Ch. 2281..2290

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2281 -"Don't talk like that. It’s not your style at all," Dominic said in an upset tone.

Lily smiled. "It's not your style to come here either."

"I…" Dominic was stumped. "I-I'm just here to see what you're up to!"

Lily laughed.

Embarrassed, Dominic waved his hands. "Okay, okay. I only came to see how you were doing. You really enjoy teasing me, huh? Feeling all better now?"

"Yeah, I do." Lily let out a sigh, then saw the needles were yet to be removed and tried to pull them out.

"Stay still!" Dominic removed the needles and continued, "I was shocked to learn that you suddenly went into a coma. When I heard that your heart was so slow that it was on the verge of stopping, I knew you…" Pausing, he glanced at her and did not finish his sentence.

"How could you do this to yourself?" he told her off as he shook his head.

"You know why I did it."

He snapped, "I don't. "You're not Mother Teresa. You shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place!"

Lily could not see his face as he was looking down, but she could hear the anger in his voice.

"I'm not, but they're targeting me," Lily said helplessly.

It was not her fault that she turned out to be the most suitable candidate for the queen, was it?

Dominic fell silent. He knew she was right, but he felt frustrated at being unable to help her. Keeping his head down, he put the needles away. "I've done for you what I could. Anyway, how did you manage to obtain that item?"

He was talking about the drug that could induce simulated death. When Fred came and told him about Lily's condition, he had suspected this. After examining her, he grew even more convinced.

In theory, it involved using drugs to induce a state of paralysis that slowed down one’s heart rate, making it appear as if the person was on the brink of death. In the past, when medical equipment was not as advanced, people might have mistaken such a state for actual death.

Even with today's technology, it would be challenging to find out what was wrong with Lily. The doctors did not know what to do because they had never encountered this situation before.

Having not seen Lily for a long time, Dominic came to confirm his suspicions and to find out how she was doing.

"I…" When Lily was about to answer, she noticed something and grabbed his hand. "Let me see your face, Dom."

He tried to pull his hand away, frowning. "What are you doing?"

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2282-Cocking her head to see his face, Lily held onto his hand. "Were you hit?" Her voice carried shock and anger.

Unable to hide it from her, Dominic looked away. "I'm fine."

"How is it fine? You were hit!" Having just regained consciousness, Lily struggled to sit up, and her breathing became rapid. "Who hit you? Was it Fred?"

"Do you think he could do it if I hadn't let him?" Dominic said as he waved dismissively.

"How dare he!" Lily gritted her teeth.

Enraged, she was oblivious to what Dominic said. Although she seldom treated him courteously, she regarded him as her grandfather. He had taught her a lot, so to her, he was both an elder and a benefactor.

Furthermore, he had spent his whole life treating people and was wellrespected, even among the rich and powerful. It was unimaginable that anyone would beat him, let alone because of her.

Lily was so angry that she blamed herself. "This is all my fault."

"No, it's not. Don't think like that. I… " At a loss for words, Dominic exploded, "Just drop it, will you? It has nothing to do with you. I wanted to come here and get beaten up, all right? Besides, I'm fine! I had never been beaten by anyone before, and I got a kick out of it!" he said arrogantly, arms akimbo.

Lily was stumped.

Dominic continued calmly, "I really am fine. I’ve been bitten by poisonous insects and chased by forest people. This is nothing compared to what I went through back in the day."

Lily was amused. He always compared to the past, but he was a young man then. Besides, this was different because he was assaulted. However, knowing that Dominic would get upset if she dwelled on it, she decided to settle the score with Fred in the future.

"It'll be hard for you to leave now that you've come here," Lily said solemnly.

Dominic said indifferently, "I wasn’t planning to leave in the first place."

"What are you talking about? I’m counting on you to take care of my children,"

Lily countered.

With widened eyes, Dominic waved his hands. "Hell no! You have three children now, not just one. I'd rather stay here than take care of them.” "Well, I'm getting rid of you no matter what," Lily said half-jokingly, knowing that she had to get him out of this place.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2283 -In the evening, Ross sent a location to Rhea. Of course, the IP address had been changed according to his itinerary. A while later, Rhea video-called him.

