Ste furrowed her brow. "What do you mean by ''off''?"


    "Dr. Hunt is usually quite arrogant," Dr. Winter exined. "But that day, he looked almost subservient, like he was afraid of Mr. Gardner."


    Ste looked at her. "What exactly are you trying to say, Dr. Winter?"


    "Do you know why I show up every time he has a session?"


    Ste began to piece it together. "So, your real reason for being here isn''t just to learn?"


    Dr. Winter met Ste''s gaze without flinching.


    "You mentioned before that Mr. Gardner is brilliant and understands his own condition very well. So, is it possible he managed to deceive the doctor again?"


    "Hiding his condition doesn''t benefit him," Ste said, frowning. "Besides, the truth wille out eventually. He can''t hide it forever."


    "That may be true," Dr. Winter said. "But he is extremely resistant to hypnosis. It''s highly likely he''s hiding his symptoms or... bought Dr. Hunt off, just to avoid it."


    Ste''s gaze hardened.


    Seeing her reaction, Dr. Winter lowered her voice.


    "You should know how critical his condition is. There''s no room for error. You can''t let his treatment be dyed."


    She paused. "Sometimes, you shouldn''t trust him so blindly."


    Ste remained impassive. "Thank you for the warning, Dr. Winter. I''ll keep an eye on things."


    ...


    Three dayster, after another treatment session, Ste stopped Colby as he was about to leave.


    "Dr. Hunt, I''d like to discuss a few details with you."


    Over the nearly month-long


    elet


    treatment period, Ste had checked in with him regrly, so Calby wasn''t surprised.


    Ste turned to Joshua. "I''m going to chat with Dr. Hunt for a bit. I''ll find you after."


    Joshua nodded. "Alright. I''ll head back to the study to catch up on work."


    Once he was out of sight, Ste turned her attention back to Colby.


    "Dr. Hunt, how is his recovery progressing?"


    "His condition is very stable at the moment," Colby replied.


    "Does he still need hypnosis?"


    A fleeting look crossed Colby''s eyes. "For now... no."


    Ste kept her smile fixed. "Dr. Hunt, I already know everything. You don''t e to hide it anymore. Contents


    Colby froze. "Ms. Cameron, what are you talking about? I don''t follow."


    Ste stared unblinking into his eyes, her aura turning sharp.


    Yet, her smile remained gentle. "Since I''m saying this to you today, it means I know a few things. You traveled all this way and worked for _me for month, I don''t want to y dirty with you. You''re going to have to talk eventually, so wouldn''t it be better to just sit down and have a conversation? Why suffer just to keep a secret for someone who threatened you?"


    Colby''s expression stiffened.


    A few secondster, his facade crumbled.


    He let out a heavy sigh. "Ms. Cameron, you''re very persuasive."


    He didn''t deny it.


    And a non-denial was an admission.


    Ste''s eyes darkened. "So, are you ready to talk?"