Not Long To Live
Hack! Hack! Samuel suddenly burst into a coughing fit.
He covered his mouth with a handkerchief but soon noticed some bloodstains.
Wanting to steady his emotions, he leaned against the seat, taking deep breaths.
That was when his phone rang.
“Hello?” Samuel asked in his hoarse voice.
“It’s me, Mr. Macari. Have you received the item I sent you?” an elderly man’s voice rang out from the
other end.
“I did. How did you secure it?”
“Haha, don’t you worry about that, Mr. Macari. I swear on my life that I gave you genuine goods. Now,
about the item I requested…”
“I’ll give it to you after the wedding.” Samuel’s palm rested on his chest as he added, “You can come
over now.”
“I’ve already prepared everything.” Skin-crawling chuckles came from the person as he reminded, “Mr.
Macari, a word of caution. You won’t have long to live after extracting the male lovebug from your
body.”
“How many years will I have left?” Samuel questioned frostily.
“Three years.”
Three years? The words echoed in Samuel’s mind, but he kept an unbothered expression. “That’s
more than enough. Remember, you’re not to tell a single soul.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t since I don’t want to invite any trouble for myself.” The old man chuckled before
saying, “See you in three days.”
After that, Samuel hung up and exerted an iron grip on the steering wheel before him.
I guess I only have three more years left…
He glowered grimly at the Lewis residence as countless thoughts swirled in his mind.
Three years. What’s the point of living through these last years of my life if I can’t even be with her? If I
have to keep my distance and watch her from afar… I’d rather die.
Meanwhile, in the Lewis residence, Kathleen glanced impassively at a man whose face was purple
from being beaten up.
“Did Lauren Xenos send you here?” Kathleen interrogated sternly.
The man froze for a bit but soon uttered, “Yes.”
Not a tinge of emotion showed on Kathleen’s face as she continued, “Lauren’s a member of Blissful
Sect, isn’t she?”
The man nodded even harder.
Kathleen scoffed coldly. She sarcastically pointed out, “Two questions was all it took to see through
you, huh?”
Her words startled the man.
However, she continued stating the facts while glaring daggers at him, “Firstly, Lauren does everything
herself. And secondly, she’s not a member of Blissful Sect. Don’t you know such basic things?”
The man froze upon the unexpected revelation.
It was then that Kathleen took out a pill, pried his mouth open, and shoved it deep into his throat.
“W-What did you feed me?” the man stuttered, fear evident in his wide-eyed stare.
“Something good, of course!” came Kathleen’s icy retort.
A minute later, howls of agony reverberated throughout the mansion.
“I-It hurts! Everything hurts!” the man cried while squirming all over the ground.
“That’s good,” Kathleen remarked. “While I have no expertise in poison-making, I’ve been diligently
studying it this past year. The poison I fed you will simulate the grueling sensation of bug bites all over
your body. What do you think? Not bad, huh?”
A glistening layer of sweat coated the man’s body at that point. “Just kill me!”
“Hah. What makes you think I’ll grant you death as you wished? I happen to be in need of a lab rat, and
you’ll do perfectly.”
“I’ll tell you what you want to know!” The man’s eyes were filled with terror. He had no desire to be
tormented to death.
“Then you’d better tell the truth.”
“I’m from an organization named Windwell Corporation. My name’s Noles.”
“Windwell Corporation?” Kathleen shot to her feet, accidentally dropping the box that Samuel gave her.
Shock crept up Noles’ face upon seeing the box.
Wynnie frowned and spoke up. “What is your organization planning to do?”
“I’m not sure. I-I was merely following my superior’s orders…” Noles muttered while trembling.
Caleb stepped in to help Kathleen pick up the box.
Once she took it from him, she spoke again. “You should know that I’ll make you suffer even more if
you’re lying.”
Noles shook his head at once. “I’m telling the truth. It’s just that I didn’t have the right or the guts to
question my superior’s orders. After all, I’m not a core member of Windwell Corporation.”
