Ch. 661..670
Chapter 661
Beside them, Robin lifted his head to look at Curtis.
Curtis gently squeezed Rayna's hand and suggested. “Let's head down the mountain and find a place to rest for the night. A hotel would be ideal.” His last part was an order for Robin.
“Okay, then.” Rayna no longer held any hope after she discovered Shvomhid Mountain was the lotus flower-shaped mountain she visited in the past.
The three of them set off down the same winding mountain path, with no idea that a mysterious figure was watching them from behind the little log cabin that was tucked away in the woods. No one noticed the figure slowly turning around and disappearing back into the shadows.
Rayna and Curtis decided to check into a hotel room that was located in close proximity to the base of the mountain.
Inside the bathroom, Curtis was wiping Rayna's hands carefully. He could sense that she was feeling downcast and assumed it was due to the rule imposed by the traditional medicine practitioner. In an attempt to cheer her up, he said, “We'll tiy our luck at climbing the mountain once more tomorrow morning.”
“No need. Nothing will change,” Rayna told him. “The traditional medicine practitioner is stubborn. I only came to Shvomhid Mountain in the past as my mother was sick and needed some herbs. I was hiking up the mountain when I stumbled across a little boy who got hurt.”
A boy...
Curtis focused on that detail. “Why haven't you told me that you've been to Shvomhid Mountain before?”
“It happened a long time ago when I was young,” Rayna explained as Couch helped her to the couch. He gave her a glass of water which she held in her hands. “I think it happened over a decade ago.”
“Can you tell me about it?” Curtis urged.
“Sure.” Rayna took a sip of the water before proceeding to give him a detailed account of the incident.
Upon hearing her story, Curtis felt an overwhelming wave of sympathy for her. He was astonished that she had to take on the role of an adult and shoulder such a heavy burden while she was still a child.
“It seems that the old traditional medicine practitioner is a kind man.” Curtis initially assumed that the man wouldn't give the herb to Rayna as it was rare and expensive.
“He didn't want to give it to me at first, but the pretty lady told him to give it to me. That was how I ended up getting it.” Holding her glass, Rayna recalled the lady she met in the past. “She was really pretty. She looked like a princess in the movies.”
Hearing that, a smile nudged Curtis' lips.
Rayna was always generous with her compliments, lavishing all pretty ladies she encountered with sincere adoration. Curtis was familiar with that side of her.
Rayna was truly gorgeous and had an alluring charm, but she was completely unaware of her captivating qualities. Curtis was a little frustrated with her on that. He could see how desirable she was, yet she was oblivious to the admiration she had been receiving from the opposite sex.
Knock, knock, knock!
A server knocked on the door and said, “Hello. I am here to deliver your meal.”
“I'll get the door.” Curtis walked over to the door and opened it. Wlien the server pushed the cart in, he said, “Leave it there.”
The server left the cart by the coffee table and left the room quietly. At the same time. Robin arrived outside their room, seemingly hesitant to speak.
Curtis glanced at Rayna. who was sitting on the couch. He retrieved a plate of fruit salad from the cart and placed it in front of Rayna before getting her a fork. “Here's a fruit salad. Eat up. I need to leave for a moment, but I'll be right back.”
Rayna held the fork and fumbled about before she managed to get a piece of fruit with the fork. Nodding, she replied. “Sure.”
Curtis made sure she wouldn't hurt herself with the fork before leaving her alone in the room.
Outside, he asked, “What happened? What did Theodore say?”
“Mr. Xavier just called to inform us that the elderly healer on Shvomhid Mountain is likely dead.” Robin said, glancing at the room behind Curtis. “He's arranged for someone to come here overnight just to verify the news, as he was concerned it might be false.”
Curtis' brows knitted together. “Did Theodore say where he received the news from?”
“It was James. Mr. Xavier said James remembered coming here with Mrs. Faymon when they were young. After learning that Mi s. Faymon felt uneasy here, he asked a friend of his who majored in geology to learn more about Shvomhid Mountain. His friend told him that the geology and traditional medicine professor who used to live here died around a year ago,” Robin reported, not leaving out any details.
“Wlien the sun rises, hike up the mountain with the subordinate Theodore sent here.” Curtis was determined to verify the situation himself, and he wouldn't believe it was a coincidence until he saw it with his own eyes. This meant searching for the elderly man's body or his grave.
Recalling Rayna's calm expression, he quickly added. “Don't tell Mrs. Faymon about this. If she asks about it tomorrow, tell her you wish to try your luck. Don't tell her about the elderly man's death.”
“Got it,” Robin answered. He knew what to do even if Curtis didn't give him the order.
Wlien Curtis returned to the room. Rayna had already polished off the plate of fruit salad. “That's quick. Do you want something else?”
“I have a good appetite today. Perhaps it was because of the climb earlier,” Rayna replied as she wiped her lips with a napkin. Curtis' gaze was sharp enough to notice a little graze on her wrist. His gaze landed on the napkin box on the coffee table. There was a rough edge on the wooden box that obviously caused Rayna to get hurt.
Pain flashed across his eyes as he stood up and went to retrieve his backpack, which he left in the TV cabinet. There were some emergency supplies there, including band-aids and some medicine.
“What's wrong?” Rayna was surprised to find Curtis holding her wrist before turning it over. A cooling sensation soon spread over her wrist. She caressed it and realized he had stuck a band-aid on it. Chuckling, she said, “It was just a minor wound. You shouldn't have gotten all anxious.”
She had just grazed her wrist reaching for a napkin and didn't think it was worth mentioning. He noticed the cut right after he came back. I should've rolled down my sleeves to hide it.
“I'll go up the mountain with Robin tomorrow to double-check,” Curtis said as he transferred the plates from the cart to the table. “You can stay at the hotel and wait for updates.”
“I want to come, too.” Rayna was distraught to discover that Curtis wanted her to remain at the hotel on her own. She pleaded. “Don't leave me here alone...” These few days. Curtis had always been with her. She couldn't accept being left alone in an unfamiliar place.
Chapter 662
Rayna tugged at the comer of his shirt and pleaded. “Please? Let me come with you.”
She looked so pitiful that Curtis' heart softened. He eventually found himself relenting and permitting her to accompany them on their journey.
Rayna could finally relax. “By the way, what did Mr. Yeast tell you earlier?” she asked as she munched on a piece of pancake Curtis gave her.
Curtis stopped mid-motion as he was about to place a plate of spaghetti on the coffee table. He quickly came up with a different excuse. “Oh, it was just a small matter at work. Nothing significant.”
“Oh, I see,” came Rayna's reply.
Rayna and Curtis had a simple yet satisfying dinner at the hotel after then two-hour hike, which had been incredibly tiling. After the meal, Rayna was so exhausted that she could hardly keep her eyes open. She curled up on the couch and slipped into a peaceful sleep.
After Curtis cleared the mess on the table, he carried Rayna up from the couch and walked into the bathroom.
It was a rainy night in Norwal City.
A man in a khaki coat emerged from his black sports car parked in the three hundred square meters wide courtyard of Windshadow Mansion. He strode toward the entrance and went inside the mansion.
“Oh? You're finally back home, huh?” Inside the mansion. Octavia stood on the stairs lazily. Clad in a red silk nightgown, she teased, “I thought you won't be home tonight!”
The man shrugged out of his coat and tossed it on the couch. Giving her a cold look, he asked. “Who let you in?”
“Do I even need help getting into a house like yours?” Octavia asked. She then removed the dangling earrings from her ear lobes and tossed them to the man standing on the stairs below her “Six months ago, you said you were going to leave Yartran to come to Nonval City. I thought you were in a bad mood as your hand got hurt and wanted to relax for a bit.”
