Chapter 157 His Birthday Farewell Party
In a secret chamber within a luxurious villa in Luminous City.
A woman was bound tightly to a cold metal chair, a cloth gag stuffed in her mouth as she struggled frantically. Her wrists and ankles were already raw and bleeding from the coarse ropes.
The door creaked open with a rusty groan.
Hawk entered wearing a mask, his presence radiating suffocating menace.
With just one look from him, two other tall men of similar build, also masked, followed him inside.
Without careful observation, it would be impossible to tell which one was the real Hawk.
Nora's eyes, previously glazed with terror, suddenly widened when she recognized the newcomer. Her pupils contracted sharply as her struggles became even more violent.
Hawk's voice carried bone-chilling coldness. "Ms. West, my men will keep you company for three more days."
"If you still won't reveal where the dagger is hidden, you can join your brother in hell." He paused, then added, "You do know there's something called cloning technology in this world."
Indeed, he'd already located images of the dagger. Creating a replica would be enough to take control of Luminous City.
Who would dare question the authenticity of his blade?
This way, Nora's existence held little value anymore.
Nora thrashed violently against her restraints, making desperate whimpering sounds through the gag, trying to speak.
Hawk lit a cigarette, speaking with deliberate calm. "We've already found the vault. Never would have imagined Wesley hid all that treasure within every single brick of the building. Los Castle is literally a golden palace."
He'd discovered the secret because of the small explosion that had occurred at the Castle last time, yet overnight the structure had been completely repaired.
What could have compelled Wesley to race back to Luminous City from such a distance?
So Hawk had ordered his men to break open the damaged sections, revealing the gold embedded within the bricks—blindingly brilliant.
Nora's beautiful eyes filled with despair. Her bargaining chips were completely gone.
But she wasn't ready to give up. A barely perceptible question flickered in her gaze.
Hawk's cold lips parted, each word sharp as a blade, "You have only yourself to blame for harboring inappropriate thoughts and touching what you shouldn't have."
"When did someone like you think you had the right to lay hands on my precious treasure?"
His voice suddenly rose, carrying bloodthirsty madness, "If she loses that baby, I'll make sure your entire family disappears from this world forever!"
"You'd better pray she's all right."
With that, Hawk strode out without looking back. The chamber door slammed shut behind him, and the two men advanced toward her.
The man who'd been intimate with Nora before wasn't the real Hawk.
Only that one time had he personally carried her to the car and driven her home.
This man was ruthless in his methods, yet he'd fallen completely for Evelyn, treasuring her like a precious gem.
Because she'd watched over him for two years in Emerald City. She was his eternal Fighter 17. And she was also Theo's sister.
The next day, Emma woke with her head still feeling foggy.
She found herself lying in a soft bed, completely confused.
She'd clearly been in the laboratory—how did she end up...?
Nicholas knocked and entered, carrying a tray laden with steaming soup and several plates of delicate pastries.
His hands were still wrapped in thick bandages, but his movements seemed perfectly natural.
He walked to the bedside, his voice gentle. "You're awake? Freshen up first, then eat something."
She nodded, pushing back the covers to get up and heading to the bathroom to wash.
When she emerged, Nicholas was already holding a small spoon, gently stirring the soup. Steam rose from the bowl, carrying the appetizing aroma of food.
"Come, sit down." He patted the edge of the bed.
She obediently sat on the bed's edge, instinctively reaching out to take the soup bowl.
Both her hands were wrapped in bandages, too. The fresh wounds from yesterday pulled painfully with the slightest movement.
"Open your mouth," Nicholas commanded, his tone brooking no argument despite its gentleness.
She automatically parted her lips.
He fed her spoonful by spoonful, his movements careful and deliberate, afraid of burning her.
Emma looked at their matching bandaged hands—four white "paws" waving around in front of them—and suddenly burst into laughter.
"What's so funny?" Nicholas paused, looking at her.
Emma raised both her hands, then pointed at his. "Look, we've got four bear paws between us now. Two for you, two for me—we really are partners in misery!"
Seeing her joke around, Nicholas felt the tension that had gripped his heart all night finally begin to ease.
Who knew how much it had torn him apart when he'd gone to the lab in the early hours and found her like that—sitting on the floor against a cabinet, asleep with teardrops still clinging to her long lashes...
After finishing the soup, Nicholas patiently fed her several crystal shrimp dumplings before personally escorting her to the laboratory.
At the lab entrance, he gently grasped her shoulders and leaned down to press a tender kiss to her smooth forehead.
Then he gazed into her eyes and said, "Seven o'clock tonight. I'll come get you."
"Where are we going?" She looked puzzled.
"To celebrate my birthday with me." He smiled, though his eyes held depths she couldn't fathom. "You've had two celebrations—can't I have one?"
"But your birthday isn't until—" she said cautiously.
He looked at her calmly. "I want to celebrate while I can still see you clearly."
Yes, according to the doctors, perhaps by tomorrow he'd be unable to see anything at all.
This might be the last night he'd have a clear view of this world.
Emma's heart clenched suddenly, as if something had grabbed it and squeezed hard, creating a dull ache.
"All right!" She nodded, forcing a smile.
Then she turned and hurried inside, not daring to let him see her reddening eyes.
She spent the entire day immersed in laboratory work.
Emma collaborated with all the doctors, working tirelessly without rest.
After three attempts, the second version of the antidote serum still wasn't successful.
The final version they produced had seemingly perfect ratios and data.
But when they administered the serum to test mice, the animals convulsed briefly before dying from poisoning.
Yes, the Seven-colored Flower's toxicity was simply too violent.
And while Emma's blood was special, it was still too weak to completely suppress such potent poison.
The laboratory fell into deathly silence. Everyone looked dispirited.
Emma took a deep breath and clapped her hands, encouraging the team, "Thank you all for your hard work. Let's call it a day. We'll continue tomorrow—I know we can do this!"
Susan approached and patted her shoulder. "Ms. Rodriguez, we will figure this out! I've sent the latest formula data back to headquarters. Their lab is working on it simultaneously."
Chris also came over. "Emma, I've got your back."
They were all here to help, never adding to her burden, just quietly doing their work in the lab.
Emma nodded, feeling somewhat reassured.
Just then, Charlie approached and announced to the group, "Doctors, thank you for your hard work! Tonight, Mr. Harrison has prepared a lavish dinner to reward everyone's dedicated efforts. The cars are waiting outside—please follow me."
The team perked up, gathering their things to leave.
Emma started to follow them out.
But Charlie quickly stepped ahead to intercept her, lowering his voice to whisper, "Mrs. Harrison, your dinner is at the main estate. Mr. Harrison cooked it himself—it's different from theirs."
Emma nodded and turned toward the main house.
Her mind still felt heavy, completely occupied with serum formulas and data.
After tonight, only three days would remain. The thought terrified her.
As soon as she entered the grand hall, Emma froze, her feet rooted to the spot.
The extravagant decorations left her speechless—she wondered if she'd walked into a wedding venue.
She had no idea that tonight would change the trajectory of her life forever.
She and he would be entangled for the rest of their lives.