Kathleen’s brows twisted into a deep frown.
Seeing that, Noles instantly added, “I swear I’m not lying. Please, can’t you give me the antidote?”
“I’ll think about it,” Kathleen coldly answered.
Her words only caused Noles to become more anxious. “I genuinely don’t know anything. But my
supervisor might know a thing or two. I can direct him to you guys.”
Kathleen’s frown deepened. “Really?”
Noles nodded.
Following that, Kathleen took out a white pill and handed it to him.
The latter was desperate and hurriedly chucked it down his throat.
“That’s not the antidote.” Kathleen’s icy stare continued to scrutinize his every expression.
Opposite her, Noles widened his eyes with fear. “If that’s not the antidote, what is it then?”
“This pill will temporarily suppress the poison’s effect, but it’ll only last three days. If you cooperate with
me, I can give you the antidote. Do you understand?” she quested with a bone-chilling voice.
“I understand,” said a nodding Noles.
“Caleb, have someone take him to a room. Make sure to keep an eye on him.” Then, Kathleen’s tone
became heavier. “I’ll take him with me after a few days.”
Caleb nodded before asking his subordinates to escort Noles out of the room.
He eventually gave in to his curiosity and asked, “What kind of organization is Windwell Corporation?”
“An organization that specializes in bio medicine research. Most of the bizarre drugs in the black
market are their creations,” Kathleen answered.
“Oh? How did Samuel manage to piss them off?”
“This organization handles many of their matters discreetly. From what I know, whomever they go after
must be someone who’s of use to them.”
“If Samuel’s so useful, why did they poison him?”
Kathleen’s features tightened into a grave look. “What I mean is, they’re using Samuel as a test
subject.”
That instantly elicited a frown from Caleb. “They’re testing drugs on him?”
“They previously made Samuel suffer from a slow-acting poison that wasn’t lethal. Then, when Noles
failed his mission, they didn’t do anything to follow up.” Kathleen then emphasized, “If they wanted to
kill Samuel, they would’ve done so long ago.”
“Why would they target Samuel?” Caleb asked.
“I have no idea.” Kathleen shook her head while gripping the box tightly, her heart full of worry.
“Samuel’s right outside. Do you want to ask him?” Caleb inquired.
Moments passed as Kathleen hesitated. Ultimately, she replied, “No.”
That made Caleb arch one of his brows.
Despite that, Kathleen ignored his reaction and asked, “Could you prepare a room for me, Caleb? I’ll be
staying over tonight.”
“Sure.” He nodded.
Up till the next day, Samuel remained in his car outside of the Lewis residence.
Kathleen never went outside.
Every inch of Samuel’s body ached.
There was one more day till Kathleen would become Caleb’s lawfully wedded wife.
The thought of that alone was enough to turn his face as pale as a sheet.
He could not help but gave a wry laugh.
As expected, I must have assumed wrongly. She really has moved on from me.
Samuel soon started his car and drove away.
Little did he know that Kathleen was standing before the windows as she watched him leave.
A sigh of relief came from her lips right then.
Knock! Knock!
“Come in,” Kathleen said.
Following that, the door opened as Caleb strolled in.
He immediately noticed how Kathleen was already dressed. “Were you up early?”
“Yeah.” With a nod, Kathleen asked, “Is something wrong?”
“It’s not really a big deal. I just wanted to ask when can we go visit your granny?”
Hearing that made Kathleen’s jaw tense.
Once she snapped to her senses, she awkwardly explained, “Sorry. I’ve been so busy these days that
I’ve forgotten about it altogether.”
“Is it because you forgot, or because you didn’t take it seriously since all of this is fake?” Caleb’s eyes
narrowed to slits.
A confused look showed on Kathleen’s face upon hearing that. “What’s the difference?”
Her words sparked a sardonic chuckle from a frosty-looking Caleb, who then stated, “There’s a big
difference. Anyway, you can go ahead and get ready. We’ll leave once you’re done.”
“Okay.”
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda