Ch. 1761..1770

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1761-Olivia did not feel like drinking the milk.

However, she knew Lily would not continue if she did not calm down and drink the milk.

Ultimately, Olivia took the glass and sipped it.

Knowing how Olivia felt, Lily held her hand and looked into her eyes, saying, "Of course, it wasn’t my experiment, but I once took part in it. That’s why I know something."

"You once took part in it?"

Olivia looked at Lily doubtfully with a frown, then suddenly remembered.

"You're talking about the research institute? B- But isn’t that place abandoned now? I heard its personnel disbanded, and the experiment had completely failed."

"It didn’t fail but has gone underground.These people haven't given up, and their actions have a broad impact.I can’t tell you in detail, but I can tell you that there is such an experiment, and they have indeed no.velebook come up with many strange drugs.

"I’m unsure if Edward has been under one of the drugs’ influence, but his shift in personality likely has something to do with the organization."

Lily had held Olivia's hand to detect her most direct emotional responses.As it was not shaking and Olivia looked calmer, Lily relaxed, knowing Olivia was emotionally stable.

‘It shows she’s accepting my explanation and is digesting the information" Indeed, Olivia was digesting the fact.

She lowered her head and gave it some thought, not looking as sad when she looked up again.

"So it’s not Edward’s intention to divorce me, and he might be affected by some drug?"

Lily looked at her and nodded.

Although it was just speculation, it could at least comfort Olivia.

At the same time, it was probable.

Olivia suddenly cheered up.

"I knew he could never be so heartless! He’s such a loyal and righteous person, so how could he change so much? He must be under drug influence and—"

She paused as she suddenly thought about something.

"If Edward is under the influence, can he recover? Will it damage his health? How should I help him?"

"That’s what I’ve been researching, and Alex is conducting his investigation as well, but everything is still ongoing.

As I said, what they’ re doing has a wide impact and poses a great danger, so we aren’t sure if we can handle it."

Lily sighed and added, "I told you these things so you don’t get too worked up and act rashly.

What matters most now is for you to take good care of yourself and your unborn child, okay?"

Olivia nodded but was still worried.

"Then what should I do now?"

"Talk to him nicely and see what he's up to. If he insists, then agree to it."

"Agree to it?"

Olivia got riled up immediately.

"No, I won’t divorce him.

Over my dead body!"

"Olivia—"

Lily tried to persuade her, but Olivia stopped her agitatedly.

"Don’t try to persuade me because I won't agree! If he has fallen in love with someone else or cheated on me, I’ll leave him, but that’s not the case.

"He’s under the influence of a drug and doesn’t even know what he’s doing! In other words, he’s in grave danger.How can I abandon my husband at this juncture? No, I won't divorce him.Absolutely not!"

"Then what if he insists?" Lily asked.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1762-"I won't divorce him even if he insists, and there’s nothing he can do about it!" Olivia said readily without hesitation.

Lily knew it was an angry yet sincere outburst and chuckled despite herself. She said, "I’m not telling you to really divorce him. still, you must agree if you fail to reason with him. Divorces take time, so it's not easy.

"It would be good if you could buy some time since I wish to find out if he’s truly under the influence of some drug."

"Lily, you must help me!"

Olivia held Lily’s hand and agitatedly said, "I’ve never asked you for anything, but you must help Edward and me! I don’t think he’s that kind of person, and the drugs must’ve influenced him. You have to help him!"

"Please rest assured that I will help him, but until I can find a solution, you must promise me to take good care of yourself. Don’t be too nervous when you deal with Edward. Just act as you used to."

Lily’s voice had a calming effect, and Olivia became less anxious.

"All right!"

Olivia nodded, then frowned as she moaned.

"What's the matter?" Lily asked nervously.

"Nothing!"

Olivia shook her head, let out a blissful yet resigned smile, and pointed at her tummy.

"The little rascal kicked me."

Lily relaxed, then reached out to feel the movement in Olivia’s belly.

She chuckled.

"It’s as active as Galen used to be."

"Yes!"

Olivia replied, "I remember when you carried Galen.He was so naughty that you correctly predicted he would be a boy.no.velebook Now you're carrying twins, so I suppose it’s even more challenging?"

"Well, my belly is bigger and heavier than before, but these two little fellows are quiet and not as naughty as a Russell. If not, I couldn’t run around to do my stuff."

Lily gently stroked her tummy while her eyes sparkled with maternal love.

The twins were very quiet and would only move occasionally. She might have become worried if anything had happened to them, but the fetal heart rate and movement were average during checkups.

