Watching Jasper leave with his men, Sierra sighed heavily. “That girl really caused a fuss by disappearing without a word, making Jasper go through so much trouble to find her.”
Alex was learning to walk, babbling as he went. He wasn’t steady yet and fell with a thud.
The nanny Sierra had hired quickly moved to help him, but Sierra stopped her. “Leave him be. Let him get up on his own. Boys shouldn’t be coddled from a young age.”
The little boy, just over a year old, was quite resilient. He didn’t cry after falling and tried hard to get up by himself.
Sierra walked over to him and pinched his cheek. “Alex, you’re amazing. Mommy’s little man.”
Alex had delicate features and a hint of his father Clark Wilson’s looks, but without Clark’s brooding demeanor. The little boy looked adorable and would likely be a heartbreaker when he grew up.
“Mommy… Mommy…” Alex could only manage simple words and reached out for Sierra to hold him. The nanny quickly picked him up. “Mommy is busy now; she’ll be with you tonight.”
The little boy pouted but didn’t cry.
Sierra was indeed very busy; she had to teach the children at the association. Since Sylvia had settled her here, she felt like she had found a new purpose in life: teaching, working, and raising her child.
She had found a job at a bank and quickly rose to a managerial position within a year or two, thanks to her background in finance and her hard work, earning recognition from the bank’s headquarters.
In her spare time, she taught financial literacy to the children at the association. Many of these children were orphans, and it was crucial to guide them well from a young age.
Sierra was also worried about Evie. As she walked to the classroom, she sent Evie a message on WeChat, but there was no response.
Unbeknownst to them, Evie was with Jaida’s family. Jaida and her husband had a villa and business in Middle Evroya, so they brought their child along to handle family affairs.
Evie had been hired as Cedric’s martial arts teacher and stayed at the villa, which was an excellent place for her to escape Jasper.
Jasper wouldn’t find her there. She had gained some attention during the hijacking incident, and Jasper must have seen that she was on a flight to Middle Evroya. He might come looking for her, so not returning to the association was the right choice.
At that moment, Evie sat on the balcony, hands on her face, staring at the scorching sun outside. The weather in Middle Evroya was hot, and the people there generally had darker skin.
Cedric, though only four years old, had a strong interest in martial arts, especially after witnessing Evie’s skills on the plane. He admired his teacher greatly.
Sweat beaded on the boy’s forehead under the sun, but he didn’t complain or give up. He had been practicing horse stance for half an hour and was now steady.
Evie didn’t push him too hard since he was young and from a wealthy family. She checked the time and called out, “Cedric, take a break.”
The boy immediately stopped his stance and ran to her. “Master Jian, how did I do today?”
“Your posture is correct, but your stance is still a bit unstable. With more practice, you’ll get there.” Evie handed him a water cup. “Drink some water.”
The weather here was much hotter than in Aettosa and H Rovirsa; she worried he might get heatstroke.
After resting for a while, Cedric looked eager. “Master Jian, when can I start learning moves?”
“Once your stance is very stable. You can’t rush martial arts; you need to build a solid foundation,” Evie said in a teacherly tone. “Step by step, your skills will be solid.”
Cedric nodded seriously, his sun-reddened face full of determination. He wiped his sweat and gave Evie a fist salute. “Master Jian, I’ll go practice more!”
He ran back into the sun to continue his stance practice.
Evie had recently changed her phone number and WeChat account and rarely used her old one anymore. But she hesitated and logged into her old WeChat account, finding messages from Sierra. Jasper had indeed come looking for her and even visited the association. Sierra sent a photo of Jasper’s departing figure.
Evie’s nose tingled with emotion as she stared at the photo of his tall, broad back. How could she ever deserve someone so good?
It was daytime in Middle Evroya but already night in Aettosa due to the time difference.
Sylvia had been helping in the lab all day while most colleagues couldn’t keep up and had left.
She rubbed her sore shoulders and stood up, realizing it was already midnight.
Too late.
She checked her last test; it would be done in five minutes. It seemed to be Clare’s sample from a few days ago.
Her eyes were dry and uncomfortable as she rubbed them and yawned.
As she yawned, the machine completed its analysis.
Without hesitation, she recorded the results but froze when she saw them.
Bone marrow transplants require high-resolution HLA typing between donor and recipient. Typically involving ten loci: A, B, C, D2, DQ5-each with two alleles-half-matched if five loci match (like between parent and child), fully matched if all ten match (like between siblings).
Clare and Jenna’s typing matched five loci.
Sylvia stared at the result in shock. If it were six loci, they could proceed with a half-matched transplant with over 90% success rate. But just one locus short!
Fewer matching loci increase rejection risk.
Five loci… still risky.
She checked other Hipps Family members’ typings; Clare was first.
Unwilling to give up, she tested Maritza Hipps next.
Using advanced equipment for initial tests; Sylvia’s work finalized data.
Franklin called then, his lazy voice asking, “Honey, it’s half past midnight. Are you done?”
Sylvia focused on the machine. “Almost done; give me a few minutes.”
“Okay,” Franklin replied before hanging up to wait patiently in the car.
Minutes passed quickly; Maritza Hipps’ typing showed three matching loci with Jenna!
Three loci!
Sylvia had done many tests today with few one or two matches-let alone three or five!
But it was too late now.
Franklin waited downstairs; she was exhausted after a long day.
Mentally alert but physically drained.
Dragging leaden legs out of the lab into the elevator to basement one.
Despite fatigue, her eyes shone brightly.
Franklin opened the car door as she approached, lifting her inside. “Tired?”
“Yes. But I found something good,” Sylvia began explaining about Hipps Family’s potential match with Jenna. “Feels like fate! Tomorrow I’ll test all Hipps Family members’ samples. If there’s a six-point match-she’ll be saved!”
Seeing her tired yet hopeful face, Franklin squeezed her hand gently. “Rest well tonight; forget about work.”
Instead of taking her back to Hipps Family’s place, Franklin drove to their villa in Aettosa’s capital.
Sylvia fell asleep en route due to exhaustion.
Parking in the garage, Franklin lovingly carried her inside.
Sylvia instinctively snuggled into his arms like a baby seeking comfort.
He carried her straight to their bedroom, changing her clothes and bathing her while she remained half-asleep like an infant being cared for by its parent.
Even after dressing her in clean pajamas-she didn’t wake up.
“Must be really exhausted,” Franklin murmured affectionately before kissing her lips gently and watching over her for a while before heading for his own shower.
Water flowed in the bathroom while Sylvia slept soundly like a baby on their bed.
She dreamt of her mother and sister-never separated-always together.
“Sister, here’s a flower,” her sister offered a yellow bloom with an innocent smile.