Fortunately, Alexander had long prepared the set, and Ross only had to answer the call inside.

When the call connected, Rhea scrutinized his background. "The woods behind you look dense, Your Highness. Have you reached the outskirts?"

"It is a rather remote location. To avoid attention, I can't take the main roads,"

Ross replied matter-of-factly, "Is everything okay at the embassy? Can Fred cope?"

"Of course. We're more concerned about you," Rhea said.

Ross shook his head. "I'm fine. I'm just doing what I should be doing for my mother."

"That's good to hear. How's the trip so far? Have you encountered any problems?" she asked, gazing searchingly at his surroundings.

Ross answered, "Everything’s fine. Don't worry."

"Good." Rhea chuckled. "Can you move to another spot, Your Highness?

There's some glare, and I can't see you very clearly."

Stunned for a moment, Ross instinctively glanced left and right. "I'm outside right now, and the signal isn't great. We’ll talk more next time." He disconnected the call.

Mike hurried over. "Why did you hang up? She might get suspicious."

"Wouldn't I be giving myself away if I move to another spot?" Ross was worried that she would realize he was on a set.

"No, she wouldn't." Mike slapped his head. "We spent a fortune building the set and even hired a special effects artist to help us. You can move around freely."

Ross was incredulous. "Are you sure?"

Alexander nodded. "Absolutely. Come take a look."

Ross jogged over to the camera and studied the set through the viewfinder.

Regardless of where Mike moved or what he did within the set, the background appeared realistic. The trees and branches swayed, and the reddish glow of the setting sun was perfect.

"This is amazing!" he said.

He had seen effects like this in the movies, but experiencing it firsthand was something else.

"Should we call her back? Rhea is suspicious by nature. Will she suspect something?" Mike asked Alexander.

"Give it a moment," Alexander said as he held up a hand.

It would be even more suspicious if Ross were to call back immediately. He could just say that the connection was bad just now, but if he called back too soon, it would seem like he was just trying to cover up.

Meanwhile, Rhea was puzzled as to why Ross would hang up on her. He should not have done so without her instruction. She gently touched the wine bottle she had used last time. She had not even flicked her finger at it, but Ross seemed alarmed by something.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2284 -As she was pondering over this, her bedroom door opened, and Fred strode in.

"Has he contacted you yet?" he asked.

Rhea knew who he was referring to. "Yes, the location is correct, and we had a video call just moments ago," she answered readily.

Although she was somewhat puzzled by what happened, she did not dare to tell Fred about it. She could not let him know that her creation was not 100%

reliable.

Fred nodded in satisfaction. "Great. Make another call now."

Rhea hesitated.

"Why? Is there a problem?" Fred asked, upset.

"No, but I just called him. Is there anything you want to ask him?" Rhea was puzzled as to why he wanted her to call him again.

"I just want to talk to him." Fred looked at her. "Can't I?"

Rhea could only nod. "Of course, you can."

"Then hurry up!" he said impatiently.

Rhea made the call and tightened her grip on the wine bottle, hoping that nothing would go wrong.

The call was picked up after a moment, and Ross showed up on screen. A hat and a pair of glasses obstructed half his face.

Rhea frowned. "Why did you hang up on me earlier?"

"The call got cut off. The signal in the mountains isn't great. Also, I think someone was following me," Ross whispered, "I wonder if the Hyderland government is tailing me."

"Tailing you?" Fred leaned over, and Rhea moved aside to make room.

Ross was astonished. "Fred?"

"It's me, Your Highness." Fred smiled and asked, "You said you’re being followed? By whom? Were there many people? Were they armed?"

It was not his place to ask these questions. After all, Ross was the prince, and he had no right to question Ross as such. He did it on purpose to see if Ross was truly under Rhea's control.

Ross frowned and said, "Fred, you should mind your own business."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I'm just worried about your safety." Fred gave Rhea a look.

Rhea knowingly leaned over and flicked her finger gently at the wine bottle.

"Your Highness, the duke meant no harm. You should understand."

Hearing the ping, Ross blinked and was overcome by a dazed look before nodding. "Of course, I know Fred meant well. The truth is I have no idea who those people were. They kept their distance. They might just be passersby, but I can’t be sure."

He glanced around, looking worried that someone might catch up with him.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2285 -Seeing this, Rhea added, "Fred has more questions for you, and I think you understand that he's doing this out of goodwill. Please answer his questions, all right?" She flicked the wine bottle again.

Ross frowned as if hesitant, then nodded. "Okay."

Rhea gave Fred a look, then moved behind him.

Leaning in, Fred looked toward Ross and cleared his throat. "Your Highness, have you gotten any leads in tracking down the queen?"

Ross shook his head. "No. But I think it's because I haven't gone far enough.

You said my mom went to places like West Virho? It’ll take me several more days to get there."

Fred nodded, thinking that this made sense. "Her Majesty did say so, but I’m not so sure either. Anyway, it's not good that you and Her Majesty are both away, Your Highness. Someone should take charge of this place."

"You're around, aren't you?" Ross looked puzzled.

As this was the answer he wanted, Fred grinned. "Well, I'm just the chief minister. As you know, many in the country are against me. They think that I've influenced Her Majesty, and I'm not a good person."

"That’s easily resolved. I'll make a call and tell them to give you their full cooperation while I'm away," Ross answered readily.

Fred was thrilled. "I'm afraid those people might claim that I've influenced you too."

"They can say whatever they like, but they still have to listen to me, don't they?"

Ross let out an impatient look and smacked his neck. "There are mosquitoes all over this place. I have to go. I'll leave the country to you, Fred. I'll inform you right away if I manage to get any leads on my mom’s whereabouts."

"Sure." Satisfied, Fred hung up.

Seeing him in a good mood, Rhea was relieved that Ross did not say anything he should not have. She was anxious earlier as she was not sure if she could hypnotize Ross over the video call.

Fred turned to Rhea. "You’ve done well, Rhea. You deserve a reward. What do you want?"

"I want…" Rhea met Fred's inquiring gaze and smiled. "I want to continue my research at the lab and serve you. That's the reward I want."

Pleased with her answer, Fred nodded. "You're not a greedy person, huh?

Anyway, you should be rewarded for serving me wholeheartedly. From today onward, you're free to go anywhere you please." He waved and added, "Including the lab, of course."

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2286-Rhea was happy. "For real? Then I—"

Before she could finish, Fred said, "Remember, you can go anywhere you like except out. If you do, I can't promise that you’ll be safe." He patted her shoulder.

Rhea's mood dampened. For a moment, she thought she could come and go as she pleased. On second thought, however, she knew he was right. Alexander and Cameron would catch her if she were to leave.

Thinking of her uncle, Rhea recalled her parents and the research center that was raided.

After she escaped from the Russell Residence, she went to her parent’s house and saw people moving stuff inside from a distance. From the conversations among the onlookers, she learned that her father had been arrested and that her family had lost the house.

Although she resented her parents, she was still upset upon learning what had happened to them.

How could Cameron do this to them?

Her parents treated Anastasia like a princess, and yet Cameron sent Fabian to jail and caused her family to fall apart. For this, Rhea vowed to make Cameron pay.

"Is there a problem?" Noticing her silence, Fred assumed this. "Well, you can try to leave. I won't stop you—"

"No, it's not that. I was just thinking about something else."

In a good mood, Fred asked, "Oh, what about?"

Rhea shook her head. "I just thought it was a shame that the research center was raided. If our plan had gone smoothly, at least half of the population of Hyderland would’ve been injected with the drug we created. It’s such a pity."

Surprised that she would mention this, Fred raised his brow. He thought for a moment and asked, "Come to think of it, if the plan had worked, wouldn't that disturb you? You're a Hylander, after all."

"Why would it? What does it have to do with me?" Rhea answered without a second thought, "As I said, I studied abroad when I was young and spent more time in Yudonia than in Hyderland. To me, Yudonia’s my homeland."

Fred gazed at her appraisingly and clapped. "Well said. It is indeed a shame that the research center was raided, but what matters now is my experiment. As long as it succeeds, we can always build new labs."

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2287 -Rhea noticed Fred’s eagerness and asked, “What if it fails?” Based on past data, she had little confidence his experiment would work.

However, she dared not say it aloud because Fred did not want to hear such a thing. Still, she selfishly wished the experiment would fail.

Fred would be happy if it worked, but it would do Rhea no good. If it failed, he had to start over again with her help.

"Work hard, okay? I'll ensure to reward you well." Patting Rhea's shoulder, he said, "Keep a close watch on Prince Ross and Mike Corden."

After a pause, he thought of something and asked, "Has Mike tried to look for his son again?"

"Yes, he even found out that his son is in the Royal Palace of Yudonia, but there's nothing he can do about it," Rhea answered truthfully.

"He wouldn't dare!" Fred snorted and said, "Since he's under your control now, tell him his son is dead, so he’ll give up."

Rhea was stunned.

"Why? Is there a problem?" Fred narrowed his eyes and asked in a threatening tone.

Rhea quickly shook her head and murmured, "No, Your Grace. I worry he might do something drastic if we tell him that.” "So what? I'm not afraid of him," Fred said indifferently, "He's of no use to me now. Spades King wanted to make use of his money and properties, but Mike’s more of a threat now. It's best if he ends up killing himself."

"I understand, Your Grace." Rhea wondered why Fred suddenly wanted her to tell Mike that his son had died.

‘Is it only just to make Mike give up?’ She knew Mike would be greatly agitated, and there was no telling whether he would still obey her. Therefore, she decided not to tell Mike for now.

It was almost midnight when Rhea called Mike. She could only wait until late at night to do so because she did not want to attract Alexander and Austin’s attention.

Mike’s phone rang for a long while before he groggily answered it.

"Mike Corden…" Rhea called out his name in a deep, hypnotic voice.

Mike mumbled, "Yes."

Rhea paused momentarily and then said, "Do you know who I am?"

"My master," Mike answered.

Rhea smiled, happy that her drug was still working well. She asked, "Has anything interesting happened over the past two days?"

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2288-"Nothing much,” Mike paused before adding, "How's my son?"

Rhea fell silent.

‘He still thinks about his son even in such a deep hypnotic state. If I told him his son was dead, wouldn’t he snap out of it from being agitated?’ “I’m still working on saving him. Still, I can’t leave the embassy, as you know.

There’s nothing I can do for now,” Rhea devised an excuse, asking, “Any news on the invisibility potion?” "I don't get what you mean," Mike answered.

"Didn't you say they found traces of the invisibility potion? Aren’t they continuing to study it? How’d it go?" Rhea was still hung up on it.

Thinking that Mike would not lie to her, she could not help but wonder if such a potion could exist.

If Alexander and the others knew the ingredients, perhaps she could use the information for her research or get Mike to steal the formula. Then, Rhea would have something to show Fred while making progress at the same time.

However, Mike’s answer disappointed her, “I don’t know. The researchers left, and I don’t even know who they were.” "Can't you ask around?" Rhea grew upset after not getting the answers she wanted.

"Why are you angry?" Mike was puzzled.

Rhea took a breath and tried to calm herself. Otherwise, it would affect her control over him. "Well, you should find out about it because it might help save your son."

"Really?" Mike sounded excited.

‘As I expected, he’ll grow agitated whenever I mention his son.’ "Yes, think about it. If I can develop an invisibility potion, I can enter the palace and save your son," she continued to lure him.

Seemingly falling for it, Mike agreed, "You're right! But…. I don't know where they are."

"Ask Alexander. I'm sure he knows., Rhea added, "Think about your son. It might be your best chance to save him."

"I understand. I'll find out about it," After a pause, Mike asked, "Are you safe over there?"

Rhea was surprised. As it had been a while since anyone showed her any concern, she could not help but feel somewhat emotional. She instinctively forced a smile and said, "I'm… very safe. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you can only save my son if you're safe," Mike replied matter-of-factly.

Rhea was speechless for a moment.

“I’ll save Nick, but you must obey me and remember that I’m on your side.

Alexander will not and cannot help you. Do you understand?” she stressed, trying to reinforce her hypnotic suggestion.

Mike replied readily, "I do."

Rhea was relieved to hear that, saying, "Let's keep in touch. If you find out anything, inform me as soon as possible."