Her eyes sparkled seductively as she made her way down the stabs to stand in front of the man. Her long, slender fingers brushed across the man's chest. “How could you lie to me. Thibault? Don't you feel bad?”
Thibault slapped her hand that was hailing over his body awray. He unbuttoned his shirt and marched to the wine cabinet. After pouring himself a glass of wine, he downed it in one swig, the liquid burning his throat. Slamming the glass onto the cabinet, he spun around, his eyes blazing. “When did you get here?” he demanded.
“The night before you followed them to Shvomhid Mountain,” came Octavia's answer. She rubbed her hand that Thibault had roughly slapped awray. A noticeable red mark was visible on the back of her hand.
“Move out now!” Without looking at her. Thibault gave a curt order. “Either you move out yourself, or I kick you out. Make your choice!”
“Hey!” Octavia had no idea Thibault would do this to her. Furious, she watched as he climbed up the stairs and declared, “I did everything you told me to! I don't care what you think. You're in Nonval City, and I'm going to be here for the time being. I won't move into a hotel. We're in tliis together, so you can't shake me off so easily!”
Thibault paused with his hand on the doorknob, hesitating before pushing the door open. He then slammed it shut with such force that Octavia jolted in surprise downstairs. She muttered under her breath, “Why did he get so angry? He chose to leave Yartran to come to Nonval City. No one kicked him out.”
Something flashed across her mind as her lips curled. “Nonval City... Rayna...”
A loud bang sounded behind her. Octavia whirled around to realize that Thibault had tossed her suitcase down from the second floor. “Thibault, tliis is too much! How can you be so ungrateful?”
“When I left Yartran. I made it clear to you that I wasn't interested in you at all. I am grateful for your assistance in helping me leave the country and, as a result, I promise not to pursue the issue of you drugging me that night. We're even now!” Thibault declared. He returned to Octavia's room and tossed her remaining items down.
Octavia glared at him. “Thibault, I dare you to toss everything!”
She had just said that when Thibault emerged from the bedroom, about to hurl a white gift box down. Seeing that, she implored. “Please don't throw7 that! I'll leave. I'll go right now! Just don't throw7, it!”
Despite her pleas, Thibault released liis hold on the gift box. and it crashed onto the ground in the living room. The sound of breaking glass could be heard coming from within the box. Octavia's eyes filled with tears as she exclaimed, “Tliis is too much, Thibault!”
“Too much?” Thibault let out a snort as though he had just heard a joke. He slowly undid the buttons on liis shirt and took off his prosthetic arm. His sleeve hung loosely as he asked icily, “Ms. Octavia, do you have a bad memory or do you like pretending to be a fool?”
Downstairs, Octavia paled at the sight of the empty spot underneath liis sleeve where liis aim should be. Pursing her lips, she responded stubbornly, “That wasn't entirely my fault. It was that woman's fault
that you lost your arm. Why are you blaming it on me?”
Octavia nervously gripped the comers of her clothes. “Why don't you hate her? She was the reason you lost your arm. Not only you, even Jeff—”
Thibault's cold voice cut in, “If I hear liis name from your lips again, I'll ask my men to cripple you!”
Downstairs, Octavia felt a chill run down her spine. “I'm just telling the truth!” she insisted.
“The truth?” Thibault arched a brow; He leveled a sharp look at her and asked. “Who was the one who switched Jeffs medicine?”
Octavia said nothing.
“Do you know' that if you hadn't switched liis medicine. Jeff might still be alive, and he wouldn't have to part with Belle forever?” His frosty w'ords wrent deep into her heart like an iron shard.
“Ms. Octavia, your association with the royal family means that we common folks cannot afford to upset you. I implore you to stop coming to me, or I cannot guarantee your safe departure.” With that. Thibault spun on his heels and returned to liis room, leaving Octavia sobbing silently in the living room.
“I didn't do it on purpose. I had no idea tilings will turn out tliis way...” Octavia crouched down and gathered her scattered clothes from the floor, placing them neatly back into her suitcase. “Belle is doing well now; Why am I still blamed?”
Thibault stood in the center of the room after shrugging out of his shirt. Without bothering to put any clothes on. he turned to gaze at the photo on his bedside table. He picked it up and examined it closely.
In the photo, a young gill stood on the lawn with a timid look on her face, her head resting on the shoulder of a young man standing next to her. Behind them, another young man was looking at them
with a cheerful grin.
“You came all the wray here for her, but you failed to bring her back. Tliis time, I shall bring her back on your behalf,” Thibault vowred as he pressed his forehead to the photo. “I promise to bring her back. Just you wait. You'll reunite with her soon.”
Chapter 663
When Rayna woke up the following day. she reached out to feel the bedsheet and noticed it was already cold. Apparently. Curtis left a long while ago.
“Curtis, Curtis.” She called out liis name, but no one responded.
Rayna got up and lifted the blanket to get down from the bed. She groped around the bedside out of habit and felt her cane placed on the left side of the bedside table. She grabbed the stick and searched blindly for the way to the door. However, she didn't feel the chair in front of her with the cane, resulting in her tripping over the furniture when she moved forward.
A loud bang sounded from within the room, arousing the attention of the bodyguard standing guard outside the door. “Mrs. Faymon. are you all right?” The bodyguard didn't dare to open the door and enter the room casually, so he could only knock on the door and inquire about the situation inside the room.
Sitting on the floor. Rayna said in the door's direction. "I'm fine.”
A hint of grievance and resignation laced her hoarse voice. She reached out to grope around the floor, wanting to retrieve her cane but to no avail, even after doing that for a long while.
At the same time, someone opened the initially shut door from the outside, followed by the entry of a bodyguard in black. The bodyguard was shocked when he saw Rayna sitting on the floor. He hurriedly stepped forward to help her up. “Mrs. Faymon. what are you...”
Rayna didn't expect someone would come into the room. She was slightly taken aback but didn't reject the bodyguard's assistance. “I stumbled on a chair and fell just now. Can you please help me find mynoveldrama
stick?”
The bodyguard scanned liis surroundings and finally fixated his gaze on the spot below the coffee table. "Stay here, and don't move too much. I'll help you pick it up.”
He bent down to retrieve the cane as he spoke and returned it to Rayna. “Mr. Faymon went out to do something. He instructed us to take good care of you before he left.”
"Okay." she replied nonchalantly. Under the bodyguard's guidance, she walked up to the couch and took a seat.
"Do you need me to help you with anything else?” the bodyguard asked thoughtfully instead of exiting the room immediately after she sat down.
“I'm a little thirsty.” she said.
In fact, she wasn't thirsty. However, she had just tripped over a chair and was informed about Curtis' departure. The two overlapping incidents prompted her to require some time to recollect herself. Otherwise, she was afraid she might experience an emotional outburst.
She didn't even need to probe further to figure out where Curtis had gone.
Last night, they made a promise to climb up the mountain again today, but Curtis went back on his word. Rayna was dissatisfied, but she understood liis intention of not wanting her to overexert herself.
The bodyguard poured a glass of warm water and handed it to her. “Mrs. Faymon. here's the water.”
She received the glass and cautiously took a sip of water before asking again. “When did Mr. Faymon leave?”
"He left approximately an hour ago.” Another bodyguard, standing at one side, answered the question. After saying that, he shot a look at his colleague, who was in close proximity to Rayna. hinting at him to keep some distance from her.
Still, the first bodyguard clearly didn't take his colleague's reminder seriously. He stood next to Rayna and waited for her to finish the glass of water. Then, he took the glass from her and placed it on the coffee table.
“If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave.” With that, the bodyguard turned around to exit the room, but Rayna halted him. “Hold on.”
He spun on liis heel and gazed at her in bafflement. "Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Can you help me bring over my phone? It should be on the bedside table." Rayna said.
The bodyguard walked toward the bedside table. He looked around but didn't see a phone on the tabletop. Then, he searched the drawer but didn't find the device inside either. "The phone is not here.”
