Conrad had tossed and turned all night, but finally, his fever broke.
He decided to stay at home today, so Lillian didn’t need to go to work either. After all, she had nothing to do at the Brown Family Group. To put it bluntly, she was just a servant under Conrad’s watchful eye, sometimes even doubling as his bedmate.
But Conrad, when he was sick, could be extremely high-maintenance.
First, he complained that Lillian had cooked the egg wrong, then he criticized the TV shows she picked.
A while later, someone came over to visit, and Conrad finally let Lillian go.
Conrad didn’t believe in rest days. Even when he was home, his presence alone was enough to draw attention. When the neighbors heard his convoy hadn’t left that morning, they all came running to deliver gifts.
Lillian stayed quietly in her small study, reading a book. At that moment, she found herself missing the DIY tools she used to have in Taylor Mansion-at least they were something to keep her busy.
When Python entered, the neighbors had already left. The dining table still had several bottles of fine wine.
“This is the test result. It’s likely the newly developed D689, a new type of hallucinogen. It’s colorless and tasteless, but it can control a person’s mind in a short time. If overdosed, it can cause death or permanent brain damage. Many have ended up as living corpses, completely without self-awareness.”
Conrad looked at the small syringe inside the sealed bag. “Where did Hunter get something like this?”
“Hunter’s godmother is in the Golden Triangle region.”
Conrad tapped his fingers on his knee. “The money you wanted is in the box.”
Python grabbed it and left without another word.
Python was still dressed all in black, a large black backpack slung over his shoulder. The material looked different from a regular backpack.
When Lillian came back from the lawn with Ada, they crossed paths.
Python’s gaze was cold and icy, and in that brief moment of eye contact, Lillian felt as if she had been frozen to the spot.
By the time she came to her senses, the door was already empty.
“Why are you just standing there?”
“It’s nothing. I want to go to the hospital.”
“Go if you want. I’m leaving soon anyway.”
Lillian had no intention of running away now, so Conrad wouldn’t refuse such a small request.
In fact, if Lillian were happy, it would be good for both of them.
Her grandmother was untouchable now. If anything were to happen to her, Lillian would undoubtedly be upset for a long time.
Conrad wasn’t a petty person. If she wanted to see her grandmother, then so be it.
******
“Miss Lillian, I’m sorry. Your grandmother has a tumor in her brain, and it’s slowly spreading. It’s pressing on her nerves, and if we perform surgery now, it’s very risky. After consultations, we’ve decided to proceed with tumor removal, but we’ll have several specialists involved to ensure the patient’s safety.”
Lillian didn’t even know how she left the hospital.
She just felt like if she signed the consent form for the surgery, she would be handing her grandmother over to death.
“Miss Lillian, whether to proceed with the surgery is entirely up to you. The success rate is only fifty percent, and no one can guarantee that a miracle will happen. It’s not just the surgery cost; post-surgery care is also a huge financial burden. You need to think carefully.”
“And if we don’t do the surgery, what about conservative treatment?”
“Miss Lillian, with your grandmother’s condition, it would be a miracle if she survived another three years. Waiting passively would really be pointless. The tumor is spreading rapidly, and it could threaten her life at any moment.”
The doctor’s words, and his expression, were all etched clearly in her mind.
But the more clearly she remembered, the more her heart felt like it was unraveling.
Lillian wandered aimlessly down the street, eventually finding herself at the entrance of a nearby church. She slowly walked inside and sat down, staring blankly.
Often, the answers were right in front of her. She knew exactly what path lay ahead, but she always struggled to decide what to do.
She prayed with devotion, though she had no idea what she should be doing.
She sat there for the entire afternoon, lost in her thoughts.
It wasn’t until she stepped out of the church that she noticed it had started to rain.
Unaware, City N had suddenly plunged into winter.
A black umbrella was held above her, and Lillian froze, only to turn around and realize Conrad was standing there, looking down at her.
“What are you staring at? Standing here like a zombie in this cold? Get in the car!”
As he yanked her arm and pushed her into the car, Lillian was immediately surrounded by warmth. She realized her hands and legs were frozen stiff.
“How did you know I was here?”
“Do you really care?”
“…”
“What’s wrong now? You look like you’re about to cry. What did the doctor say about your grandmother?”
“The success rate of the surgery is low, but it has to be done soon,” Lillian said, her voice choking up.
Conrad’s heart ached at the sight of her in such distress.
“Not having surgery is like waiting to die, Lillian. Take a chance.”
Lillian knew full well that if she didn’t act now, her grandmother might not make it to next month.
Her phone buzzed repeatedly with messages from unfamiliar numbers-messages from her uncle’s family.
Now that Helen had returned, her uncle’s family was gaining more influence.
Meanwhile, she, this ungrateful person, had monopolized her grandmother, keeping the family away.
Lillian felt a deep sense of sadness.
She stared out the window at the neon lights for a long time before responding with a soft “Okay.”
“You don’t need to worry about the money. Just stay quiet and do as I say.”
As soon as Conrad finished speaking, he suddenly pushed Lillian down onto his lap.
A bullet whizzed through the air and struck the car window, which deflected the impact.
Two cars behind them immediately gave chase.
“Mr. Conrad, we’re being followed!”
“Drive ahead!”
Lillian was pressed firmly against Conrad’s strong, solid thigh, only able to hear the constant thudding of something hitting the car window. The vehicle was specially armored, but the sudden attack caused another car to crash into theirs.
Lillian felt the car jolting from the impact, and Conrad held her down tightly. She had no idea how long this lasted, but eventually, the car door was yanked open. Conrad suddenly grabbed her and shouted, “Jump!”
She felt dizzy and, before she could even scream, was thrown out onto the road. Conrad caught her and hid her behind the car.
Lillian covered her ears, and huddled behind the vehicle, as gunfire rang out again, followed by the sound of a massive explosion.
The searing heat of the blast hit her from behind…
Lillian saw Conrad crouch in front of her, flashing a sinister grin.
“Lillian, what should we do? Looks like I’ve come back to life. Whoever wanted me dead is in for a bad time!”
Lillian couldn’t hear anything; all she could see was his mouth moving.
“What are you saying?!”
Conrad pulled her head into his chest, and Lillian felt the intense warmth of his body and the heavy smell of smoke and burnt flesh.
“Close your eyes. We’re leaving.” Conrad’s expression darkened as he lifted her into his arms and headed toward Andrew’s people.
“Sir.”
“Eliminate all of them.”
“Understood.”