"We were once the best of partners," Laurel Quinn said. "This is what I should be doing.


    As for whether he knows or not, it doesn''t matter to me. As long as he gets better, I can rest easy."


    Jake sighed silently.


    Joshua didn''t know what Laurel had done for him. And Ste didn''t know what Joshua had given up for her.


    In this world, there was never such a thing as a fair exchange.


    Ten minutester, Jake found Harold, his expression tense.


    "Harold, is Mr. Gardner with you?"


    "No," Harold replied. "Mr. Gardner has his treatments around this time every day. He wouldn''t usually leave, would he?"


    Jake took a deep breath. "Mr. Gardner is gone. He''s not answering his phone."


    Harold''s expression shifted slightly. "Dr. Chase said Mr. Gardner''s treatment can''t be interrupted. Let''s go look for him."


    However, they couldn''t find Joshua. Instead, they received news that he had taken a private jet to Solmaris.


    Harold caught on first. "Could something have happened with Ms. Cameron? Did Mr. Gardner rush over to see her?"


    For Joshua to abandon his treatment and leave without even telling them,


    something major must have happened with Ste.


    "Harold, you investigate what happened," Jake said. "I''ll assemble a team. If there''s


    a real emergency, we''ll be able to provide support."


    Harold nodded.


    The two split up to handle their tasks.


    Just as Jake finished gathering his men and making preparations, Harold found him.


    "Uh... I don''t think we''ll need to go over to Mr. Gardner''s side."


    "Did you get in touch with him?" Jake asked.


    "No, but I have a general idea of the situation over there," Harold said pausing for a moment. "Nothing major happened with Ms. Cameron She just suddenly came down with a fever and was hospitalized."


    Jake was stunned, unable to believe what he was hearing.


    "What did you say? What happened to Ms. Cameron?"


    Harold was quiet for a moment before repeating, "Ms. Cameron was hospitalized with a fever. It seems her fever has broken, so it''s probably nothing serious."


    Jake was incredulous. "She called Mr. Gardner all the way back from Aetheria just for a fever? When did Ste be so fragile?"


    "Ms. Cameron was unconscious, so she might not have been the one who called," Harold reasoned. "Maybe Abby Murphy told him. doubt Ms. Cameron was aware of it. Knowing her she wouldn''t have called Mr Gardner over. Now that she knows his identity, she''d understand how busy he is and wouldn''t want to bother him over something trivial."


    Jake gave him a meaningful look. "Harold, you don''t always have to spell it out yourself. If Mr. Gardner heard about it in the end, does it really matter who opened their mouth?"


    Harold naturally understood the implication. "Ms. Cameron isn''t that kind of person."


    "It''s hard to see straight when you''re the one in it, Jake said. "When dealing with Rachel Pearce and Aurora Williams, Mr. Gardner could see right through those little tricks. But when ites to Ste, be''s just like Haynes O''Brien and Aurora''s other suitors. I didn''t understand why back then, but I think I get it now... When you care about someone, you can''t think straight."


    Just as he finished speaking, Jake''s phone rang.


    Jake nced at the caller ID and said to Harold, "It''s Ms. Quinn."


    He then answered the call.