Irene waved him off and said. "I'm fine. Probably just bad food. Get the car right now.""Where are we going?" Eagle asked."Back to the hospital," Finn said, answering on Irene's behalf since she looked really sick. Eagle quickly got the car without another question, while Finn helped Irene into it.As Eagle drove to the hospital, Finn asked in concern, "Are you alright?"Irene actually thought that her pain subsided since the initial pang. "Much better."Color was returning to her face as well. Heaving a sigh of relief, Finn said, "You must be under a lot of pressure lately. Maybe you were too anxious when you saw Director Turner faint?"Irene ran the possibilities through her mind.She did not eat anything cold or dirty, so it was not food.Maybe it was as Finn put it—she was under too much pressure. "Maybe!"Her stomachache completely faded when they reached the hospital.However, just as she alighted, James arrived and intercepted her, asking grimly, "What are you
Irene put down her phone after sending the text and waited for a reply from Lulu.She would peek at the screen from time to time, but there was nothing…Even as she reclined against the couch, she wondered the possible causes of Dennis's death.Naturally, she could not come up with anything, and that only left her more frustrated!Still, as she scratched her head…her phone jingled with a notification.She quickly picked it up, and tapped on the screen to find a reply from Lulu: [How can I help?]Irene took a moment to consider her words: [Can you come back to Cloud City?]There was another long pause before a reply came: [Do I have to go back to help you?]Irene replied: [Yes.]Still, she became worried about troubling Lulu since she was married now. And since Lulu wanted to start over, Irene had even less reason to bother her. [Actually, I was just joking. I missed you, that's all.]Lulu, however, doubted that. [I know you, woman. I'll check if there's a bus.] Irene pu
Irene was confused. "Why is he being petty?"She turned to Isaac with a look as if to ask: what are you being petty about?Zachary then explained, "He doesn't like me calling you 'Irene'. I mean, we both go way back, and I've always been calling you 'Irene'. But he's so petty he forbade me from doing it—please reason with him if you have the time to do so."Irene was utterly speechless.These two grown men could not have been more childish! Meanwhile, Zachary appeared gleeful. "Don't you think he's petty, just like a child?"Irene stared at him then. "There's something I've been keeping from you, Zachary."Zachary was still smiling. "What is it?""Lulu got married," Irene replied.Zachary's smile stiffened even before she was finished, and it was hilarious to see it left freezing on his face.Naturally, it was Isaac's turn to tease him. "You shouldn't be petty. She's married already, right?"Zachary said nothing, but sprang to his feet in disbelief, staring at Irene as he s
Isaac was at once speechless, helpless, and amused. "You're really not taking anything lying down, huh?"Irene smiled. "I got that from you. Didn't you hear Zachary? I'm taking after you.""Fine." Isaac gave in, tugging at the hem of her blouse. "I am jealous."Irene sat down then, while he brushed her sidelocks with his clean, strong fingers. "Stay home over the next few days, Irene," he said in his deep voice solemnly.Irene turned toward him. "Are you worried that Neil Turner would try to hurt me again? I have to show up at court if he maintains his lawsuit, not to mention that our priority right now is to find out what killed Dennis.""I'll get a forensic doctor—""I've already asked Lulu." Irene cut him short.Isaac stared calmly at her for several heartbeats. "She agreed to it?"Irene nodded. "Yeah."Isaac thought about it, and he then said, "Alright, let's go with that. The cause of death is priority."They would come up with solutions afterwards, although Isaac had
Lulu's smile was forced as she quietly replied, "Yeah."Irene sharply noticed the change in Lulu's expression. Still, she blinked a couple times but said nothing.If Lulu was keeping quiet, it meant she did not want to tell Irene.As such, Irene simply smiled as if she never noticed. "When you stay with us—"Lulu cut her short before she could finish, "We're staying at a hotel, since there are many people in your home and you'd be inconvenienced. I'll help you out, and I'll be ready to leave once I'm done."Lulu was right—Irene did not expect her to bring her husband. Considering that, staying at her home might not be appropriate. "I'll book a hotel room for you then," Irene said as she whipped out her phone.Lulu did not stop her this time. "Thank you very much. It's your fault for being rich."Irene gave her a playful nudge. "Don't tease me."Once she booked a room and hung up, Lulu asked, "So? What's this favor you need?""Look, I didn't know you were pregnant—I would
Irene quickly strode up and grabbed Zachary's arm, warning quietly, "Don't do anything stupid. Lulu is happy now—please don't affect her life now."Zachary lowered his gaze at her in turn, growling, "So you weren't lying, Irene. She really is married."Irene tightened her hold over his arm, warning, "I'm begging you."Zachary shot her a look, but he soon started laughing.And he was getting louder by the second. Still, he was merely laughing at himself for being delusional!"Calm down. I won't mess with her," he said, his voice turning calm just then. "Now, let me go."However, Irene did not because she was still skeptical. "Zachary…""Why don't you trust me, hmm?" Zachary smiled.As Irene slowly released him, Zachary looked up and met Lulu's gaze.She was frozen stiff, as if lead suddenly filled her body!Feeling her stiffness, Martin asked softly, "Are you alright?"Lulu promptly lowered her eyes to avoid Zachary's gaze. "N-No. Just suddenly felt a little chilly.""I to
Irene gingerly asked Lulu, "Are you alright? I just wanted to get a nicer hotel. I didn't think we would run into Zachary—""Irene." Lulu cut her short with a smile. "I'm fine."Studying Lulu's face for seconds, Irene decided to keep quiet after ensuring that she was.Changing the subject, she asked, "You've been away for a while. Anything you'd like to eat? It's my treat."Lulu thought about it. "Strawberry cake."Irene was speechless—they could get that anywhere!"Just cake? It's not that often you come back.""Fine, but after dinner."Martin joined them as they headed out to eat, before getting the strawberry cake as well."When can I take a look at the body?" Lulu asked. "Anytime. Isaac has already arranged everything with the hospital," Irene said. "But you should rest before you go—it was a long journey and you're pregnant.""No. If it's alright with you, I'd like to get it done soon and head home." It was obvious that Lulu did not want to linger, so Irene called Is
The remains of a broken test tube lay on the floor, and Isaac strode into the room, studying Irene from head to toe."Are you alright?"Irene shook her head. "I'm fine."Isaac frowned—her face was pale, and she appeared weak as she lay against a desk.Still, he asked, "Did you find something?""Dennis was definitely poisoned," she replied. "I found traces of hemlock in the sample Lulu gave me.""Hemlock?" Isaac asked. "What's that?""It's a poisonous plant," Irene explained. "You can extract enough poison to kill two oxen with a single shrub."However, she had no idea who would poison Dennis—he had been admired and loved during his time at Hotmesh Research, and no one held enmity against him."Maybe he consumed it by mistake?""No," Irene said confidently. "That can't happen because hemlock doesn't exist here—it's indigenous to another continent. Moreover, there should be initial symptoms such as exhaustion, accelerated heart rate, cerebral hypoxia, and fainting. It would the