Chapter 191

Chapter 191

[You've got a point! But… let me just say, I think Adam and the late Evelyn look way too similar.]

[I'm curious—when Matthew took that bullet for Adam, was he thinking about Evelyn, the love he lost forever, or about Adam right there beneath him?]

[Wow, that's a fresh perspective! Like: I already lost you once. I can't lose you again.]

[Seriously, you two hopeless romantics, wake up! Did you forget? Evelyn barely died before his first love showed up at his side!]

[Exactly! He's just a substitute collector! The one he can't have is always the one that drives him wild!]

[Right! I'll always hate this substitute trope! Never mind that the one being replaced isn't exactly happy—the one playing substitute is the real unlucky bastard!]

[At the end of the day, he doesn't love anyone. He only loves himself!]

Internet users who couldn't stand their comments immediately jumped in to defend Matthew:

[Some of you need to watch your mouths. Would someone who only loves himself take a bullet for someone else? You all saw how dangerous that situation was in the video!]

[Exactly! Matthew first pulled Adam out of the way of the car, then took a bullet for him. He got seriously injured, bleeding everywhere. If that's not love, what is?]

[Can those first love fans please step aside! I bet you're all just first love fangirls projecting.]

[When did Matthew ever confirm a relationship with his first love? They just work at the same company.]

[It's the first love who keeps manufacturing hype and buying trending topics, right?]

[Matthew's love has always been out in the open! He publicly announced Evelyn back then, and recently he publicly announced Adam! What does your so-called first love have to do with any of it?]

[Couldn't agree more!]

...

The internet had all kinds of opinions. The discussion kept heating up.

The two people at the center of it all had no idea.

One lay in a hospital bed. The other kept watch beside it. Neither had the capacity to scroll through those churning comments.

...

Meanwhile, at the villa.

A knock sounded at the door. The housekeeper opened it to find Kate, whom they hadn't seen in ages.

"Mr. Hughes, aren't you supposed to be studying abroad? What brings you back?" The housekeeper looked surprised.

"Something came up. Where are Chloe and Caleb?"

"Pearl took Chloe to play in the garden. Caleb's in the upstairs study."

Kate headed straight for the study.

"Uncle~" Caleb's eyes lit up the moment he saw Kate. He opened the door to let him in.

"So? Did you find anything?" Caleb was just a kid. Kate hadn't expected much.

But Caleb's response shocked him.

"I found it. This organization." Caleb tapped a few keys and turned the screen toward Kate.

On the screen was the mark of a blue-green hawk.

Cold. Sharp. Like a bird of prey ready to strike.

Kate's pupils contracted sharply when he saw that mark.

This... wasn't this the same organization another hacker had recommended to him a while back, when he'd been angry enough to want to hire someone to kill Matthew?

Evelyn had talked him down. He hadn't gone through with it.

Kate took a deep breath. Speaking of which... after seeing the news these past couple days, his opinion of Matthew had actually improved.

"What are you planning to do next?" he asked Caleb.

"I'm going to find whoever hired them. The organization is just carrying out orders."

Caleb's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a calm that didn't belong to someone his age.

Kate nodded approvingly and pulled a laptop from his backpack. "I'll help you!"

Keeping client information confidential was standard practice for assassin organizations, but their level of security varied.

Lower-tier groups could be hacked pretty quickly.

But a world-class organization like Blue Hawk had world-class client confidentiality—that was the only way major players would place orders with them.

Cracking their layers of encryption without being detected was extremely difficult.

In the study, one adult and one child worked in methodical harmony.

Keyboards clattered. Code scrolled rapidly across the screens.

Kate glanced over at Caleb from time to time. The kid's typing speed and thought process were every bit as good as an adult's.

He couldn't help but marvel: Caleb's talent was probably higher than anyone he'd ever met.

A week passed quickly.

Though Matthew had barely regained consciousness, his vital signs were improving bit by bit, just as the doctor had said.

After evaluation, the hospital transferred him out of the ICU.

Throughout that week, Emma had repeatedly tried to get close to Matthew. Evelyn and Matthew's bodyguards had blocked her every time.

Whenever she appeared at the end of the corridor, the bodyguards would form a wall in front of her. Expressionless. Unyielding.

As soon as Matthew was transferred out of the ICU, Evelyn secretly moved him to a hospital owned by the Gray family.

Security there was tighter. The medical staff more reliable. No random people coming to disturb them.

The next day, Emma tried to barge into the room as usual. She came up empty.

She stared at the empty hospital bed for several seconds before it sank in that Matthew had been transferred without her knowledge.

Emma was so furious she threw her purse on the spot. Its contents scattered across the floor.

Over the past few days, her lawyer had suggested more than once that while Matthew was critically injured and unconscious, and while the story was still trending, she should cultivate the image of a pitiful mother.

She'd refused every time.

Not because she didn't want to. She was just worried that if Adam really stopped caring and exposed her secrets, where would that leave her reputation?

That anxious feeling of carrying a secret made Emma unable to sleep at night. Tossing and turning. Like she was lying on a bed of needles.

After standing in the corridor for a while, Emma finally managed to steady her breathing and prepared to leave.

Just then, she received a message.

Sloane's medical exam results: [Pre-pregnancy conditions are excellent. IVF procedure can begin soon.]

Emma's brow finally relaxed. She called Sloane.

"Your health looks good. Once the embryos are ready, I'll notify you to proceed with the procedure."

Her voice was calm. But a cold, calculating glint flashed in her eyes.

On the other end, Sloane obediently agreed.

Outside the window, the sky hung heavy and gray. As if it wanted to rain but couldn't quite bring itself to.

After getting Sloane's confirmation, Emma put away her phone and walked out of the hospital. Measured steps. Confident. High heels clicking against the floor.