Chapter 324

Chapter 324

"Daddy!" Ethan buried himself in Gary's arms and burst into tears.

Gary gently patted Ethan's back, handed him to a bodyguard behind him, and instructed quietly, "Take him home first. Have the family doctor check him over."

After handling that, Gary finally looked back at Calista.

"Get out," he said calmly.

Calista climbed out of the car on shaky legs and stood beside him.

Leo hurried over, reporting in a low voice, "Mr. Frost, everything's handled. They're remnants of White Chamber, trying to kidnap Ethan as leverage before Dr. Softhart returns home."

"White Chamber?" Calista frowned at the name—a former adversary.

"Just a bunch of rats who can't accept defeat." Gary's tone dripped with undisguised contempt.

He turned to Leo, his eyes going cold. "I thought I made myself clear last time about eliminating them completely."

Leo's head dropped lower. "Our oversight. Didn't expect they'd still have the nerve. But rest assured, this time the net caught everyone they had in hiding. There won't be a White Chamber anymore."

Listening to their exchange, Calista slowly understood.

She looked at Gary. "You... already knew?"

"Some petty troublemakers never accept defeat gracefully," Gary said lightly, as if discussing something trivial. "Just didn't expect they'd be stupid enough to target you."

Back home, Calista gave Ethan a hot bath and watched him fall into deep sleep on the soft bed, his small face still marked with tear tracks.

She left the room. Gary stood by the study window, his back straight.

He heard footsteps and turned.

"I thought you were just a businessman," Calista said, her voice dry.

"Protecting my wife and son is also part of my business." Gary walked toward her. "And it's the highest-cost, most critical investment I make."

Calista looked at him.

Looked into his deep eyes, which held no trace of jest.

Calista suddenly realized Gary's proposal—that seemingly perfect dual-city plan—wasn't just about balancing her career and Ethan's childhood.

It was also a promise to place her and their child within his strongest, most secure protective circle.

Seaside City was his home turf.

There, the forces he could mobilize would only be stronger than in Stockholm.

In that moment, all hesitation and concerns evaporated.

Calista said nothing more. She turned back to her desk and opened her laptop.

She found the email from the National Academy of Sciences and clicked reply.

She didn't write lengthy pleasantries, just typed one simple, clear line.

[Thank you for the nation's trust. I accept the appointment. My team will coordinate with you shortly regarding return details and lab setup.]

Click. Send.

The successful send notification chimed crisply in the quiet study.

A new era had officially begun.

After the email went out, Calista's life seemed to switch to double speed.

The next morning, her personal inbox received detailed coordination procedures from home, with attachments showing preliminary lab site proposals and a hundred-page equipment procurement list.

Everything indicated this wasn't just a plan on paper, but a state machine already running at full speed.

At her Zephyrian lab, Calista began handover work before returning home.

She needed to organize not just personal belongings, but Project Spark Institute's European headquarters' core data and research directions for the next six months.

She backed up the most critical raw data three times, storing copies on different encrypted drives.

She divided ongoing projects by priority and progress into modules, assigning them to the most trustworthy team leaders.

"Clinical data tracking for Group A is yours, Anna. Send me weekly summary reports." Calista pointed at the Gantt chart on screen, methodically assigning tasks.

"Group B handles existing drug indication expansion research. Kcal, you're experienced—I'm most confident leaving this with you."

"Group C..."

Calista stood in the conference room for three solid hours. The whiteboard filled with complex molecular formulas and flowcharts.

Team members listened quietly, scribbling rapid notes.

No one questioned her decisions or complained about increased workload.

Their gazes held more than usual admiration—a complex emotion mixing reluctance with blessing, seeing off a general heading to a bigger battlefield.

Professional handover proceeded smoothly. Packing personal belongings proved bumpier.

The problem was Ethan's toy box.

"This one—Rex the dinosaur—comes with us. He protects me at night."

"And this, the LEGO castle. Eric helped me build half. We agreed I'd show him the finished one next time we visit."

"And this half-finished painting—it's a gift for Grandma and Grandpa..."

The small figure crouched before the huge toy box, pulling items out one by one, quickly creating a mountain on the carpet.

For each item, he earnestly explained why it absolutely had to come, his little face solemn.

Calista leaned against the doorframe, watching Ethan's miniature adult act, torn between laughter and tears.

"Ethan, our suitcases can't fit all this."

He looked up, clear eyes filled with distress.

Ethan looked between the toy mountain and Calista, his little mouth turning down in an expression of deep internal conflict.

"But... I love them all," he said quietly.

After a moment, Ethan added, "I love the forest here, but I want to see Grandma too. Mom, can we split our home in half? Leave half here, take half to Seaside City."

Innocent words, yet they melted Calista's heart completely.

She walked over, crouched down, and helped Ethan organize these "treasures" he held so dear.

"We don't need to split it in half."

A deep voice came from the doorway.

Calista and Ethan both turned to see Gary entering. He held a tablet, which he handed to Calista.

The screen showed not business documents but an illustrated list.

The title read: [Moving Castle Plan].

Calista blinked.

Gary's finger scrolled across the screen as he explained.

"I've already had the logistics company assess everything. Ethan's toys, books, including those succulents he planted in the garden—all can be packed intact in climate-controlled air freight containers and shipped to Seaside City."

"At the Seaside City residence, I've had them replicate a children's room identical to this one. Everything will be placed in its original position. From his perspective, except for the view outside, nothing will change."

Calista looked at the list, momentarily speechless.

"As for you," Gary's gaze turned to her, "I've arranged for lab materials and precision instruments that can't be easily shipped."

He switched to another file.

A Gulfstream G650 interior schematic.

"This aircraft has been modified. The rear cabin is now a mobile safe room. Fully enclosed alloy interior, independent oxygen system, dual password and fingerprint verification. Ensures your 'treasures' are absolutely secure under any circumstances."

Gary's tone was as casual as describing a new phone's features.

"The flight route's been approved—military encrypted corridor, not subject to civilian air traffic control. Estimated eleven hours, direct to Seaside City. Upon landing, dedicated personnel and vehicles will meet us at the tarmac, delivering everything—including us—straight to the front door."

"From when we leave this house to entering the Seaside City house, we'll be in a closed, absolutely secure 'mobile zone.' That's the Moving Castle plan."

Gary finished. The study fell silent.

Calista looked at him, then down at the almost obsessively detailed plan on the tablet.

The shadow of the kidnapping attempt hadn't fully lifted.

She'd been considering how to ensure safe travel home, even mentally preparing to wear a bulletproof vest the entire journey.

But he'd already eliminated all risks in ways she couldn't have imagined.

He hadn't said a single comforting word, yet his actions gave her the highest level of security.

Ethan clearly didn't understand "moving castle," but he caught the key point.

"Daddy means my dinosaur and LEGO can fly home on a plane?" He looked up, eyes sparkling.

Gary rarely bent down, reaching out to ruffle Ethan's hair with still-awkward movements.

"Right. They take one plane, we take another."

"Wow!" Ethan exclaimed, all previous separation anxiety instantly swept away by this novel experience. "Will Rex be scared? Will there be meatballs on the plane?"

Gary answered seriously, "He won't be. But if you behave well on the plane, you can eat an extra serving for him."

Watching their interaction, Calista's heart filled with warm emotion.

She suddenly felt returning home might not be as difficult as she'd imagined.

That seemingly impossible balance always seemed to find a way, in Gary's hands, to achieve perfect equilibrium through some miraculous means.

Calista closed the tablet and stood.

"I'll make dinner."