Chad sat by the windowsill, his eyes closed, basking in the bright, warm sunlight.


    His fair, handsome face, with its superior, aristocratic bone structure, possessed a natural, bewitching charm. If she didn''t already know what kind of person he was, Evadne would have beenpletely deceived by him.


    "Mr. Abernathy." Evadne stopped in front of him.


    Chad slowly opened his eyes, tilting his chin up to meet her gaze gently.


    "Ms. Evadne, are you ready to ept my proposal?"


    "Tell me the truth, will this medicine... have any side effects?"


    Evadne''s voice was hoarse, her eyes rimmed with red. "I can''t risk my father''s life."


    Chad shook his head softly. “I''m sorry, Ms. Evadne. I can only promise that your father will live. As for the rest, I can''t give you any guarantees."


    Evadne''s slender fingers curled into tight fists.


    "I know you don''t trust me, but right now, you have no other choice."


    Chad looked at her intently, his brown eyes like an unfathomable abyss. "Besides,


    my target has never been Chairman Emeric. Harming him is of no use to me.


    And he is your father. For your sake, I want him to get better."


    Such beautiful words.


    Yet they failed to move Evadne''s heart of steel.


    "Then who is your target? Thaddeus?" Evadne ignored his overture, her voice cold as she questioned him.


    "Thaddeus is not my target. My target is the person who controls the Abernathy Group."


    Chad spoke calmly. "As long as he stays away from the Abernathy Group and gives up any thought of being the heir, he and I can still be brothers."


    *Like hell I believe you!* Evadne thought.


    Evadne had no desire to continue speaking with this man. His sanctimonious hypocrisy, every minute spent in his presence, made her feel suffocated and


    nauseous.


    But in this desperate situation, he was the only one who could help Emeric.


    She had topromise.


    And she felt the shame of it.


    "Let''s try one course of treatment for Chairman Emeric and see how he responds. If his condition improves, you can choose to continue or stop the treatment."


    Chad watched her without blinking, his voice warm and deep. "It''s all up to you."


    Not long after Chad left the hospital, someone delivered the medicine.


    In the evening, Suri Bright Ashbourne and two otherdies of the family arrived at the hospital and were informed that Emeric was taking the medicine sent by Chad.


    Everyone feared it was a trap, but for now, there was no better option.


    Ultimately, Emeric was given the drug. Shortly after, his vital signs began to stabilize, but his brain activity remained erratic, requiring continued observation in the ICU.


    "Dad..." Evadne stood guard outside the room, her eyes welling with tears as she looked at her father, who had grown gaunt.


    "Evadne, don''t be afraid. Dad is a good man with luck on his side. He will get through this."


    Cassius walked over to her, cing arge hand on her trembling shoulder. He paused, then lowered his voice. "Could you... give me one of the pills? I want to..."


    Evadne understood immediately. "You want to give it to Chasel to analyze, don''t you?"


    "Yes..."


    Cassius nodded, his heart aching. "I just can''t trust that guy, Chad. Samy only choice is to ask Chasel for help. I know he despises me and doesn''t want to see me, but it''s for Dad... I think he''d be willing."


    "Mr. Larry said that without this medicine, Dad would have remained in aa for a while longer and might have slipped into a brain-dead state. The situation was extremely critical. But now, his condition has temporarily stabilized. With continued treatment, he might even wake up."


    Cassius looked astonished. "The medicine is that miraculous?"


    Evadne gave a bitter smile. “I was shocked too. As much as I hate Chad, I have to


    admit, when ites to pharmaceuticals, he''s quite capable."


    The siblings fell silent for a moment. Then Cassius said, "By the way, I saw Suri ri on the phone at the end of the hall earlier, looking very serious. She seems to have something on her mind. Maybe you could go ask her show some concern think Dad''s illness has feally taken a toll on hertely."


    Evadne nodded worriedly. "Okay, I will."


    ...


    Meanwhile, Suri had locked herself in a lounge, speaking on the phone with her personal bodyguard.


    "What do you mean, you lost him?!"


    "I''m sorry, Mrs. Ashbourne. I followed the car up the winding mountain road, but the terrain is rough, and I''m not familiar with the area. He was driving incredibly fast, and I just... lost him."


    “You''ve been tailing him for days! You finally got a lock on him, how could you drop the ball at such a crucial moment?!" Suri was so angry her throat felt like it was on


    fire.


    “I apologize, ma''am. I will continue the search!"


    "Forget it, forget it! Next time, I''ll go myself!"


    Just as she finished speaking, there was a knock on the door, and Evadne''s voice


    came through.


    "Suri, may Ie in?"


    Suri immediately hung up, walked over to open the door, and put on a faint smile.


    "Evadne."