"Even though she’s asleep, her heartbeat slows down so much it nearly stops at times. It’s like her body is running in power-saving mode—just like a phone on low battery. That’s why she’s been so tired and keeps falling asleep. And based on what I see... she’ll start sleeping longer and longer, until..."
"Finish it!" Daniel gripped the phone tightly. His hands were shaking.
"She’ll fall asleep and never wake up," Philip said faintly after a pause.
Daniel’s chest tightened. "Is there a cure?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
"I need more time," Philip replied. "Daniel, please trust me. I’ll save Chantie no matter what."
Daniel ended the call.
He stood by the stairs for a long time before he finally pulled himself together.
Daniel walked downstairs in silence.
Ashton was waiting at the bottom. The moment he saw Daniel, he hastily walked up to him.
"Mr. Wilson, Joseph asked to meet you tonight at Enchanteur Bar. Should I—"
"Good," Daniel cut him in a cold tone. "It’s about time we met again after all these years."
"Yes, sir. Should we head back to the company now?" Ashton asked.
Daniel and Ashton left Western Hill Villa and got into the car.
As the door closed, Daniel glanced back at the house with his eyes full of worries.
"Send more men to guard this place. If anyone dares to break in again... kill them."
Meanwhile, at a castle on the west side of Easthan, the fire had finally been put out.
But Joseph’s office had burned to ashes.
The castle that once was covered in thorny vines looked even worse after the flames.
Its outer walls were badly damaged, and the once beautiful bricks were now black and cracked.
Standing in the yard, Joseph’s face turned grim. He was clearly angry.
"Sir, Mr. Wilson agreed to meet you tonight," Fred informed him.
"Good. We’ll stick to the plan," Joseph said coldly.
"What? Spit it out." Joseph’s patience wore thin. Seeing his men hesitate only made him more annoyed.
"It’s about Ms. Kate. The wound on her face reopened. She’s asking for you. Do you want to go check on her?"
"You should’ve called a doctor if her wounds opened again. Why are you coming to me?" Joseph snapped, clearly annoyed.
"Yes, I’ll get the doctor now," Fred nodded, lowering his head and turning to leave.
But Joseph stopped him. "Forget it. She’s already here—I’ll go take a look myself."
Meanwhile, in a room on the second basement floor of the Rose Castle, Kate was throwing a fit.
She covered her face with both hands while screaming in rage.
The bandages around her head were soaked in blood.
She wrecked the whole room, flipping everything over and turning it into complete chaos.
"Joseph, that bastard! He promised to fix my face, but the wounds opened again! Liar!"
As Joseph reached the door, a cup flew across the room and shattered on the floor in front of him.
He halted his steps and stared at the woman inside the room, wearing a blank expression.
Only after seeing she had destroyed everything did he signal for someone to open the glass door.
The glass was specially made—people outside could see everything happening inside, but for the person inside, it just looked like a mirror.
Even if someone watched Kate outside the room all day, she’d never noticed it.
This wasn’t just a room. It was a glass prison.
As soon as the door opened, Kate noticed it right away and rushed over.
"Joseph, you lied to me!" she shouted, attacking him furiously.
But Joseph didn’t show any mercy on her.
He raised his leg and kicked her hard in the stomach.
Kate flew backward and slammed into the wall.
"Ahh!" she cried out in pain.
When she hit the floor, a metallic taste filled her mouth.
She touched her lips and saw blood on her fingers.
Joseph walked inside with his face as cold as ever.
Kate, shaken from the kick, began to crawl backward in fear, trying to get away.
But as soon as she moved, Joseph slammed his walking stick down on her hand.
The sharp pain made her freeze.
At that moment, she realized—she had offended someone she never should have.
"Please... let me go. It’s my fault..." Kate begged in her shaking voice.
Joseph sneered at her. "You’re begging now, huh? Too late."
He pressed a button on his walking stick.
Then, a sharp blade shot out from the bottom and stabbed straight through her hand.
"Ahh!" Kate screamed as she watched in horror when the blade plunged into her hand again and again.
The pain was unbearable, but she couldn’t move. She was pinned down against the floor.
Joseph didn’t stop until her hand was torn and bloodied.
Only then did the blade was pulled back and was stained with blood.
Kate’s cries filled the room and echoed through the walls like something was pulled straight out of hell.
"I’m begging you... please let me go. I won’t do anything again..." Kate whispered as she stared at her bloody hand.
Her face was pale, soaked in sweat.
She lay on the floor, barely moving, and reached out with her other uninjured hand to touch Joseph’s shoe, hoping he’d show mercy.
"Now, will you take the medicine and behave?"
"Mmhm... I’ll be good. I promise," she nodded weakly.
"Fred, take her to the third basement floor."
"No! Please, not there!" Kate cried out, panic rising in her voice. "I’ll behave—I won’t cause trouble again. The air down there is damp... and with these wounds, I won’t survive!"
She sobbed and begged through her tears.
But Joseph had no mercy. He crouched down, grabbed Kate by the hair, and yanked her up.
He leaned closer to her ear. His voice was low and chilling.
"I have helped you fix your face, and you didn’t appreciate it. So now, let the maggots eat it first. When I reconstruct it again, maybe then you’ll learn to behave. This is a rare chance, Kate. Don’t mess it up again. Don’t ruin my work. Got it?"
Kate shook with fear. She didn’t dare to say another word.
She let Joseph’s men drag her away.
They pulled her down to the third basement floor.
As the heavy, rusted metal door slammed shut behind her, she heard the clanking of chains nearby.
It sounded like a twisted welcome.