They were just too lazy to move.

Olivia shared Lily’s joy for a while, but her smile faded.She said with worry and guilt, "Lily, I’m sorry!"

"Sorry for what?"

Lily was baffled.

"You’re pregnant like me, and with twins no less, yet I still ask you to run around to help me.I even wronged you before this.I..."

Olivia felt ashamed and shed tears despite herself.

Olivia recalled how she had treated Lily and the words she said.

‘I wish I could travel back in time to slap myself hard"Thinking so, Olivia lifted her hand to do it, but Lily stopped her.

"What are you doing?"

Lily feigned anger and said, "You didn't know the truth, and it was a misunderstanding! Besides, you didn’t do anything outrageous."

"But… what I said to you was mean."

Olivia frowned.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1763-Without waiting for Olivia to answer, Lily quickly added, "I don’t even remember what you said."

"Lily..."

"Enough.If you take me as a friend, stop blaming yourself, okay? If I were you, I would be upset as well.What you did was normal, and I bet you felt sad when you said those things."

Lily could understand how she felt.She would surely side with her husband if she chose between Alexander and Edward.

Olivia felt she needed to apologize since she and Lily were friends.

Olivia would side with who was most important to her if she had to choose.

"But..."

Lily grabbed Olivia’s hand.

Then Lily cleared her throat and said thoughtfully, "No buts, okay? Stop dwelling on it.I know you were in a tight spot.We're not just partners but also good friends!"

Lily smiled at Olivia and appeared casual before continuing, "Since we're friends, we shouldn’t get hung up on this.I don’t, so you shouldn't, too, okay?"

Since she had put it that way, Olivia knew she would be too petty if she did not let it go.She smiled and held Lily’s hands while nodding.

Lily repeatedly told Olivia not to tell anyone about the experiment as she saw her friend off.

Since Edward was involved, Olivia understood the importance of keeping it a secret.

After that, Lily put the cushion behind her waist and lay on the sofa to relax.

Suddenly, she heard movements upstairs and looked over.

Galen stood at the bend at the staircase and gazed down at her but did not continue his descent.

Lily’s smile beckoned him, then sat up and spread her arms.

Galen seemed somewhat hesitant, but since Lily kept her arms outstretched to get up, no.velebook he stepped downstairs while holding the railing.

Galen climbed the sofa and snuggled up to his mother before looking at her.

However, he did not chatter incessantly as he usually would.

Lily sensed something was off and held his head into her chest.

Then she asked gently, "What's wrong?"

"Mommy, have I been a naughty boy?"

Galen muttered softly in her embrace.

His voice was soft, but Lily heard it.

Puzzled, she looked down at him.

"Of course not.You’re a good boy!"

"But you said my younger siblings are not as naughty as me."

His voice sounded muffled since he was facing her tummy.

Lily was surprised.

‘He must've overheard my conversation with Olivia, huh?’ Lily felt terrible for being careless.

She held his face, kissed his forehead, then said, "You got it wrong.Mommy doesn’t think you’re naughty, and Mommy loves you because you're a good boy, okay?"

"But you said I was naughty!"

Galen looked pitiful and pouted with his eyes red-rimmed.

At this juncture, Lily seemed to have neglected how her child felt.

She had not spent enough time with him because she had been busy with many things over the last few months.

When she finally took Galen home, he overheard her conversation with Olivia about him being mischievous.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1764-The boy was still very young, and it was common for him to misunderstand her because he had not yet mastered good comprehension skills.

More importantly, Lily wondered if she had neglected Galen’s feelings because she was pregnant.

Feeling sorry, she held him tight and stroked his soft short hair.

"I wasn't mad at you for being naughty, okay? Everyone has a different personality.Some are quieter, and some are livelier, but these aren’t shortcomings.You're all adorable to me!"

Although the boy couldn't fully comprehend what she was saying, the warmth of his mother's embrace calmed him.

He nodded as if he understood, then furrowed his brow and said, "I’m lively, and Nicky is quiet, but we’re good boys!"

"That's right!"

Lily readily answered, but her smile froze.

‘Nick Corden.."

"Mommy, I haven’t seen Nicky for a long time.Doesn’t he want to come here anymore?"

Galen was close to Nick.

When he was staying with Dominic, he did not mind not seeing the older boy, but now that he was at home, he began to miss Nick.

After firing Daisy, Lily had not hired a new babysitter, and she supposed Galen must be no.velebook feeling lonely as he had no other playmates.

"Mommy?"

