Chapter 89
The phone rang for a long time before being answered. A dignified but impatient female voice came through.
"You dare call me? Didn't I tell you not to contact me unless necessary!" Ashley's voice was low, carrying a guilty wariness.
"Ha. Mom, don't be so absolute. We're in the same boat now."
"Who's in the same boat with you!" Ashley immediately retorted. "Logan, I'm warning you—don't provoke Lucas! If you dare try anything, I'll be the first one who won't let you off!"
"Such touching mother-son devotion." Logan spoke leisurely, his sarcasm undisguised. "Too bad your dear son doesn't seem to appreciate it much."
He paused, his tone shifting to something colder.
"I didn't call to argue with you. I need you to cooperate with me on something."
"Why should I help you?!"
"Because I know much more than you think I do." Logan's voice was like a serpent's hiss. "For instance, Damian isn't the only child Juliana gave birth to."
On the other end, even the sound of breathing disappeared.
Logan could imagine the terrified expression on Ashley's face right now.
"I heard the child Juliana brought back is called Matthew? Looks exactly like Lucas as a boy. Very clever too."
"You... what do you want?!" Ashley's voice finally returned, trembling.
She was beginning to regret bringing this viper back.
"I don't want anything." Logan continued casually. "I'm just thinking—the friends I made overseas don't always have the best judgment. If one day they accidentally... ran into that child, and he got hurt somehow, that would be terrible, wouldn't it?"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Why wouldn't I?" Logan shot back, his voice dripping with poisoned honey. "Mom, you're a smart woman. Help me, and everyone stays safe. Your secret remains your secret. But if you don't help me... well, you should think carefully about the consequences."
Ashley's mind was in chaos.
How did Logan know about Matty's existence?!
If this got out, what would Lucas think of her? What would happen to the Sharp family? She didn't dare think about it!
After a long moment, Ashley seemed to use every ounce of her strength to squeeze out a few words through clenched teeth.
"...Fine. I'll help you."
"That's more like it." Logan hung up with satisfaction and shoved his phone back in his pocket.
The sharp pain in his palm kept reminding him of his earlier humiliation.
Lucas, the game has only just begun.
……
Meanwhile, at Blessed Care Hospital, in Juliana's office, she was looking down at the latest medical journal.
Lucas sat on a nearby sofa, quietly handling documents.
Suddenly, Juliana's phone rang.
She glanced at the caller ID.
"Josh?"
Whatever was said on the other end made Juliana's eyes light up instantly.
"Really? You found it? That's wonderful! What's the situation? Can it enter clinical trials?"
Lucas paused in his work.
He looked up at Juliana.
She rarely showed her emotions so openly. That genuine joy from deep within made her entire face come alive, like a flower quietly blooming in the morning sun.
"...What does Lab Gerhard say? ...Good, good, I understand. Josh, thank you so much for this!"
"Lab Gerhard?"
Lucas heard the name and his fingers tightened slightly around his pen.
Lab Gerhard in Europe—one of the world's leading neural pharmaceutical research centers. And their most important current project was a specialized medication for exactly his type of chronic neurological damage from a car accident.
The Sharp family had invested enormous sums in that project.
Could it be...
Juliana hung up, her face still glowing with lingering joy. When she turned her head, she met Lucas's deep gaze.
She paused. "What is it?"
Lucas set down his documents and stood, stopping in front of her and looking down at her.
"The drug from Lab Gerhard," his voice was low, "is it for me?"
Juliana's heart skipped a beat.
She pressed her lips together, didn't deny it, just softly acknowledged with a small "mm."
Lucas was accustomed to the cutthroat nature of business, used to all relationships being built on mutual benefit. Even his own mother's kindness toward him was to consolidate her position in the Sharp family.
But this woman before him had been quietly doing so much for him without his knowledge.
After a long moment, Lucas finally found his voice again, carrying a hoarseness he hadn't even noticed.
He reached out to touch her cheek but stopped mid-air, finally just gently grasping her wrist.
"Why?" he asked.
Juliana looked at him, confused. "Why what?"
Lucas's blue eyes locked on hers. "You started looking very early on?"
She didn't answer his question but countered instead. "Your body—don't you know its condition? Every year when the seasons change, or when you're overworked, doesn't your left leg and lower back feel like they're being stabbed with needles? Sometimes you even temporarily lose sensation."
These were ailments Lucas had never mentioned to anyone.
The aftereffects of the car accident were like parasites in his bones, reminding him how close he'd come to death. He was used to enduring it, used to covering all vulnerability with a powerful exterior.
But she'd just casually laid it all bare.
Lucas's heart felt like it was being grasped by a warm hand—not painful, but an aching, overwhelming tenderness.
"From when I returned to the country, the first time I examined you, I knew. The Lynd family has always collaborated with Lab Gerhard. I just asked Josh to keep an eye on related project developments."
She made it all sound so simple, as if it were merely a small favor.
His grip on her wrist tightened, his fingertips feeling her delicate, cool skin.
"This drug has side effects. The principle is 'destroy to rebuild'—it uses highly active neural enzymes to fully activate and repair the dead or dormant neurons in your body. During this process, you'll temporarily regress to the state you were in when your old injury was at its worst."
She paused, looking into his eyes. "You'll become very weak, and even... it will hurt a lot. Like tearing open a healed wound to let it heal again properly."
Lucas looked at her, then covered her hand on his wrist with his other hand.
"I trust you."
He said it simply.
Not trust in some distant European laboratory, not trust in some expensive miracle drug.
Trust in her. Juliana.