Chapter 1415:


    “Blood pressure dropping,” the surgical assistant murmured.


    Carsen’s eyes sharpened. “Prepare fluid infusion, stabilize vascr diameter. Watch yourself, there’s a concealed vessel rupture,” he ordered without hesitation.


    Maia drew in a controlled breath, her fingertips gripping tighter. Through the lifted dura mater, she glimpsed the bullet fragment nestled dangerously close to the functional zone—closer than any preoperative scan had suggested.


    She couldn’t fathom it—how had Chris survived all these years carrying this inside him?


    “Here.” Maia’s voice dropped to barely a whisper as she adjusted the scalpel’s angle. “Expose it further, just a fraction more.”


    Another bead of sweat rolled down her cheek and disappeared beneath her cor.


    The air itself seemed to hold its breath.


    In that moment of crystallized tension, the fragment of metal finally began to lift away from the brain tissue, guided by the steady grip of the forceps.


    The room remained silent—no one dared apud. Instead, relief flooded through them like a wave, audible only in the collective exhtion that followed.


    Maia stood motionless, tears suddenly burning behind her eyes. The fragment… it was out. Finally out.


    “Begin reconstruction now. Layer byyer. Control the bleeding, close the sutures, and seal the scalp with care.” Carsen’s voice resonated through the space, his inner tion held tightly in check as he continued directing the procedure.


    Pride and astonishment warred inside him. He knew without doubt that Maia was the most gifted student he had ever trained; this surgery would carve her name into the annals of medical history.


    Each second crawled past with agonizing slowness. When Maia secured the final stitch, she stepped backward and nearly copsed to the floor.


    “Dr. Walsh, did we… did we actually seed?” she whispered, her voice trembling. Her entire body shook with exhaustion. The marathon surgery and relentless concentration had wrung every ounce of strength from her frame.


    Feel inspired by ga ln o vels .


    “You performed brilliantly,” Carsen confirmed, his tone warm with approval. “The surgery was an unqualified sess.”


    At those words, Maia released the breath she’d been holding. Chris would finally escape the prison of those agonizing headaches.


    All at once, the tension, the fear, the crushing weight she’d carried in her throat throughout the operation crumbled.


    In the next instant, before anyone could react, Maia’s legs gave out and she crumpled sideways, unconscious before she hit the floor.


    “Quickly! Get Maia somewhere she can rest!” Carsen spun toward the assistant beside him. “Administer glucose immediately to restore her strength!”


    Then he swept his gaze across the remaining surgical staff. “The rest of you, maintain your positions. Monitor the patient’s vitals without pause. No errors, not one.”


    Across the city, Kolton finally arrived at the Cooper Estate.


    He was running three and a half hours behind schedule.


    The ze at Harmony za had wreaked havoc far beyond initial projections—it had paralyzed traffic throughout the entire metropolitan area.


    Kolton registered the dy with mild annoyance but little genuine concern. It was simply a matter of crafting the right narrative for the public, selecting a few convenient scapegoats to shoulder the me. Within a year at most, he reasoned, the incident would fade from collective memory like smoke dissipating into air.


    Such was the mncholy truth of modern society’s relentless pace, though for Cooper Group, it represented an unexpected advantage.


    Yet something was wrong. The driver who should have opened his door stood frozen outside the vehicle, unmoving for far too long.


    Confusion flickered across Kolton’s face.


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    Message from Noa: Hope you have a great Friday dear ones. God loves you and Noa wishes you all the best. (′?? ? ??`) ?


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