After hearing that. Rayna was stunned for a few seconds before asking. “Can I borrow your phone for a while?”
The bodyguard hesitated after listening to her request. He exchanged glances with his colleague, and after receiving the latter's nod of approval, he handed his phone to Rayna. The next moment, he was reminded that she had lost her vision, so he inquired. “Do you wish to make a phone call. Mis. Faymon?”
“Yes.” Rayna nodded. “I'll tell you the phone number, and you can help me dial it.”
The bodyguard grunted in agreement and dialed Curtis' number, as mentioned by Rayna. before handing the device to her.
Rayna held the phone and waited for the call to be connected. A disappointed look spread across her face when Curtis didn't answer after a long while. “Just hang up the call.”
The bodyguard took the phone and ended the call.
“That's all. You may leave now.” She waved her hand at the bodyguards, gesturing for them to leave.
The bodyguards' leader glanced at Rayna worryingly before joining liis colleague to exit the room.
Rayna sat on the couch for a few moments before slowly getting up and gi oping her way to the bathroom.
Meanwhile. Curtis. Robin, and the bodyguards from Noiwal City were looking for traces of the places the old doctor had lived on the mountain.
“Mr. Faymon. didn't Mr. Xavier mention the old traditional medicine practitioner had passed away? Why are you still keen on carrying out another search?” Robin asked.
Curtis replied. "We can't trust everything we hear from others. If that old traditional medicine practitioner had truly passed away. Dr. Galopin wouldn't have told me to look for him again unless...” Unless Dr. Galopin's goal is not for us to locate the old traditional medicine practitioner.
Curtis stopped abruptly in his tracks and instructed his subordinates around him, "Stop! There's no need to search anymore.”
After saying that, he took out liis phone to make a call. Unfortunately, he couldn't receive any signal on his phone in the deep mountain.
“Mr. Yeast, call Rayna. Hurry up!” Curtis held his phone and walked around, attempting to find a place with a signal to make the call. At the same time, he told Robin to contact Rayna.
Back in the hotel, when Rayna walked out of the bathroom, she sensed someone else inside the room and thought Curtis had returned. “Curtis?”
Instead of responding at once, that person shifted liis gaze onto Rayna and sized her up before uttering. “Ms. Griffith.”
“You're not Curtis. Who are you? How did you get in here?” Rayna wielded her cane defensively in front of her while listening intently to that man's voice. “Your voice..." Hearing his deep and hoarse voice, she felt like she had heard it somewhere.”
“Don't be afraid. Ms. Griffith. I mean no harm.” He went up to her as he spoke. Rayna sensed his approach and instinctively stepped backward. "What do you want?”
“Ms. Griffith. I told you I don't intend to harm you. I just want a favor from you." He stretched out his hand at her as he spoke. “I'm interested in something in you. so I'm wondering if you're willing to follow me somewhere."
“Something on me?” Grasping the gist of liis speech. Rayna instantaneously grew wary. "Do you take part in the human organ trafficking business?”
Rayna didn't know she was afflicted with parasites. Hence, when that man mentioned he was interested in something in her. she instinctively thought he was referring to her organs.
Chapter 664
“You worry too much. Ms. Griffith. I'm not in that line of work.’’ Amused, the man chuckled before continuing. "I won't have to ding you if you're willing to leave with me. Otherwise, you leave me no choice but to render you unconscious.’’
Even though the man spoke in a gentle tone. Rayna could not help but felt a chill running down her spine. “I don't know you. so how do I know I'll be safe if I leave with you?”
From the man's tone. Rayna could tell that he was no average kidnapper, so she tried to negotiate with him calmly to avoid provoking him unnecessarily. After all. upsetting him would do her no good but get her into more trouble.
“We've met before." replied the man. His tone of voice remained calm and gentle. “It was more than ten years ago. You looked for me on the mountain with your brother back then.”
“You're that old traditional medicine practitioner?” Rayna could hardly believe what she had just heard.
“That's right.” When the man saw how he had helped jog Rayna's memory of him. he stopped threatening her and hoped she would cooperate willingly.
“I mean you no harm. Ms. Griffith; I just need something in you as a medicine primer. Don't worry. It's not pail of you. just something temporary. I'm sure Mr. Faymon wouldn't want you to keep it anyway.” explained the practitioner. However, he did not mention a word about the parasite since he did not want to scare Rayna.
“But my husband isn't here yet: I can't just leave with you.” Rayna remained vigilant even though she was somewhat relieved to discover that the person before her was the old traditional medicine
practitioner. "Besides, you're the reason my husband and I came here. Now that you've found me instead, we need to wait for my husband so—”
Rayna suddenly got interrupted by the siren of a police car coming from outside the hotel and did not manage to finish her sentence.
Before she could react, the room was filled with a soft scent that quickly knocked her out.
Just when the practitioner was picking up the unconscious Rayna. the bodyguard on the other side of the door walked in. “I thought you said you weren't going to hurt her. What is this?”
“That's not what I'm trying to do: I need to leave with her as soon as possible because the police are here. I don't have time.” With that, the practitioner left the room with Rayna. followed by the bodyguard.
Outside the hotel room were two bodyguards rendered utterly unconscious.
Wlien Curtis failed to reach Rayna or the bodyguards assigned to protect her by phone, he ordered before rushing downhill. “You two stay here: the rest of you come with me!”
Two hours had passed when Curtis finally reached the hotel, so naturally. Rayna was already long gone. Curtis then called Rayna's phone again and realized that it was vibrating in the drawer by the bedside. He immediately staggered backward when he confirmed that the device belonged to Rayna. If it were not for Robin's quick reaction. Curtis would have fallen to the ground.
“Go. Robin. Get somebody to contact the local police. Hurry!” Curtis commanded Robin in a shaky voice, and immediately after hearing that, the assistant took action.
Curtis almost lost Ills mind when he found Rayna missing once again. It was my fault: I shouldn't have left her. I've already noticed how involved she was with the tilings that happened lately, yet I... was still careless.
“Mr. Faymon. the hotel should have surveillance cameras." reminded one of the bodyguards who followed Curtis from the mountain.
“Right! Surveillance cameras!” exclaimed Curtis as if a lightbulb had lit up above his head. "Get it done. Communicate with the staff and get me the surveillance footage.”
“Okay." responded the bodyguard before hurrying away.
Seated in the RV. the young man stared at Rayna lying beside him from time to time.
The middle-aged man opposite them smirked when he noticed the situation. “So you've fallen for her. huh?”
Wlien the young man heard that, he immediately retracted his gaze and shifted his cold eyes to the middle-aged man instead. “Are you the dosage you used on her won't have any side effects?”
“It was nothing strong, so quit worrying,” reassured the middle-aged man before grabbing a bottle of water and handing it to the young man. “GT's product development has entered the final stage. If this stage is successfill. Mr. Zeller will be able to launch the project he wants.”
“Does he really have what it takes to differentiate the GT products from the skincare products in the market?” It was obvious that the young man doubted what the middle-aged man had just said. Although I don't know the exact ingredients of the expensive skincare products that women use daily, I have heard from others that most of the products are extracted from plants. Of course, there are some products that are extracted from animals, but there aren't many of them in the market. Most of the products recognized by consumers use plants as then raw materials.
The middle-aged man tightened his grip on the bottle when he heard the young man. but after recollecting himself, he looked up at the young man and replied. “He does.”
The young man was relieved as soon as he heard that. However, he still could not help but glance at the unconscious Rayna from time to time.
Flashing across his mind was the day he sneaked into the Faymon residence by pretending to be Chandler to confinn if Rayna's eyes were actually unwell. That was the first time they met.
