Emeric was rushed back into the ICU.


    Through therge ss window, Evadne watched her beloved father lying on the bed, unconscious and so frail he looked as though a gust of wind could blow him away.


    Her body trembled uncontrobly as tears streamed down her face, as if her tear ducts had burst.


    Once, she had been stubborn and willful in her pursuit of love, but her father had always been as boundless as the ocean in his tolerance for her.


    For a long time, she had been an ungrateful daughter.


    But at this moment, she felt she was utterly damned.


    "Evadne, don''t panic. Your brothers are here for you. Aaron and the others are on their way back."


    Seeing his sister crying her heart out, Arnold''s own heart ached terribly. "Evadne, please don''t cry! Dad has been sick for a long time; it didn''t happen overnight. It has nothing to do with you. Please don''t take it to heart or me yourself!"


    "Arnold is right, Evadne. This isn''t your fault."


    Cassius draped his suit jacket over Evadne''s trembling shoulders, his voice hoarse and gentle. "Dad isn''t really angry with you. You know how he is he has a fiery temper and gets worked up easily. He can''t control his emotions.


    The doctor said that his mood swings and tendency to get angry are also contributing factors to his worsening condition. It''s part of his nature. All we can do now is conservative treatment, medication, and care."


    Evadne rubbed her swollen, red eyes, sniffling softly.


    "Even so... I''m still the child... who gives Dad the most trouble."


    Cassius managed a faint smile and gently pinched her tear-streaked cheek. “But you''re also the one Dad loves the most."


    Evadne''s lips trembled.


    His words only made her feel worse.


    “Evadne, I actually understand what you''re trying to do. You want to get into the inner circle of the Abernathy Group because you want to find out what Chad''s scheme is. To fight the darkness, you have to be one with it. I get all of that."


    Cassius used his own tie to wipe away her tears. "When Dad wakes up, you can exin it to him patiently. If you can''t bring yourself to do it, I will. He''ll understand." Wiping her tears with his tie...


    Thaddeus used to do that, never minding if he got it dirty, always wiping away the tears and sniffles of his crybaby girl. She was always messing up his neat and tidy appearance...


    The thought only made her want to cry more.


    Just then, the attending physician, Mr. Larry, walked over, his expression grave.


    "Mr. Ashbourne, Ms. Evadne, the test results are back."


    "How is our father?!" the three siblings asked in unison.


    Mr. Larry sighed and showed them the scans. "Not good. His condition has


    deteriorated rapidly. It''s more critical than I anticipated.”


    Evadne took the scans first, holding them up to examine them. The more she looked, the deeper her heart sank.


    Mr. Larry said, "Ms. Evadne, I know


    you''re the renowned Dr. Eve, but even for someone with your exceptional skills, the location of ME Emerics blood clotis extremely difficult to operate on. The slightest misstep, and he might never wake up."  ?wnovel


    Evadne''s heart clenched tightly.


    In short, it was a huge gamble. If she won, her father would survive this crisis. If she


    lost, she might never have a father again.


    She didn''t dare to take that gamble.


    Arnold was frantic. "So besides surgery, are there no other options?!"


    Just as Dr. Larry was struggling for an answer, a clear, maic voice suddenly interjected.


    "There is."


    Evadne felt as if a bullet had pierced her chest. She froze and slowly turned around


    There, in a wheelchair, apanied by his secretary, was Chad, approaching them at a calm, unhurried pace.


    Notably, his dog Alexia wasn''t with


    him today. He probably knew she and Evadne didn''t get along and had deliberately left her behind to avoid losing favor.


    "What are you doing here?" Arnold''s anger red up, his tone hostile.


    Cassius was also on high alert, his guard uppletely.


    "I heard about Chairman Emeric''s condition."


    Chad let out a few muffled coughs, then propped himself up with his hands on the armrests, slowly and gracefully standing up. His gaze was intense as he looked at Evadne whose face was as cold as ice. "If I said I have a way to alleviate Chairman Emeric''s condition, Ms. Evadne, would you be willing to trust me this once?"