Puzzled, the little boy tugged at her sleeve with a frown.

"Nicky has been too busy and hasn’t returned from overseas.I'll ask him to come over when he does, okay?"

Lily felt uneasy as she gently comforted him.

The Cordens and the Russells had hung out together often before this.

Lily watched Nick grow up, not to mention that she once saved him.

Now that the boy had gone missing, Lily could understand why Mike would risk everything for him.

‘If I had such a choice, I wonder if I’d make the same decision as Mike"

She lowered her head to look at her son’s cute face and suddenly felt she could finally understand Mike’s motives.

"oh, yes, a cute little girl will join our family soon.You're going to have a playmate in the future."

She thought about the young patient from X Department.

Since the child had just gotten better from her illness, Lily made plans for her to stay at one of Alexander's apartments, where a doctor could keep an eye on her and give her more care.

Based on her analysis and observations, the virus would probably last in Debbie’s body for over a month.

To ensure her symptoms would not recur, she let Debbie recuperate for another half a month until they could no longer detect the virus.

"Really?"

Galen’s eyes lit up as he clapped.

"Then I’m going to have an older sister!"

Seeing his happy grin, Lily smiled.

‘A child’s smile is most innocent, yet some would target children who have no means to fight back.

Compared to others, Galen is rather fortunate.

Nick and Debbie have suffered terrible fates.

‘Even if I don’t care about others, I have to take the risk for these children.

Aren’t they trying to use me? Then I might as well start a raging fire and burn everything that has to do with that stupid and evil experiment!’ As she held her child tight, her eyes sparkled with determination.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1765-A gentle and cozy breeze brushed past his face.He could faintly hear the chirping of birds and the gurgling of water when he caught the familiar scent of herbs.

The light before him made his vision a bit blurry and hazy.

In a trance, he seemed to have arrived at a meadow filled with blooming flowers and precious herbs.He looked through his medical book, one by one, selecting the herbs he needed and placing them in a basket.

As he turned around, however, he stepped on thin air and fell endlessly into what seemed like a bottomless abyss.

"Argh-" he screamed, but it was not loud, more like a whimper.

He snapped awake, his eyes wide and drenched in sweat.

Clenching his hands at his sides with his eyes widening, he was soaked through and gasping for fresh air as if he had just crawled up from a deep pond. Mingled with the scent of herbal medicine, the air filled his lungs. It was only then that he gradually regained his senses.

"You're awake, huh?"

The familiar voice was calm.

The man simply stopped fanning after hearing his scream.

"Perfect timing!"

Putting down his fan, he grabbed the handle with a towel, lifted the pot of steaming medicine, and poured a bowlful.

After filtering out the dregs, he brought it over to him and said, "Drink it while it’s hot!"

The smell of medicine filled the air, but he had gotten used to it.

However, it was too hot to drink at the moment.He held the bowl carefully but did not drink it right away.

"you had a dream?"

Only then did Dominic sit beside him to look at his side profile.

"A nightmare?"

Austin nodded, but after a moment’s reflection, he quickly shook his head.

"No, not really."

"Well, it’s good to dream.It beats having no dreams at all, because all we have to do is close and open our eyes!"

Dominic wiped the sweat off himself with a towel.

Making the concoction was exhausting, especially since he had to watch over it and control the fire.no.velebook Although herbal medicine stores offered services to brew concoctions, physicians usually preferred to do it themselves.

Dominic had prepared it for three days, giving him daily acupuncture.

Austin remained silent for a while, then gulped down the medicine when it was no longer too hot.

Having drunk the concoction, he felt he had replenished his energy.

"How are you feeling today?" Dominic asked after seeing Austin set the bowl down.

Austin felt his chest and pressed it.

"Better than yesterday."

"Let me have a look!"

Dominic grabbed his hand and took his wrist pulse.

Pressing his fingers together, the old man slightly cocked his head and sized him up carefully.He might seem inattentive, but he had carefully observed the changes in his body every day.

Austin did not have an attack over the last two days and had stabilized.His pulse was weak, but it was a good thing.It was strong before this, but the strength was only superficial and illusory, propped up by the unknown drug.

When his illness flared up, his muscles and veins would almost burst.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1766-Dominic knew Austin could slowly recuperate from his weak state by drawing out the toxin with the silver needle coupled with the herbal medicine.

"Hmm..."

Withdrawing his hand, he nodded.

"Not bad indeed."

Then, Dominic gestured at Austin with his chin.

"Take off your clothes."

Austin was reluctant.