He did not get to take a close look at Rayna's face back then, and part of the reason was the bright light that day. Finally, the young man could see her clearly at such a close distance.
Noticing how the young man continued to glance at Rayna. the old traditional medicine practitioner closed his bottle after taking a sip of water and inquired, “You’ve... met her before?”
“I have.” answered the young man. “Just once.”
“I see." The traditional medicine practitioner nodded after hearing that. Then, he moved on to another question. “Wlien did you come over?”
“It was Mr. Zeller who ordered us to come here. He said Mr. Faymon and his wife had come to Shvomhid Mountain." replied the young man. who then gazed at the practitioner as though he had recalled something. “What was that thing that attacked Curtis on the mountain last night?”
It was obvious that the young man did not forget the black furry thing that ran out of the bushes the night before.
The place where Curtis was did not have much light, so it was only natural that the young man failed to get a good look. However, from his point of view, the young man saw the black furry creature clearly and could tell that it was charging toward Rayna. If she had not noticed it in time, it probably would have rushed forward to attack her.
Wlien the old traditional medicine practitioner heard that, he smiled calmly. “It was just a stray cat. You couldn't see well because it was dark!”
The young man then narrowed Ills eyes suspiciously at the practitioner.
Chapter 665
Jensen's gaze kept darting between the window and Rayna. The traditional medicine practitioner caught Jensen's movement but didn't comment on it.
Wlien the car slowly stopped in front of the beachfront mansion. Jensen carried the still-unconscious Rayna from the car into the house.
The traditional medicine practitioner was stunned when he saw the white. Epean style structure by the beach. A memory of Jensen requesting an advance payment from Andrew a few months ago flashed across his mind. Realization crossed his eyes. Yet. he wanted a direct answer from Jensen himself, so he asked. "Wlien did you And this house?”
"This is my personal matter and not part of your job scope."’ Jensen unlocked the front door with a retina scanner and carried Rayna up the stairs. Before he made a turn down the hallway, he warned. "Don't touch anything in this house. Also, you're not allowed to go into the house in the backyard. You can choose anywhere else to be your workplace."’ Wlien he finished, he continued making his way to a room on the left on the second floor and carefully laid Rayna down on the bed. He reached for the covers on the side and pulled them over her. Wlien he tucked the covers over Rayna's shoulders, he unknowingly saw something red crawling along her neck. His expression turned solemn as he reached out his fingers to gently stroke Rayna's neck until he felt something moving beneath her skin.
"A parasite."’ Jensen narrowed liis eyes at that knowledge before uttering the exact species of the parasite. "Blood parasite.*’
Jensen shot a glance at Rayna before turning around and leaving the room. He came down the stairs back to the living room. The minute he was standing behind the traditional medicine practitioner, he
clasped onto the older man's shoulder tightly. The practitioner paled at the sharp pain coming from his shoulder. "Jensen, w-what do you think you're doing?”
"The tiling that's moving inside Rayna's body. That's the source of your extracts, right?” Jensen cast an icy look at the older man. "Can that thing really be made into skincare products?”
The traditional medicine practitioner didn't expect Jensen's question. Feeling the firm grip on his nape, he didn't dare to move, nor piss Jensen off. so he merely nodded. "It can."’
He wasn't dumb. He knew Jensen must've seen the tiling under Rayna's skin when he carried her to the room upstairs earlier.
However, he didn't understand why Jensen would be agitated by that. Hence, he carefully probed. "Jensen, we're just working for Mr. Zeller. There's no need for you to act like this."*
Jensen slowly released the grip on his nape at liis comment. "How did you find out about that thing in Mrs. Faymon's body?”
"You... release me first, then I'll tell you.** The traditional medicine practitioner tried to use that as a bargaining chip, hoping Jensen would free him.
However, it didn't cause the desired effect. Instead of freeing the practitioner. Jensen's grip tightened around the older man's nape. He threatened the practitioner with a growl. "I'm asking you a question!”
"Jensen, y-you... Can't we talk nicely? Why must you resort to violence?” Wlien the traditional medicine practitioner once again felt the iron grip squeezing liis nape, the gentleness in liis eyes slowly shifted into something vicious. "Jensen, don't tell me you know what it is?”
"Stop spewing nonsense! I want you to say it!” Jensen raised liis leg and kicked the old man’s calf, sending the old man kneeling on the ground. “Are you going to tell me?”
"Fine. I'll say it!** The traditional medicine practitioner raised his aims in surrender. Seeing him giving in. Jensen loosened the grip on the old man's nape.
"I think I don't have to explain what that thing in Mis. Faymon's body is since you already know.** the old man said as he looked over liis shoulder at Jensen. "That tiling has a smell that humans can't detect, but there's a cat that can catch its scent easily. That's because that thing is a food source for Lyra, the cat.”
Almost immediately. Jensen recalled the black thing moving around the bushes the night before. "You mean that thing that attacked Curtis last night in the mountain?"’
"Yes."’ the practitioner admitted with a nod. He wet liis lips before continuing. "The blood parasite planted in Mis. Faymon's body needs to consume the carcass and blood of the male parasite to grow. while the male parasite requires to consume blood to grow.”
"You don't have to explain the specifics to me. I know about blood parasites better than you do!** Wlien Jensen connected the dots in liis mind, he interrupted the old man. "How did you get the cat?”
"I picked it up from the streets more than a decade ago. I thought it was a stray kitten. Imagine my surprise when I noticed the irregularities of the kitten as it grew. I only found out the actual species of the cat through a quack doctor during my travels."’ the old man explained. The practitioner's legs were turning numb after kneeling for a long period, so he asked. "Can you let me get up? My legs are numb.”
Jensen lowered his head to look at the traditional medicine practitioner kneeling on the ground. Since the practitioner was an elder and they both worked for the same boss. Jensen figured it wouldn't be good to have a fallout with the old man. so he released him.
The practitioner got up from the floor and slowly walked over to the couch to take a seat. He bent down to smack his numb legs to get the blood flowing. Lifting his gaze to Jensen, he asked. "You... I guess you know Mis. Faynion from before?”
"That is none of your business."’ Jensen shot the old man an icy glance before leaving the living room. Before he stepped over the threshold, he reminded. "Mr. Zeller has given his orders. The first SA products must be released onto the market before Glory's new products, so the extracts must be completed by the end of this month. There isn't much time left for you. Thus. I hope you don't give me any more trouble!”
Jensen left the mansion once he finished.
At the same time. Rayna was standing behind the door in the second-floor bedroom. The door wasn't fully closed, so she heard everything the two were talking about downstairs. Disbelief filled her at their conversation.
Parasite? Blood parasite? What is that? Is... it those tilings I saw on TV or read in books? Parasite's poison? There's something like that inside me?
The more she thought about it. the more she felt chills running down her spine. She started stroking her skin along her aims. body, and neck. Wlien her finger felt the lump on her neck, her hand paused.
Her finger gently touched the lump. She could feel the sensation of the thing moving. Its movement was very slow. It paused and moved intermittently.
Rayna's face paled at the feeling. She wanted to grab onto the tiling on her neck. Wlien she put force into her grip, it disappeared. Rayna ran her fingers along her neck again, yet she didn't feel anything but smooth skin.
Has it run away? Or did it run to another part of my body? Rayna's started touching every part of her body but didn't feel the lump anywhere.
Rayna mumbled. "Was it my illusion?”
She was thinking of going back to bed. but a pair of rough hands grasped onto her wrist abruptly when her hand halted in midair. "Who is it?”
Chapter 666
“Don't be afraid. I bear you no ill will." The man's magnetic voice filled the room. Before Rayna could regain her senses, a cold touch on her wrist spread all over her body.
She tried to retract her hand in horror, but he tightened his grip. Then, the cold and menacing voice sounded once more. “It will sink deeper into your skin if you press down on it like you were doing. If you press any harder, it can get into your blood or organs through your skin and cost you your life."
