Austin wiped his face, feeling the weight of it all. What was the use of living another five or six years if you couldn''t speak or act freely? It felt pointless.


    Conrad, not really noticing Austin''s expression, asked again, "Was it your niece who helped Donald recover?"


    Austin had already mentioned that the miracle worker was his niece, someone he had never actually met. Pulling himself back to the conversation, Austin offered a wry smile and shook his head. "No, it''s a bit embarrassing for the family, honestly. She refused to help her own grandfather."


    Conrad raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised, but he didn''t dwell on it. "Are there any other doctors in Riverdale who could have treated Donald?"


    Austin looked up, managing a weary smile. "No, Donald got through it on his own."


    Conrad found it hard to believe that Donald, given his condition, had survived without assistance. But seeing Austin''s serious look, he remarked, "Well, in that case, it''s nothing short of a medical miracle."


    Austin shook his head, thinking how he could do without such ''miracles''. Donald''s situation only gave the other family branches more excuses to grab for power.


    Just then, Austin''s phone buzzed in his pocket. He nced at the screen, noticing it was a call from a senior family member. With a slight frown, he excused himself from Conrad and stepped out of the hospital room to take the call.


    A few minutester, Austin''s expression turned stormy. Ending the call quickly, he phoned his assistant. "What''s going on? Why are several of our factories being inspected?"


    "I don''t know. It all happened so fast," his assistant replied, clearly stressed. "I''ve got people looking into it, but we don''t have answers yet. The factories are shut down, and we can''t ship out products. If we don''t deliver on time, the losses will be... massive."


    Gripping his phone tightly, Austin said, "I''ll see if I can pull some strings."


    After hanging up, he called a few of his contacts in official positions, but the news wasn''t promising. Someone was deliberately targeting them.


    Sighing in frustration, Austin thought of the ke family and decided to call Kitty.


    Kitty, already dealing with her own issues, snapped, "Sort it out yourself, Austin. Rorie''s not going to help."


    "Why not? He''s married into the Cunningham family. This should be a minor issue for the ke family," Austin insisted, massaging his temples.


    "There are... issues between us. Just find another way," Kitty said, not wanting to admit to any marital problems, and hung up quickly.


    Hearing the dial tone, Austin cursed under his breath. The factory shutdowns and delivery failures were more than just minor setbacks. They could potentially cripple the Cunningham family.


    How did things spiral out of control so fast?


    **


    After dinner, Mirabe returned to her room and noticed a notification on her phone. She raised an eyebrow and opened herptop.


    Logging onto The Mirror''s website, she ignored the avnche of messages in her inbox and headed straight for the marketce. Among the sea of bids, she recognized a familiar username.


    Crossing her legs, Mirabe thought about the principle of clear ounts, even among siblings. She opened a private chat with the username and typed leisurely, "Hey big bro, what''s your offer?"