Although it was not the first time, Dominic was his granduncle.He was rather shy, and his fingers paused momentarily.

Lowering his head, he then slowly unbuttoned his shirt.

"Tsk!"

Dominic clucked his tongue.

‘Why is this brat so bashful?!’ Having unbuttoned the shirt, Austin revealed his chest.He had stayed indoors without leaving the house, so his skin had an unhealthy pallor.However, Dominic was glad to see that the outlines of his muscle groups had started to blur.His muscles, which used to be scary and almost make his skin burst, seemed to have become normal over time, and his skin had gotten looser.

"Uncle Dom, my..."

Austin grabbed the wrinkly patch of skin on his chest out of confusion, and when he let go, it sagged horribly once more.

"It's normal!"

Dominic spoke calmly, as if his grandnephew were overreacting.

"You've studied medicine, after all.

Don’t you know that the skin would loosen if someone put on weight and then slimmed down suddenly? It’s the same principle!"

"But I was affected by the drug!"

Austin couldn't help but express how repulsed he was by his own body.He at least looked refined and elegant with a well- proportioned and upright body, but he could not stand his skin.

"whatever the cause is, the same principle applies!"

Dominic stood up and took the bowl away.

"You still care about it, huh? Why? Afraid that you can't get yourself a wife?"

Blushing, Austin looked away.

"I'm not looking for a wife!"

"Ha, talking tough, huh? Why don’t you tell your parents that later?"

Raising his brow, the old man seemed to look forward to seeing their reaction.Austin was taken aback.

"Are my parents coming later?"

"I guess." Giving him a vague answer, no.vel.e.book Dominic narrowed his eyes toward the entrance, then thought about something.

"I heard the autopsy report is out, and it’s that woman’s body, alright.I guess there’s no way to ascertain what kind of drug or poison you had been fed before this, huh?"

Having studied herbal medicine all his life, he did not think that a young woman would defeat him at such an advanced age.When Austin came back, he did not notice anything wrong with him or detect the toxin within him.He probably would not even believe it if Austin had not suffered the attacks.

In spite of the fact that every drug has its own effect on human bodies, he was unable to recognize it.He was curious to know what it was.

‘what a pity! Now that the autopsy report has confirmed that the deceased is her, I would never find out about it.I wonder how Lily is doing lately? She fetched Galen and left me alone with a sick man I needed to take care of.

How boring!’ Letting out a sigh, he shook his head and went away.

Austin, however, gazed after him in a daze.

‘Rhea is dead? For real?’ Even though he had been hearing about the news for the past two days, he was having trouble processing it.He felt as though a bone was lodged in his throat, and he was unable to spit it out.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1767 -Austin sat quietly, then got up and left his room.

The spacious house seemed unusually quiet, with no signs of anyone around.He noticed the open backyard door, crossed the hall, and went outside.

When he arrived at the backyard, he caught the unique scent of various herbs.Dominic stood thoughtfully among the herbs with his hands behind his back.

Austin did not interrupt his granduncle and remained quiet fora while.

When he turned to leave, he heard Dominic’s voice, "Since you’ve regained some strength, why don’t you help me pick some herbs?"

Austin was surprised but still walked over and picked up the basket Dominic had placed aside.

"I’ve written whatever I need, but can you still recognize them?"

Dominic pointed forward with his chin without looking at his grandnephew.

Austin gazed down and saw a piece of paper inside the basket.

Several names of uncommonly used herbs were on it, but he knew what they looked like.

Austin smiled, swung the basket over his shoulder, and walked forward.

Although it was easy to identify the herbs, the various plants were unorganized and scattered.Austin moved around and took some time to gather every herb on the list.no.vel.e.book He was out of breath and covered in sweat when he finished.He had just recovered and was unsure if he was 100% well now, although he no longer suffered the torment he used to.He was exhausted beyond measure after the hard work.

However, even though he felt weary, he felt much better.He had much more energy, and his breathing had become steadier.

"Uncle Dom, I’ve gathered them all!"

Austin caught his breath with sweat streaming down his cheeks.Then he smilingly handed the basket to Dominic like it was a treasure.

Austin suddenly recalled Dominic asking him to search for herbs like this when he was little.

Austin was energetic during that time but knew little about plants.He had to compare them to the descriptions in his medical books.

Still, he would make mistakes and sometimes gather the wrong herbs.

Whenever that happened, Dominic would hit Austin with a twig and call him stupid, saying it was fortunate that he had not accepted Austin as his student.

Otherwise, it would ruin his reputation.