“Really?" Rayna felt her skin crawl at liis words, as though she had been encased in ice for millennia.
The man smirked at Rayna's pale pallor before drawling. “I was just kidding!"
Rooted at the spot. Rayna did not respond until the man's voice sounded again in the room. “It was originally on the surface of your skin, your forcefill pressing has caused it to sink one layer deeper. Though it's not to the extent of the way I described, it will cause you agony and a terrible itch until your skin feels as if it’s on fire. Put this on. It will cause it to rise to the surface of your wrist. With tliis on. it will not run amok."
Rayna reached out to touch the cool bracelet on her wrist and asked softly. “What is it made of?"
“Emerald, and no ordinary emerald at that. This one cannot be bought." Jensen answered quietly, his gaze fixed upon Rayna's face as he memorized her every gesture. "Rest assured. Tliis artifact is harmless. It just feels cold to the touch. It won't harm you."
Rayna nodded at those words and hummed in response.
“Don't worry, we won't hurt you." Jensen added as if worried that Rayna did not believe him. “The traditional medicine practitioner, learned in his voodoo arts, might be able to extract the item within you. We want what’s within you. not your life. As long as you cooperate. I promise to send you back in a month."
“Mmm.” Rayna nodded meekly, without so much as a defiant glare.
Though she did not wish to stay deep down, her vision was still proving troublesome, hindering her escape. She decided taking things one step at a time would be wiser.
“I'm thirsty." Rayna whined.
Jensen swept his gaze across the room and realized there was no water. “I'll bring you some water. Wait here."
“Mmm.” Rayna nodded. His footsteps grew fainter, and then the door clicked shut. She collapsed onto the carpet, touched the emerald bangle on her wrist, and gasped.
The traditional medicine practitioner was in the process of producing a bundle of dried herbs from his medicine bag when Jensen arrived down the stairs. Knowledgeable in herbs himself, he recognized at a glance that the herb in the practitioner's hand was calhina. an endangered plant in Chanaea. Before it was granted the status of protected species, it was once an expensive herb.
He watched as the traditional medicine practitioner placed the herb into a vessel, drew out the excess air. added two drops of some unknown liquid, then set the vessel bearing the herb in a dark spot.
“What is this for?" Jensen asked.
“The herbs are alive. What you saw earlier is the color it assumes when defending itself. I'll turn it back to how it was. grind it up, and use it to lure the blood parasites." As the traditional medicine practitioner
spoke, he turned to produce two vials of strangely- colored liquid. He opened them, poured them into two vessels, then added a pinch of maggots from a white bottle. Jensen clearly saw how the larvae dissolved and mixed with liquid in the vessel.
Swallowing in disgust, he frowned at the sight before him and entered the kitchen to procure three bottles of mineral water before returning upstairs.
Upon arriving at the second floor. Jensen pushed open the door to the bedroom and found Rayna sitting obediently on the edge of the bed. As she could not see anything, she looked confused.
“Here." Jensen twisted open the cap and placed it in Rayna's hand. “There's no kettle here, so I must trouble you to drink it cold for now."
“Oh. No problem." Rayna brought the bottle carefully to her lips and drank.
Jensen stood by and watched her. After she had drank over half the bottle in a single gulp, he pulled her up from the bed. “I'm bringing you to the restroom. Familiarize yourself with the route. I'm leaving in a bit. You will remain in tliis room while I'm away. The traditional medicine practitioner is downstairs. You can summon him if you're in urgent need of anything.”
“Mmm,” Rayna answered softly before she felt herself pulled next to him to hear his gentle instructions. "There is a coffee table to your left in eight steps. Go around it. walk six more forward, and you're at the door to the bedroom. Take three steps to your left, and you'll reach the bathroom. Got it?”
“Yes. I've got it." Rayna nodded. When she made it to the restroom, she added sheepishly, “I... need to use the washroom.”
Jensen frowned at those words and. as if regaining his composure, assented. "All right. The toilet is to your right upon entering.”
Though Rayna knew it was out of liis good intentions that he had informed her in great detail, she flushed while feeling her way into the bathroom. After locking the door, she searched for the toilet according to his instructions.
The man was nowhere to be found when Rayna returned to the bedroom soon after. After calling his name softly from the door and receiving no reply, she made her way back to the bed based on the memory of the route he had taken her through earlier.
I do not know how long it has been since I left the hotel, nor do I know if Curtis would be able to find me as he did in Yartran. The only thing I can do is protect myself as well as I can and wait patiently.
Curtis stood before the suiveillance cameras in the hotel's central security room and watched the feed, did not even blink lest he missed something important.
Robin, too. stared at the screen, but he never caught the moment Rayna was brought out of the hotel.
"How could this be?” Curtis had gone through all the suiveillance footage of that day. All the clips were stacked together chronologically for that entire day. but there was no trace of Rayna or even a snippet of her being brought out of the hotel.
“We've seen it. Mi*. Faymon. The suiveillance footage indicated that after you departed from the suite you shared with Mrs. Faymon. the door has only been opened once by your bodyguard. It has not been opened after that, and nobody was seen coming out of there.” the hotel manager explained to Curtis.
When Curtis sent word to the hotel manager that he wished to obtain the suiveillance footage, the latter had watched the clips and was confident that nobody had entered Curtis and Rayna's suite, much less evidence of her kidnapping.
Though the hotel manager. Channing Lee. was aware of the prestige of Curtis' status, the hotel was not the property of Faymon Group, nor was his employer Curtis. That was why his first reaction was to
assume that Curtis had made up a story for he was convinced that Rayna had not left the room nor had any outsiders entered.
However. Channing could not yet explain why Curtis would come up with such a lie. As he was certain that the hotel had fulfilled its obligations, he appeared exceedingly taciturn in his responses.
Chapter 667
Curtis examined Channing with a cold glare, and liis frosty aura flared up at those words. Upon noticing that. Robin stepped forward to address Channing, "Are you implying that Mr. Faymon is pushing the blame on the hotel?"’
Having thought that he was merely being pragmatic. Channing did not intend to anger Curtis, as the hotel was only a small establishment.
If not for its strategic location in attracting tourists with the reputation of Shvomhid Mountain, they would have closed down long ago due to the poor quality of the hotel's services.
"That's not what I meant,” Channing simpered, though he scoffed under his breath at Curtis and his men.
Seated on a couch in the hotel lobby. Curtis swept his cold gaze across the hall before turning to address his bodyguard beside him. "Find out who owns this establishment.”
"Yes. sir,” the bodyguard replied before departing.
Robin examined the list of registered visitors in the hopes of identifying Rayna's visitors at the time of her disappearance.
Half an hour later, the bodyguard brought a middle-aged woman. Phyllis, over.
Channing started forward at her arrival. "Boss."’
Phyllis glanced at him coldly before shifting her gaze to Curtis on the couch. "My apologies. Mr. Faymon. I have no idea you would grace my humble establishment with your presence.”
As she spoke, she placed herself in front of the coffee table and bowed at Curtis in apology. "Being locals of Shvomhid Mountain, my employees are not acquainted with matters of the outside world. It's expected that they do not know who you are. I hope you can overlook their rudeness and move past this.”
Channing's eyes widened. Clasping his hands nervously together, he was tongue-tied. He tried to step forward to provide his employer with an explanation on several occasions but was continually rebuffed.
"Faye, go get the footage of the secret cameras from the corridors for Mr. Faymon." Phyllis beckoned a young girl. "Remove the third brick opposite the fire hydrant on the left side of the corridor, and bring me the device in it.”
The attendant nodded before leading a coworker up the stairs with her. As ordered, she removed the memory card from the secret camera and returned to the lobby.
