At noon, the main physician came to check on the little one. Although he was no longer having any
fever, there still wasn’t any solution to his rashes.
Stella asked, “Is the analysis result available yet?”
The main physician shook his head, “We are already processing it very urgently, but due to some
complications, we still need some more time.”
Stella looked at the child on the bed who was visibly weakened and spoke in a soft voice, “If this
persists, his body will not hold up any longer.”
“We have administered some nutrition fluids. Hopefully, he will last a little longer.”
Stella left her mouth agape, but nothing came out of her mouth.
Even the doctor was choosing the term “hopefully” now…
The main physician added, “We will observe him a little longer. If a situation arises, just call me up.”
“Thank you.”
After the doctor left, Stella sat down on the edge of the bed. She watched the little one but her thoughts
were a mystery.
Sherry came over and patted her shoulders, “Stella, don’t worry too much. He will come around very
soon.”
Even until night, Stella decided to watch over this little one as she urged Sherry to go back home.
After a short while, Sherry had left, Donald visited once again. He had shaven and got a change of
clothes.
He asked, “Did Clarence contact you?”
“No, I have called him, but his phone was switched off.”
Donald frowned, “I can’t get a hold of him too. Could it be something has happened which we are
unaware of?”
Not only Clarence, but they also couldn’t get in touch with Vincent too.
What had happened with things in Riverside City?
Donald then announced, “Let me take a look out of there.”
Stella also heard some noise outside, and she immediately hugged the little one close to her chest.
After two minutes, a doctor wearing a face mask came into the ward. He was here to measure the
child’s body temperature.
Immediately after he produced his thermometer, Stella took a step back and looked at him warily, “I
have never seen you before.”
It was always the main physician who had overseen the medical check-up for the little one, and it was
always the same two nurses who measured body temperature.
The doctor took off his mask to reveal a striking face, “Firs time meeting you, and it is my pleasure.”
Stella began to frown, “Who are you?”
The man laughed and proceeded to keep his face mask into the pockets of his big white coat, “My
identity is not important, but I want to invite you somewhere.”
Stella pressed her lips into a line, “Are you Joanna’s man?”
“No, I don’t know her.”
“Then what do you want with me.”
The man moved forward and said, “Sorry for offending.”
…
Outside the ward, Donald felt his blood boiling and pummeling his head. He spoke to his phone at the
other party, “Are you fucking serious now? If Clarence learns that I am assisting you on this and allow
her to be taken away so blatantly, only your death is sufficient to make up for the repercussions.”
Vincent’s tone was a little rushed and urgent, “I can’t explain everything to you now. Don’t you find out
everything from that information? There’s a way to cure that child in Riverside city. We can only give it a
try.”
“Then you should urge them to move faster. I can’t hold things down here any longer. I am really scared
of the possibility that Maxwell would rush up to me and give me a good beating.”
The moment Donald finished saying that, Stella and the little one was brought out from the ward into
the corridor.
Upon locking gazes, the man smiled at him.
Donald was speechless.
He could only direct his gaze elsewhere.
When he heard some commotion in the corridor, the man reminded, “Those people are coming. I’m off
now.”
Donald watched those men’s back and his back was moist with sweat. If it weren’t for his friendship
with Vincent which had spanned many years and the fact that he knew Vincent would never harm
Clarence, he would… pretend to be blind and oblivious to what was happening, even if someone were
to lodge a knife right at his neck.
Once Vincent decided to betray Clarence, or to put it in another way if he was harbouring some
personal motive as he came over from Riverside city, everything would be over.
Therefore, for the strategy they had come up with, they could only bet on it.
He could only bet on himself for not having a misjudgment.
…
Stella didn’t know when she came back to reality, but by the time she opened her eyes, everything was
a blur in front of her. After some of her senses returned, she jolted up from her lying position and
scrambled to look for her child.
Only when she sat up upright did she realize that the little one was sleeping soundly and peacefully
right by her side.
Furthermore, the rashes on his body were significantly reduced.
Seeing that he was in such a deep sleep, the rashes must have lesser itchiness compared to before.
When she remembered that man she had seen in the ward a while ago, her body instinctively wanted
to raise itself, but Stella realized that she had barely any energy to do that. Her temples were throbbing
too.
At that moment, the door was opened from outside and that man marched in, “You’re awake now? Did
you sleep well?”
Stella positioned the little one behind her and asked, “Where have you brought us to?”
The man lazily removed some of the shielding panels beside the bed and slowly spoke these words,
“Riverside city.”
Stella stared at him, and her brows were tightly knitted together.
The man turned around and continued, “Don’t worry, we don’t intend to hurt you. It’s just that our
medical tools and medicines are all there, so we can only bring you there.”
Stella recalled that piece of newspaper Donald had given to her and only spoke after a brief silence,
“Do you know what caused his disease?”
“We know.”
Stella seemed to see a ray of hope simmering when she heard that, “Then, are you able to… cure
him?”
The man sat on a sofa and poured himself a glass of water, “I don’t want you to feel sad later on, and I
don’t want to give empty promises too.”
Stella didn’t know what to say to that.
Couldn’t he use his words better so that he didn’t sound like scum of a man?
The man continued, “His disease is caused by inappropriate nutrition syringes injected into his body
which elicited some uncomfortable response. For now, we only stumbled upon one other similar case,
and to put it mildly, that child is far luckier as his symptoms were not so severe. After our medication,
he was able to make a nice recovery in the past two years.”
“However, the unpleasant response that manifests depends on the individual. Therefore, we only can
make real judgments depending on the actual situation, and the recovery curve also depended on the
person’s physicality.”
Stella interjected, “But the rashes on his body is already disappearing…”
“That is because I have administered an injection for him that can slow down his symptoms. Although
that didn’t solve the root of the problem, he can sleep more comfortably.”
“Are you a doctor?”
“Is it that rare to see a doctor who’s young, handsome and capable?”
Stella flashed a noncommittal smile, “Then what’s the problem with the nutrition injections? If there is
some problem with it, why…”
The man answered, “Well, the thing is, the reason is a little complicated. That particular nutrition
injection has been banned and disposed of ever since its production two years ago when a
complication arose from it. I don’t really know why it would spread to City N, and…”
“You really don’t work with Joanna?”
“Let me put it this way. In my numerous years alive, I have never been to City N.
“Then are you familiar with those associated with the Perez family?”
The man answered slowly, “I am someone who values his own life.”
Stella stopped talking as she looked at this little one who was sleeping soundly.
There must still be hope somewhere out there.
The man got up and said, “We are two hours off from Riverside city. You can rest more now.”
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