Emily supported Carlos as they hurried towards the roadside, hailing a cab. Carlos’s scorching body heat seared through the fabric of her suit, burning her palm.
"Just hold on for a few more minutes." Her voice was tense. "We’ll be at the clinic soon."
Carlos leaned back in the seat, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down with his labored breathing.
His long fingers clenched the seatbelt tightly, knuckles turning white, as if battling the surging heat wave within.
Sunlight blurred into indistinct blobs in his pupils, momentarily transporting him back to that dark theater box five months ago.
He forced out a few words through clenched teeth, "The same... drug as in the cinema."
Emily was startled...
When Carlos regained consciousness, he smelled the strong scent of disinfectant in the air.
"Your resistance to drugs is really strong. I thought you would be unconscious until half the day had passed." Thɪs chapter is updated by novel⸺fire.net
Emily had changed into a white lab coat, and her long hair that fell over her shoulders was now tied into a ponytail.
"When I was in my teens,"
Carlos suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse as if it had been scraped with sandpaper.
"Someone poisoned my milk."
He continued, his Adam’s apple bobbing with difficulty,
"I was unconscious for three days. After I woke up... I started taking micro doses of poison daily."
Emily’s pupils contracted sharply, so that’s how your body developed resistance to drugs?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
Carlos tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile more painful than crying. "Ordinary poisons have no effect on me. But that night in the cinema... and today..."
Emily felt her breath catch.
The dark theater box five months ago, those blurred and burning fragments of memory, suddenly became exceptionally clear.
Instinctively, she placed her hand on her protruding belly, where an unexpected yet precious life was growing.
Her voice was so light it was almost inaudible.
"Yuriko has this drug... that night’s incident... might be connected."
Fury rolled in Emily’s eyes.
"I will find the truth." His voice was low and firm, "But for now, we might have to face a tough battle; Yuriko might retaliate against me and the Carter Clan."
No sooner had he spoken, the phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated violently, spinning on the smooth surface.
The name "Evan Palmer" flashed repeatedly on the screen, like a snake sticking out its tongue.
Emily handed her phone over, "No need to wait for later. Check the trending news."
Carlos took the phone; the screen showed Yuriko’s tearful accusatory video.
Her meticulously designed makeup smeared by tears, a deliberate rip in her neckline revealing suspicious red marks on her collarbone.
"Quick action." Carlos’s gaze turned instantly cold.
Carlos swiped the screen, and shocking headlines popped up one after another,
"Twelve international brands announce termination of cooperation", "Sakura Kingdom embassy demands severe punishment", "Carter Clan’s stock price plummets by 7%"...
Carlos frowned deeply, etching a sharp crease between his eyebrows. His hand reached for the inner pocket of his suit, hesitating slightly upon touching the cold metal case of the phone. The moment the screen unlocked, a blinding white light illuminated his slightly pale complexion—an alarming number of thirty-seven unread notifications piled into a suffocating sea of red in the notification bar.
"Evan Palmer..." He uttered the name softly, his voice infused with ice. His fingertips slid down, among a string of the same numbers, interspersed with a few familiar contacts—"Mother" called three hours ago, followed by "Maria" and names of a few childhood friends.
Emily handed him a cup of warm water, warm steam rising from it: "I’ve already contacted Mom and Maria." Her voice was as calm as the sea before a storm, "Telling them not to worry."
Carlos’s fingers unconsciously caressed the cup’s rim, with warm droplets slipping through the gaps of his fingers. Outside, dusk settled, the last strands of sunset dyeing the hospital room’s blinds a bloody red. He looked up at Emily, noticing her engrossed in organizing documents on her tablet, the screen’s blue light accentuating her delicate jawline.