Via a card reader. Robin connected the memory card to liis computer before placing it before Curtis. "Here you go. Mr. Faymon.”
The secret footage revealed one bodyguard on duty outside the door at that time, and that a man in a duckbill cap entered the room. Upon liis reemergence, he brought the unconscious figure of Rayna out of the hotel.
"Zoom in here!"’ Curtis pointed at the young man dressed as the bodyguard. “I want a closer look at his face."’
Robin increased the image's clarity and gasped in recognition when the face was clear enough. “Mr. Faymon. that's Chandler!”
Curtis reached over and enlarged the still image of the perpetrator's face until even the other man's face, concealed by the cap. could be seen. "Go and find out where Chandler is.”
Robin assented and stepped aside to make a call.
Phyllis stared at the man in the cap on the screen. “This fellow looks like the old traditional medicine practitioner of Shvomhid Mountain!"’
Are you sure?"’ Curtis said, gazing at her in surprise. “He's still alive and well?”
"He always has been.” Phyllis returned liis gaze, puzzled. "What have you heard. Mr. Faymon?”
"Do you know how we can find this person?"’ Curtis' grip on the coffee table tightened. Her words could mean hope, but they might be negative too.
After a moment's thought. Phyllis went to the counter and checked the calendar. "You won't find the traditional medicine practitioner if you go with a specific intention to meet him. However, on the twenty- eighth of every month, he will be at the cemetery paying his respects to liis fiancee, and you will run into him there. As it's the twentieth today, it'll be another eight days.”
Curtis frowned at those words. It would be another eight days of Rayna being in the company of those two who had taken her. Being at a loss, he did not dare take the risk.
While he was hesitating about the next course of action. Robin returned after making his call. “I have contacted Chandler’s manager and assistant. Mr. Faymon. who verified that he has been shooting liis scenes in the northern district of Norwal City and had been too busy to return.”
As he made liis report. Robin received a video bearing a geotag. Curtis took the phone and watched the footage containing Chandler, pausing halfway through to study Chandler's face closely.
The recollection of the man he had seen on the surveillance cameras flashing across his mind, he brought the phone up to make a side-by-side comparison and declared a moment later. “They are two different people. Robin."’
Having noticed the differences Curtis had picked up. Robin answered. "Indeed. While Chandler resembles the man caught on the surveillance cameras, their frames differ slightly. Besides. Chandler has a mole near his left eye. and the fellow on the surveillance footage does not.”
Curtis returned the phone to Robin and ordered. "Find out if this person is related to Chandler.”
In the meantime. Rayna heeded Jensen and did not take a single step out of the room within the beachside mansion. She waited there alone until she was starving, but Jensen was still nowhere to be seen.
Occasional noises of the traditional medicine practitioner sounded downstairs in the living room.
Rayna was sleeping soundly on the couch in the bedroom when a loud bang from downstairs startled her awake. Then came a deranged roar from the traditional medicine practitioner. “Why is this happening? It can't be. It shouldn't have been. The last bundle of herbs is gone. How could I have failed? It had worked all along. The blood parasites would be drawn out if I could just make quingot. It works. I know it does. How could I have failed? I will not fail. I will not! She is still awaiting my medicine. I will not disappoint her.”
Rayna hugged herself, terrified by his manic laughter sounding incessantly from down the stairs. Then, when she realized the possibility of the traditional medicine practitioner directing liis anger toward her. she leaped up from the couch in search of a hiding place.
A series of hurried footsteps sounded from the corridor outside the room, accompanied by the traditional medicine practitioner's mutters.
“Without serendipity grass. I cannot make the quingot. and without it. I cannot lure the parasites out. If I cannot do that. I will take them alive!” Armed with a surgical blade, the traditional medicine practitioner arrived at Rayna's bedroom. He was about to push the door open, but he found out it was locked, and it was even stranger as it was locked from the outside. Furthermore, the lock was a fingerprint scanner. The traditional medicine practitioner's eyes grew red with anger. "Jensen Morag!”
Chapter 668
Outside the bedroom, the elderly traditional medicine practitioner started to panic because he could not open the door. Time after time, he tugged at the door forcefully but soon left to find a tool to help him following the countless failed attempts.
Rayna. hiding in a cabinet in the bedroom, carefully listened to the noise outside the door. Wlien it turned silent all of a sudden, she reached out to open the cabinet door, but her movement was cut short by a slashing sound outside the bedroom.
‘'Blood parasite, blood parasite...” The elderly traditional medicine practitioner kept repeating those words non-stop. In liis hands was a rusted axe from who knew where. He held it above his head and struck it at the bedroom door.
Thud! Thud!
Rayna trembled in fear as the loud thudding continued. She did not even dare to make a sound.
Bang!
Just then, a gunshot replaced the chopping sound. Next, the sound of the door unlocking through fingerprint recognition could be heard, followed by rapid footsteps and the click of the light being switched on.
“There's no one here." Voices of people conversing could be heard coming from outside the cabinet. Rayna listened carefully to try and identify them. However, she did not hear Jensen's voice: they all sounded like strangers.
After some time, a man's magnetic voice traveled to her ears. "Look again. Check the cabinet and under the bed thoroughly.”
Finding the man's voice very familiar. Rayna tried to recall where she had heard him before, but nothing came to mind.
"Boss, we've searched the bathroom, under the bed. the cabinet in the bedroom, the balcony, and the walk-in closet. There's no one here.” reported a subordinate standing behind the man. "Could it be that she was taken away before this?”
Upon hearing that, the man held up a hand and stopped the subordinate from continuing.
Deep in thought, the man paced back and forth in the living room. He slowly closed his eyes and calmed down to catch any possible sounds coming from the place, including breathing sounds.
Seconds later, the man's lips quirked upward, and he made liis way toward the bookcase inside the bedroom. His subordinate watched him curiously.
The man stood in front of the bookcase. After inspecting it from head to toe. he discovered that a book had fallen to the ground at the left of the cabinet, so he bent down to pick it up. Then, he looked around the bookcase for some time until he spotted that the book's original spot was protruding a little. Once he slotted the book back, the pail of the bookcase which was against the wall rotated before merging with the wall again.
The other men gaped at the scene unfolding before their eyes in stupefaction.
The bookcase door had turned around to reveal a small comer that formed a perfect semi-circle with the bookcase. It looked like a place that was usually used for storage. However, at that moment, a trembling figure was curled up on the floor of the small area.
The man slowly crouched down and held out a hand, wanting to touch the shoulder of the curled-up figure. "Are you all right?”
Rayna turned ghastly pale when she heard the clear voice of the man. Immediately, she shuffled backward to bury herself further into the tight comer.
"Hey. don't be afraid. You're safe now.” The man's voice was gentle and soothing as he tried to touch her again. “You're safe now. Belle.”
Rayna was taken aback by that term of address. Slowly, she lifted her head from between her legs and asked. “W-Who are you?”
The man's voice and tone reminded her too much of a certain someone.
"How do you know my original name?” she questioned.
There were very few people who would call her "Belle.” It was usually Jefferson that called her as such. The others would call her Rayna.
"Come. Give me your hand.” the man coaxed. "Let's get out of here first, okay?”
Rayna was unsure whether she should trust the man in front of her. However, his tone of voice somehow was able to calm her down.
She slowly extended her ami. At that sight, the man crinkled liis eyes in a smile and grabbed her hand before pulling her out of the tight spot. He took off his coat and wrapped it around her. then carried her out of the comer.
"Boss.” Upon seeing his actions, liis subordinate hurried over.
With Rayna in his amis, the man strode to the doorway, where he looked at the elderly traditional medicine practitioner lying in a puddle of his own blood and ordered coldly. “Clean this up.”
“Understood." The subordinates hastened to cany the dead elderly traditional medicine practitioner down the stairs.
