Hans went rigid, but his expression remained as coldly detached as ever. "If you''re having delusions, get them treated. Or just ask Sir for some pills to clear your head."


    Alexia red at his frustratingly calm face, grinding her teeth. She reasoned that even if his emotions had been unstabletely, Sir''s drugs were more than enough topletely suppress his brain''s emotional functions. There was no way he could have recovered his memories. Even though Suri had gotten dangerously close to their base, Alexia figured the woman had dug up the information herself, rather than Hans leaking it.


    This time, however, her arrogance blinded her to the truth. Hans was indeed the one who had tipped off the cops. Not only had he made the call, but he had done it right from inside The Genesis Lab.


    He knew that Aaron Ashbourne was the captain of the criminal investigation division. With his mother''s car mysteriously plunging off a cliff in such a horrific crash, there was no way Aaron wouldn''tunch a full-scale investigation. Once the investigation started, they would trace the 911 call. The location data would give them a rough coordinate of theb.


    He couldn''t dy any longer. Elsie Archer''s body was on the brink of total copse.


    A cruel, mocking smile curved Alexia''s lips. The mere mention of anyone connected to the Ashbourne family twisted her features with jealous hatred. "That bitch got lucky. Sir originally wanted to dump her corpse into the incinerator out back and burn her to ash. Looks like she gets to keep her body intact after all."


    "Is that so," Hans murmured. He curled his fingers into tight fists, his knuckles turning stark white. A suffocating wave of despair crashed over him, making his chest burn. "That''s a damn shame."


    "Whatever. Sir needs me, so I don''t have time to waste on you."


    Alexia motioned for one of her subordinates. "In a few minutes, take the new drug from the R&D department and inject it into the woman in the end room. Monitor her physical changes over the next twenty-four hours. Record the data in detail and report back to me."


    "Yes, Ms. Alexia," the subordinate replied quickly.


    rm bells red in Hans''s mind. His gaze sharpened instantly. The woman in the end room was Elsie!


    Alexia was going to use her as a guinea pig for a new drug again. This one had to be incredibly potent if they needed round-the-clock monitoring. No. Absolutely not. Elsie''s body was already pushed beyond its limits. Another heavy dose could trigger organ failure and kill her at any moment.


    Hans lowered his gaze, masking the fierce glint in his eyes. He could no longer y along, acting the part of a cold-blooded machine. Even if it meant risking exposure and giving Chad Abernathy an excuse to kill him, he had to find a way to save her.


    At the hospital.


    Cassius refused to leave Evadne''s side. He sat by her hospital bed, gripping her cold hand tightly, his heart tormented by anxiety.


    "Cassius! Something happened!" The hospital room door burst open, and Arnold rushed in, followed closely by Myra and Aviana.


    Cassius''s chest tightened. "What''s wrong?"


    Aviana was already sobbing. "It''s Suri! She was in a terrible car ident They''re trying to save her in the ER right now Elvis, Aaron, and everyone else are already on their way!"


    Cassius felt the air leave his lungs. "How did this happen? Where?"


    "It... it was on the steep slope of the mountain road," Aviana choked out.


    A sharp painnced through Cassius''s heart, but the more he heard, the more bizarre it sounded. Why would Suri be up on that remote mountain road?


    Myra was crying


    so hard she could


    barely speak Aaron just said... her condition is really bad. If we lose her, what will happen to Aaron and Debby? Emerio has amnesia, Evadne is falling apart, and now Surids in critical condition. At this rate, the Ashbourne family is going to copse!"


    "The Ashbournes will not copse," Cassius said, forcing his voice to remain steady


    as he tried tofort them. "As long as I''m here, this family will stand strong."


    As the eldest son and the heir


    Emeric had once ced all his


    hopes on, Cassius projected an aura


    of absolute stability. In critical moments, he was the anchor of the entire family.


    There were too many strange coincidences piling up, but even a man as rational


    and level-headed as Cassius couldn''t figure out why Suri had met with such a disaster.


    Just then, his phone rang. It was Aaron.


    "Aaron, what''s the situation?"


    Cassius immediately tried to offer reassurance. "Don''t panic. The whole family is


    here. She''s going to pull through this."


    "I got an update from my team," Aaron said, his voice thick with agony and<ppletely hoarse. "We tracked down Chasel''sst known location."