However, Dominic would tell Austin why the herbs were different despite looking alike whenever he scolded his grandnephew.He also taught Austin to differentiate the herbs, their uses, and the correct dosages.

Austin gradually learned about herbal medicine through such punishments and lessons.

As Austin grew up and gained experience and fame, outsiders started to create hype about him.

Austin somehow resented Dominic for not teaching him officially when Austin thought he had fundamental skills and capabilities.

Instead, Dominic secretly had someone else as his last apprentice.

Austin could only give vague and ambiguous answers to others about his background and could not admit he was indeed Dominic’s student.

After escaping death, Austin finally understood he was not good enough to be his granduncle’s apprentice.

No matter how upset Austin was, it was a fact that Lily was more skillful and talented than him.

Also, she had never told anyone who she was, while Austin had always thought she was just a perfumer.

Lily’s achievements in the fusion of scents and herbs had amazed Austin.

Dominic smiled as he stood there while the breeze blew.

With his pale face covered in sweat, Austin let out a sincere and radiant smile at the same time.

Then he started, "You..."

As he was about to speak, he heard a gasp, "Austin?!"

Austin looked spontaneously toward the source of the voice.

"Mom?"

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1768-Michelle hurried over and realized she had forgotten herself when she got near.She slowed down but soon came close and greeted Dominic courteously, "Hello, Uncle Dom."

Then she quickly took out a tissue to dry Austin’s sweat.

"You’re not well yet.What are you doing out here in the breeze, all sweaty? What if your sickness worsens?!"

"I'm all right.I’ve gotten much better!"

Austin knew his mother was worried, so he smiled and took the tissue to wipe his sweat.His other hand was still holding the basket.

"Uncle Dom, where should I put this?"

"Take it inside.Someone will put it away."

Dominic said as he blandly looked into the distance.

"Then you..."

Dominic turned and walked away, saying, "I'd like to be left alone.Don’t mind me."

In other words, he wanted them to leave.

"Then we’ll go to the foyer.We shouldn’t stay too long here since it’s cold."

Austin expressed concern, then took his mother’s hand and led her away.

Michelle wanted to help him carry the basket, but he refused.

A servant took the basket away shortly after Austin put it in the foyer.

Michelle pulled her son over to sit with her, then studied him up and down before nodding.

"You look much better."

Although she visited every two days, she had to study him each time before she could feel at ease.

"I feel much better, and my symptoms haven’t recurred.Stop worrying, okay?"

Austin could understand she was concerned, but being overly protective could sometimes be overwhelming.

Austin’s parents had never been demanding of him since he became an adult.He had grown accustomed to living alone.no.vel.e.book He knew that what had happened had truly frightened his parents.

"Mom, I'd like to ask..."

Before he could finish, Michelle said, "Son, I have something to tell you."

The mother-son duo paused simultaneously, but Michelle continued, "What would you like to know?"

"It's nothing much.What is it that you want to tell me?"

Austin was not in a hurry.

Michelle continued, "After discussing with your dad, we’ve decided to move overseas when you get better."

"Migrate? Why?"

Austin did not expect that and was astonished.

"Your dad and I thought about it a few years ago, but we thought you have a better career here since you've learned herbal medicine.We wanted to respect your decision and were proud you had made something of yourself.

"However, we didn't expect what you’ve learned to put you through such an ordeal.If we knew, we would have migrated in the first place, and none of this would have happened!"

She felt emotional and blamed herself, thinking her son could have avoided such calamity if they had migrated sooner.

"Mom, how could you say that? It has nothing to do with what I’ve learned." Austin was baffled.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1769 -"Of course, it has something to do with it! If you hadn’t studied herbal medicine, you wouldn’t have gone to that so-called research institute and met that b*tch who put you through this!"

Michelle blamed everything on her son’s profession.

‘If he hadn’t studied this, he wouldn’t have gone there and suffered so much.Thinking back, I shouldn’t have let him learn herbal medicine from Dominic in the first place"

Austin grew somewhat upset when he heard what his mother said.

"If that’s the cause, perhaps you shouldn’t have given birth to me.I wouldn't have suffered if I weren’t even born, right?"

"Are you..."

Michelle also got upset and was on the verge of crying.

"Are you blaming me now?"

"No, I'm just trying to point out that it has nothing to do with me learning herbal medicine.

The guilty ones are the perpetrators who don’t value human lives, not us, okay?"

Austin held his mother’s shoulder.

Then he patiently continued, "I know you feel bad for me, but you shouldn’t say that.no.vel.e.book Perhaps I was destined to suffer the ordeal, and there was no way I could avoid it!"

