Chapter 1338:


    Kiley resolved inwardly tounch a thorough personal investigation the moment the charity g concluded.


    She approached the door of the adjacent room and rapped firmly. A caregiver responded promptly, swinging it open.


    Within sat an elderly man with silver hair, confined to a wheelchair, his face pale and drawn.


    Yet the instant he beheld her, animation flooded his features with childlike excitement. “Zoey, my dear Zoey. You havee atst to visit me,” Laurence eximed in a hoarse whisper, tears welling in his faded eyes.


    A doctor drew near Kiley and spoke in a subdued tone. “We have exhausted numerous treatments on old Mr. Cooper, yet his condition persists in worsening. The brain atrophy proves irreversible at this stage. Our efforts focus solely on symptom alleviation and dementia dy through cognitive exercises and appropriate medications.”


    Kiley acknowledged the prognosis with a solemn nod. She steeled herself for the progression toward severe cognitive impairment and vivid hallucinations.


    “I require privacy to speak with my grandfather,” she stated, stepping closer to Laurence. “I am Kiley, Grandpa, not Zoey.”


    The delight on Laurence’s countenance evaporated instantaneously, giving way to profound confusion. “Not Zoey? Then who might you be? Have youe to inflict harm upon me? You intend to harm me…”


    His agitation escted rapidly. His voice rose in volume, and the heart monitor registered a sharp increase in his vital signs.


    Observing the distress, Kiley employed a familiar calming technique. “Cease your outcries. I will escort you to Chris.”


    As anticipated, the mere utterance of Chris’s name quelled his outburst. A serene, childlike smile spread across his face. “Yes, please take me to my grandson.”


    Kiley had always regarded this fixation as odd, yet she refrained from probing it. She simply attributed it to Chris being Laurence’s favorite grandchild.


    gα?ησν????s is where imagination thrives


    Arranging a meeting between Laurence and Chris served not only to honor a wager from the art exhibition but also to guarantee Laurence’spliance during their joint stage appearance.


    She positioned herself behind the wheelchair and grasped the handles firmly. “Conduct yourself properly onstage, and you may visit Chris afterward. Demonstrate exceptional behavior, and I will arrange a private encounter. Does that appeal to you?”


    Laurence nodded enthusiastically, his smile broadening. “You appear to be a truly kind youngdy, and I hold kind youngdies in high regard.” He then erupted into giggles infused with innocent delight and dered, “I am going to see my grandson.”


    “You must maintain good behavior, or the visit will not ur,” Kiley emphasized once more.


    Laurence’s smile faded abruptly, his body tensing into rigidity. Even his breathing appeared to halt in that instant of sudden apprehension.


    A brutal kick mmed open the heavy iron gate of the underground cell beneath the Cooper Estate.


    Metal crashed against metal. The sound pierced through the cold, damp corridor, disrupting the stale air thick with mildew and the scent of old blood.


    A shlight beam cut through the darkness.


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