sorry, it only just occurred to me. Otherwise, I would’ve told you earlier.""There's still time." Alexander patted Edward’s shoulder and said, "Let's go and take a look now."There were still scattered footsteps outside, so Edward leaned against the door and listened for a while. Then he said, “Going out from here isn’t suitable. They’ll see us. Let’s go the other way.”He waited until there was no sound outside before cautiously opening the
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