Michelle looked at him in astonishment.

Although her son had studied medicine and had read ancient texts, he rarely talked about destiny and did not quite believe in it.

"Mom, let’s put that aside first.I would like to know whether Rhea Moore is truly dead," he asked urgently.

He wanted to ask that first, but his mother interrupted him.

"Of course she is!"

Michelle wiped her tears from the corners of her eyes and snorted.

"She got off too easily to die just like that! Your dad and I wanted to ensure it, so we used our connections.Michelle held Austin’s wrist ad thought he was worried.She consoled him, "There’s no way the medical examiner could doctor the autopsy report.Also, the DNA testing confirmed it was indeed her.You can rest assured you’ve somehow gotten your revenge."

Austin shook his head thoughtfully but did not speak.

"Why? Are you worried? Is there something off about all this?"

Michelle nervously asked when she noticed her son's skeptical expression.

"No.I have no idea, either.I just feel like Rhea’s death is too coincidental," Austin said casually.

Michelle nodded in agreement and sighed.

"It sure is! Your dad and I even hired someone to capture and punish her before handing her over to the police, but she died before it could happen.Do you think she knew she couldn’t escape and faked dying?"

Michelle had thought about it many times over the last two days.She was overwhelmed when she saw the burned corpse and even developed a fever afterward.However, she dared not tell her son lest he would worry.

When she later composed herself, she gave it some thought and wondered if Rhea had committed suicide, thinking that the police would not let her off for committing such a heinous crime.

"That's not possible!"

Austin firmly dismissed it.He knew that woman too well and was sure she would never off herself.

‘Still, someone possibly murdered her because she knew too much about the organization"

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1770-‘If the organization no longer values her and their conspiracy is about to be exposed, it’s not unfathomable for them to murder her to hide the truth.But when I recall every detail, everything seems weird, Even my escape was too easy"

Austin had tried to escape before that but had consistently failed.However, his last attempt went so smoothly that he thought it was a dream.

He even tried hurting himself to ensure it was real.

Only after slowly pulling himself together did Austin finally accept that he had escaped.

As for Mike, Austin wondered if the organization would figure out that Mike was the one who let him go.

‘If so, what would happen to Mike? Why did he help me? If he was sincere about it, why didn’t he do that on the first day instead of waiting so long?’ The more Austin thought about it, the more suspicious he got.Still, he could not come up with an answer.

Besides, he had not fully recovered yet, so there was no point thinking about other things when he could not even leave Dominic’s place.

"Don't worry too much!"

Michelle patted his hand gently, not knowing what was wrong but noticing his glum expression.

"I think Rhea is indeed dead.Her family has been busy with her funeral for the past few days, and they even bought her a burial plot in the cemetery.The surveillance team reported that Maria Moore had even cried until she fainted several times and was bedridden.That means it should be real."

After pausing for a moment, she added, "Of course, they might be putting on a show, so our men will continue watching them closely and won’t miss anything if the family gives their game away!"

Letting out a forced smile, Austin nodded.

"Mom, you and dad shouldn't burden yourselves with this.I’ve troubled you guys enough."

"Don’t be silly!"

She reached out and gently touched his face, and noticed how hollow his cheeks were.

"You’re our son, and we must help you! We should have shown you more concern, and I was too careless, not realizing you had gone missing.I’m not fit to be your mother!"

"This isn’t your fault!"

Austin held her hands.

"Stop blaming yourself.No one expected this to happen.I'd be happy if you and dad could take good care of yourselves."

"Okay, you recuperate here, and we'll take care of the rest!"

Michelle, still not giving up, asked, "About our move to another country..."

"Not me!"

He spoke decisively and left no room for negotiation.

"I was born here, and my grandpa and granduncle are here.The things I want to learn are here, so I’m not going anywhere.However, you have my support if you and your dad wish to move overseas!"

Michelle hastily said, "How can we do that if you’re not coming with us? Okay, okay, don’t be mad.If you don’t wish to move overseas, then don’t.Our whole family will stay in the country, and your father and I will keep you company no matter what!"

Austin grunted a yes and did not retort.

Meanwhile, Anastasia had lost a lot of weight, and her father had been in a coma for the past two days.

Taking care of her father wasn't too hard, but dealing with his visitors was tiring.no.vel.e.book She felt she could not keep it from others anymore.

After glancing at her father, who seemed asleep, she took the phone and left the room to make a call.

"Lily, when are you coming over?"