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2289 -After hanging up, Mike quickly went to knock on Alexander and Austin’s bedroom doors, telling them to come out. Mike said, “She wants the invisibility potion formula.” The other two exchanged looks with Mike and said in unison, “Fat chance.” Alexander nodded and said, “She’s pretty greedy, huh?” "What should we do?" Mike asked.

"There's no invisibility potion to begin with. We can't give Rhea a fake formula, can we?" Austin shrugged.

However, Alexander said thoughtfully, "Perhaps… we can."

Austin was baffled.

"Well, can you tell if a formula is fake right away?" Alexander asked.

Austin shook his head. "No, I can only tell after I experiment with it."

He caught on to Alexander's intentions but still did not think it would work. "Even so, it wouldn't work. I'll find out the formula is fake in the end."

"But you’ll have to experiment with it first," Alexander continued, "Besides, she would assume it's based on their research. There's no guarantee it would work."

Austin rubbed his chin pensively. "You're right."

After all, not every study was accurate.

Still not getting it, Mike asked, "What's the point of giving her a fake formula?"

Alexander looked at him. "It's the process that matters."

"Are you suggesting I find out what's going on in the embassy when I give her the formula?" Mike asked.

It sounded like a good idea, but he thought otherwise. "I don't think it’ll work.

Even Prince Ross failed to find out anything and was forced to leave. Fred seems to know everything."

"Things are different now, and Dominic is still there." Alexander shook his head.

"Besides, time is running out. The duke must be getting anxious, and I bet he's going to make mistakes."

Austin added, "That's right. It’ll be great if you can find out how my granduncle is doing."

"All right then." Mike nodded. "When should I go? Tomorrow?"

"No, the day after tomorrow."

"Why?"

Alexander said, "Since you told Rhea you didn't know where the researchers were, she’ll get suspicious if you give it to her too soon. Also, you must tell her you can't guarantee the formula would work."

Mike caught on. "I see."

"Alex is right," Austin said, "Should we tell Dr. Blanc about it first?"

"It won't be necessary. Dr. Blanc was just doing us a favor back then." Alexander looked toward Mike. "He doesn't need to know."

Glancing at the two, Austin sighed and sat down. "I wonder how Uncle Dom is doing now."

"They must’ve abducted him to get him to do something. He'll be fine until they no longer need him," Alexander said.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2290-"What happens after that?" Austin asked.

The group fell silent, frustrated that they did not know what Fred was up to.

… Every day, Fred would send the medical team to examine Lily. They even provided her with various supplements. Lily allowed the doctors to administer them using the IV drip, with the condition that Dominic had to stay within her sight.

She had to keep him around her to ensure his safety.

Fred did not argue with her, probably worried that she would try to end her life again. Since Lily had not been alone with Dominic for quite some time, she recalled her childhood.

She said, “Back in the day, you always said I didn’t work hard enough.” Lily had fond memories of what happened back then.

Dominic snorted, “I was right! You would have achieved so much more if you studied harder. You’ve wasted your talent.” He had never seen anyone as gifted as Lily, even after being a renowned physician for many years. Dominic only started taking in apprentices for fun, and Lily was the only one the older man was eager to teach.

Still, she turned out to be the least diligent of all his prior apprentices. Lily was brilliant and gifted, but she did not want to become a physician. Dominic would feel upset whenever he thought about it.

Lily said half-jokingly, “We’ll at least what I learned came in handy, especially now.” Dominic was exasperated. "Not funny, okay?"

‘She hardly applied what I taught her, and when she did, she almost killed herself.’ Dominic shook his head. "Why would anyone believe in achieving eternal life?"

"Well, everyone is obsessed with something. Once a person finds their obsession, it's hard to change their mind," Lily murmured, shaking her head, "Anyway, they won't give up until they complete the experiment.

"When they do, find a way to escape without me, okay?" she said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dominic glared at her. "How can I leave without you? I'm not going to take care of your children, all right?"

Lily let out a bitter smile when she thought of her children.

She wanted to escape by faking her death, but she failed. She now knew Fred would never let her go, no matter what. The man was determined to complete the R10 experiment.

"I mean it, Dom. I must get the experiment over with. You mustn't try to stop me, okay?" she solemnly said as she sat up.

Stunned, Dominic touched her forehead. "Have you gone fucking insane?"