Walking behind them, the man carried Rayna downstairs. As they arrived at the living room, pain coursed through her body, and she exclaimed. "Ouch! It hurts.”
At her cries, the man narrowed liis eyes and swept liis sharp gaze across the shards on the floor. It was not until he saw the remnant of a leaf in a vessel that he quickly earned Rayna out of the living room and toward the car parked in the courtyard in big strides.
The moment they arrived at the courtyard, police sirens resonated across the area, and behind those police cars were a few black cars speeding toward them.
The leading black car was the first to enter the courtyard. It came to a sudden stop, and a tall man wearing a black coat got out of it. Wlien his gaze fell onto Rayna in that man's amis, a touch of murderous intent flitted across his eyes.
"Rayna!” he called out to her gently.
Rayna tilted her head in the direction of his voice. Although she could not see anything, she could distinctly sense where he was. “Curtis.”
“Could you put me down, please?” she said to the man carrying her. “My husband is here.”
The man's first response was to tighten his grip around her. but he eventually let go and bent down to place her on the floor, adjusting the coat he had put on her at the same time. After doing all that, he stepped aside.
Rayna could keenly sense that the man had moved slightly further aw7ay from her. "Thanks.” she said softly.
The instant her feet touched the ground, she felt as though hundreds of insects were biting on them. The agonizing pain caused the color to drain from her face. Just as she steeled herself to take a step toward Curtis, he strode foiward to wrap her in his embrace. “What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
Staring at her pale face. Curtis grew7 evidently worried. He grabbed her waist and scooped her up in his aims. Before he could leave with her. the man behind them exhorted Rayna. "Remember to eat the medicine I gave you.”
That had Curtis stopping in liis tracks. He tilted his body slightly to look at the man. then earned Rayna into the car.
Frences. who had gotten out of the car behind Curtis, immediately returned to the driver's seat. Without wasting another second, he started the car and sped off. leaving that place immediately.
Meanwhile, a man got out of the police car parked in the courtyard and made his w7ay toward the man wrho had rescued Rayna. “Will you come with us willingly, or do I have to cuff you?”
The latter cast an indifferent glance at the man. wdio was dressed in a police uniform, before his lips curved into a smile. "Long time no see. Hunter.”
In response, the man w7hom he had referred to as Hunter narrowed his eyes, then shifted his gaze to the few people behind him. With a wave of his hand, he motioned his subordinates to arrest those people.
In response, those few men who w7ere carrying the elderly traditional medicine practitioner's body glanced at their superior. "Boss, what should we do about this?”
The latter did not have too big of a reaction to Hunter's actions. Placing liis hands in his pants pockets, he said. "Officer Olsen just wants to invite us to the police station to record a statement. It's not a big deal.”
At liis remark. Hunter raised his eyebrow7 and reached up to massage his temples. He then ordered the man and the latter's subordinates. “Let's go."
Chapter 669
Rayna leaned against Curtis weakly inside the car while he held her tight in liis arms. When liis warm skin touched her exposed cold arms, liis heart clenched. He wanted to ask her questions but did not have the courage to do so.
“Robin, how long will it take for us to get to the hospital?” Curtis asked Robin, who was driving.
Robin checked the GPS on liis phone before replying, “The GPS shows that the nearest hospital is twenty minutes away.”
“Ten minutes!” Curtis ordered. “We must reach there within ten minutes!”
Rayna's body was turning cold, and her breathing was weakening. Curtis ordered Robin to increase the temperature of the air conditioning inside the car, but it did nothing to slow down the rapid drop in her body temperature.
Under the dim light inside the car, he could clearly see the tiling that was actively moving under her skin a second ago subsiding.
At once, he suddenly thought of what the man had said earlier, “Remember to eat the medicine...”
“Medicine!” Curtis picked up the coat he had left on the other side of the seat. He reached into the pockets and looked through every single one of them. In the end, he found a clear plastic bottle that contained a single red pill in one of the inner pockets.
Just as he was about to uncap the bottle, Robin looked at him through the rearview min or and warned. “Mr. Faymon, we don't know where that medicine is from, so we ought to be cautious.”
His words brought Curtis to liis senses, and the latter ceased his desperate attempts to save Rayna. The man's hands were shaky as he gripped the bottle. Gazing at her, he muttered to himself. “Curtis Faymon. you must've gone crazy...”
It was a simple principle that even Robin knew, yet he had almost given an unknown medicine to Rayna.
Upon hearing Robin's words, Rayna stuttered, “C-Curtis, I... In my body... There's a parasite, right?”
Someone had poisoned her with a parasite. It was a practice that she thought did not exist in that century.
At that, Curtis froze momentarily. He did not want Rayna to know about it. He thought he could hide it from her forever, but she still found out about it.
“Yes, but we can get it out. We just need to find someone who specializes in things like this, and they'll be able to remove the parasite from your body.” Curtis placed a kiss on her cold cheek. “Rayna, you'll be all right. The babies and I need you. I won't let anything happen to you.”
“Okay.” Rayna nodded. “I believe you.” She held up a hand to caress liis face and unexpectedly felt something wet and warm on her fingers. Knowing that he was crying made her heart ache.
When Curtis arrived at the hospital with Rayna. he found that a big fire had coincidentally broken out at a nearby mountain. The fire spread quickly, so some residents on the mountain got burned while some could not be located. As a result, the hospital was overcrowded.
The doctors and nurses were busy treating the burnt victims, bustling in and out.
No one came to ask what had happened when Curtis carried Rayna into the hospital. Seeing that. Robin immediately went to look for a doctor or a nurse to help them.
“Simone. Simone? Wliat are you doing standing there? Don't you see that we're short-staffed?” Simone's colleague, overwhelmed by how busy it was, called out to her upon seeing that the latter, who was supposed to assist them, had fallen into a trance while holding onto a medical tray.
Simone snapped out of her daze at once. Gripping the medical tray, she hurried toward the hospital bed. That's weird. Just now... I seem to have felt something strange.
Cries and shouts from the patients and their family members, as well as the hurried shuffling of the doctors and nurses, could be heard throughout the hospital. Yet, she could still detect something strange in the noisy atmosphere. It was an indescribable feeling.
Robin found a hospital bed and pushed it toward Curtis, who carefully placed Rayna on it and moved it into a ward with the guidance of a nurse. As they passed by Simone, she turned around in time to glimpse the emerald bracelet on Rayna's exposed wrist from the coat out of the comer of her eyes. Her pupils constricted in shock. It so happened that a nurse hurried past her and knocked into her then. Unexpectedly, she lost her footing, which caused her grip on the medical tray to loosen. The medical instmments and solution on the tray fell to the ground.
“Simone! Wliat are you doing?” Her colleague stared at the newly formulated medical solution that had spilled on the floor, then glared at her. “Don't you know that the hospital's resources are limited right now?”
That caused the specialists around them to look over. Although they were dissatisfied with Simone's behavior, they did not show it on their faces.
“I'm sony. I didn't do it on purpose.” Simone returned to her senses and panicked when she noticed the medical solution she had spilled on the floor.
“Angelo, go and formulate a new medical solution!” A middle-aged doctor wearing silver-rimmed glasses pointed at a young man at the side and yelled, “Go! Hurry!”
No sooner had he said those words than Angelo ran to formulate the new medical solution. Before he left, he took the prescription that Simone had dropped.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged doctor examining Rayna took off his stethoscope and used a flashlight to check her eyes. He then checked her arms and froze when liis gaze locked onto her wrist. A beat later, he beckoned a nearby nurse over and yelled. “Quick! Go and call Simone over!”
Noting the urgency in liis voice, the nurse hurried out of the ward.
The middle-aged doctor stood beside the hospital bed and glanced at Curtis. “Who are you? You don't look like locals.”
An icy glint flashed past the latter's eyes when he heard the doctor's question. “Doctors are only responsible for treating patients. I don't think it's within their job scope to be curious about other tilings.”
In the past, Curtis was not as apathetic as then. However, he dared not let others know too much about liis and Rayna's identities, considering the situation they were in. He was afraid that they also harbored ill intentions toward her.
In response, the middle-aged doctor smiled and reached up to push liis glasses further up the bridge of liis nose. Out of the comer of liis eye, he gave both Curtis and Robin a once-over.
“Dr. Galopin, Simone is here.” The nurse stood at the entrance of the hospital ward and knocked on the door's frame to inform Milo of her return.
Milo beckoned Simone, who was standing outside the ward, to enter before motioning her to close the door behind her.
“Milo,” Simone greeted as she approached him. Her gaze then shifted to Rayna. who was lying on the hospital bed. “Why did you call me over?”
“Can you tell what's wrong with her?” Milo asked when he saw Simone's shocked expression.
“Parasite!” she blurted out immediately. The look in her eyes was one of pure confidence as she turned to look at Milo. “There's a parasite!”
“That's right.” Milo nodded. “It's shocking to see such a tiling exist in tliis world.”
The two of them were medical practitioners, and medicine was purely about science. However, in the vast universe, many phenomena could not be explained with science. At that moment. Rayna's condition was one of those phenomena.
Chapter 670
As Curtis listened to the conversation between Milo and Simone, he could not help asking, "Do you two know this?”
Nudging the glasses on the bridge of his nose, Milo enunciated, “Sir, may I know where the parasite in your wife's body came from? And how long has it been?”
“I'm not quite sure where it came from, but it's been a little over two months,” Curtis admitted.
Upon hearing that. Simone exchanged a glance with Milo beside her. “What's your take on this, Milo?”
“I currently can't tell for sure the type of parasite this is.”
No sooner had Milo said that than Curtis interjected, “It's the blood parasite.”
“Blood parasite?” A touch of shock showed on Simone's face. Bending down, she held Rayna's hand up and studied the emerald bracelet on her wrist. “The Burke family.”
The instant Curtis heard her remark, he swiftly stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, urging, “What did you just say? Repeat it.”
“The emerald bracelet on your wife's wrist is the Burke family's heirloom. That being said, this isn't the only bracelet. All descendants of the Burke family have one each,” Simone elaborated. Then, she ventured, “Is your wife a descendant of the Burke family?”
Dipping his eyes, Curtis glanced at the emerald bracelet on Rayna's wrist. “No. I've never seen my wife wear this bracelet, and she didn't bring any jewelry along when we came here. As such, I don't think it's hers.”
“If so, she likely bumped into someone from the Burke family. But they generally won't voluntarily give their emerald bracelets to someone else unless that person is exceedingly important.” Simone tucked Rayna's hand back under the covers before turning to Milo. “What do you think. Milo?”
“I'm afraid we can't admit your wife to our hospital in her present condition. You've got to find a hospital with available beds first, Mi; Faymon.” After saying that, Milo took a pen and paper out of his pocket. He jotted down two phone numbers before handing the paper to Curtis. “Here's Simone and my contact details. If you still wish to contact us when we've wrapped things up here, you may reach us at these two phone numbers.”
Curtis extended his arm to accept it, then scanned his eyes over the names and numbers on it. “Milo Galopin... Harvey Galopin...”
“May I know if you're acquainted with Harvey Galopin?” he asked. Harvey's suggestion that he bring Rayna to Shvomhid Mountain and the subsequent events flashed across his mind. All that inevitably aroused his suspicion that the doctor he hired from abroad had long since known about the parasite in Rayna.
“Harvey?” Milo was stunned for a moment before the comers of his mouth quirked upward by a fraction. “You've seen him before, Mr. Faymon?”
“Yes. He's a doctor I hired from abroad to treat my wife's eye condition,” Curtis answered honestly despite only meeting the duo for the first time.
His reply took Milo aback. In the next moment, realization seemingly dawned upon him. “He's my half- brother. Both of us study medicine, but we specialize in different areas. Judging from what you said. Mr. Faymon. I think Harvey must have known about the parasite in your wife. That's w7hy he suggested that the two of you come here.”
“I'd like to ask whether you're acquainted with the elderly traditional medicine practitioner on Shvomhid Mountain.” Curtis hurriedly inquired, afraid that he would miss some important information if he omitted anything.
“The elderly traditional medicine practitioner on Shvomhid Mountain had passed away a little over a year,” Milo divulged. “You came here to look for him?”
“It was Dr. Harvey wdio advised me to do so.” Curtis' hands clenched even tighter. The hope within him diminished by half after he had ascertained that the elderly traditional medicine practitioner had passed awray.
“It would have been futile anyway. Even if he were still alive, he couldn't have done anything about it since he knew7 nothing. Even with herbs, a single mistake might have caused your wdfe to lose her life anytime.” While saying that, Simone whirled around and headed to the door. “I'll go to my dorm and get something. Although it might not be ultra-effective, it can remove part of the smell of serendipity gl ass on your wife. Otherwise, it will cause the parasite to run wild. If it were to enter her internal organs, I'm afraid there wouldn't be any hope of survival for her.”
At Curtis' silence. Milo urged Simone, “Make it quick.”
After she had left the hospital wrard, he remarked. “You seem to be in the dark about serendipity grass, Mr. Faymon.”
“My wife wrent missing early in the morning yesterday, having been kidnapped. I only found her just now;” Curtis explained. It was not difficult for him to discern from Milo's expression that many people were after Rayna because of the parasite in her, so he surmised, “I suppose the person who kidnapped her wanted the parasite in her.”
He then continued voicing the doubts within him, hoping to receive an answer from Milo. “But I don't get it. The hotel owner confirmed that the man I saw kidnapping my wife aw7ay from the hotel was the elderly traditional medicine practitioner himself. Why did you both say that he had already passed away?”
Milo mulled it over in his mind for some time before disclosing, “He had a twin brother. I reckon the man you saw’ was most probably his elder brother. The elderly traditional medicine practitioner specialized in medicinal herbs. He did a lot of research in that field and loved cultivating medicinal herbs. His brother, whom you likely saw; specializes in chemical research.”
After glancing at the text message he had just received a moment ago. Robin stepped forward and reported. “Mr. Faymon. our men made a trip back to the mansion earlier and verified that they indeed came across a ton of research equipment and instillments in the living room. That man specializing in chemistry is dead from a bullet to the head. It was the doing of the man we met in the courtyard earlier.”
Then, he added. “They found a small cage under the couch in the living room containing a tiny animal resembling a cat inside. Since they had no idea wdiat it was, they didn't dare to touch it.”
As he spoke, he showed Curtis the photos their men had sent to his phone. Curtis took a brief look before holding the phone out to Milo. “Have a look, Dr. Galopin.”
Milo had not done much research on animals, so he could not figure out wdiat it was even after scrutinizing the pictures for a long time. “You can show7 it to Simone when she returns. She likes to tinker with peculiar things.”
Just as his w7ords rang out, the door to the w7ard was swung open forcefully, and Simone sprinted into the room while panting. She handed Curtis a pouch and glass bottle, explaining, “This pouch contains dried medicinal herbs that have a calming effect on the parasite. As for the pills in this bottle, give her one every three days. They can gradually remove the smell of serendipity gl ass on her. This
medicine is handmade: I previously used it to have better sleep. I'll have my friend make some more later.” As she spoke, she handed a note to him. “This is my friend's address. This medicine can only be retrieved in person and can't be mailed.”
Curtis reached out a hand and took it. “Thank you.”
At that precise moment, a series of knocks sounded on the door, followed by a nurse's holler. “Dr. Galopin. Simone, the head of the department is looking for you both. Hurry up and go see him.”