Chapter 194
Eva was still wearing a hospital gown, her hair messy and her face pale. But those deep green eyes were burning with clear anger and a protector's urgency.
She was gripping a young female nurse's neck tightly with one hand, using the terrified, blue-faced nurse as a human shield in front of her.
In her other hand, she had somehow gotten hold of a pair of medical scissors, the sharp tip pressed against the nurse's carotid artery.
"Tell me! Where did you hide Isabella?" Eva's voice was hoarse but fierce, her gaze fixed on Jerry like an injured mother wolf. "I'm warning you! Let her go right now! Or I'll kill her! I know you're all in this together! You kidnappers! Bastards!"
The hostage nurse was so scared that tears streamed down her face, but she didn't dare cry out loud, only letting out faint whimpers.
Vitale walked in, his eyes scanning the scene before finally settling on Eva's face.
This aggressive, protective stance was completely different from the cold, mission-driven killer who had calmly held Isabella hostage before.
"What's going on?" Vitale asked in a low voice as he turned to Jerry, who had come up beside him.
Jerry adjusted his glasses and also lowered his voice, speaking quickly to explain, "From initial observations, her memory does show significant gaps and confusion, but the remaining fragments seem to have reorganized around Ms. Lorraine."
"She doesn't remember her identity, her mission, Barton, or even how she got here."
"But she clearly remembers Isabella and has decided that Isabella is her best friend, someone she needs to protect."
"She thinks she's been kidnapped, and that we've taken Isabella as well. So the first thing she did after waking up was to look for Isabella and try to rescue her."
A thoughtful look flashed in Vitale's eyes.
Selective amnesia?
Or was it some kind of distorted dependency and identification with Isabella in her subconscious that took over after her memory was damaged?
"Have you tried mentioning Barton?" Vitale asked, keeping his voice low.
"I have," Jerry replied confidently. "When I brought up Barton, Thorn of Justice, or the mission, she showed no special reaction. Her eyes only showed confusion and wariness."
"It seems there's no trace of those people or events in her memory."
Vitale nodded. This matched Jerry's earlier assessment.
But there was one more crucial test subject.
"What about Marco?" Vitale's voice suddenly turned cold, his gaze piercing Jerry like a knife.
Jerry's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, and his eyes widened behind his glasses, filled with disbelief. He even forgot to use formal language with Vitale, "Marco? That guy's still alive?"
This reaction made Vitale's heart sink a little.
It seemed Jerry, like himself, had assumed that traitor had died long ago in the family purge years back, or at least had disappeared completely.
Marco's ability to stay hidden was far beyond their imagination.
"I'm asking you," Vitale stared at Jerry, his tone heavier with an undeniable pressure, "did you ask her about Marco?"
Jerry felt a chill under that gaze and quickly suppressed his shock, regaining the calm of a professional doctor, though his brow remained furrowed, "No, Vitale, I'm sorry. I didn't even consider that name would come up again."
"In my understanding, he should have been wiped out along with your father's downfall."
"So I didn't include him in the test triggers I designed."
This oversight could be minor or major.
If Eva had a deep, subconscious memory connection to Marco, not testing this could mean they couldn't fully determine the authenticity or extent of her amnesia.
Vitale didn't blame Jerry further. What's done was done. The important thing was to fix this gap.
He took a step forward, moving away from Jerry, his gaze directly on Eva, who was still threatening the nurse with the scissors.
"Kitten," Vitale said, his voice not loud but carrying a strange, casual tone, as if greeting someone familiar. He was trying to get Eva's attention in a non-threatening way while observing her reaction to the potentially meaningful nickname.
Eva's focus indeed shifted to him, her deep green eyes warily locking onto this new, powerful presence.
The scissors in her hand remained pressed against the nurse, showing no sign of loosening.
Vitale met her gaze and continued in that calm tone, "Do you remember Marco?"
He stared intently into her eyes, not missing even the slightest change.
Eva frowned deeply, her face showing unhidden confusion and a hint of irritation, as if she'd heard a completely irrelevant and ridiculous name.
"What are you talking about?" Her voice carried impatience. "How could I know someone with a name like that? Sounds like some old man's name! Who are you? Are you with them? Another one of the jerks who kidnapped Isabella?"
Her reaction was natural and smooth, the confusion genuine, even tinged with a slight disdain for the name Marco. It didn't seem like an act.
Vitale didn't answer right away, instead continuing to stare into her eyes.
Their gazes clashed fiercely in the air, neither backing down, as if engaged in a silent battle of wills.
Eva didn't yield, her eyes filled only with the urgency to protect her friend and hostility toward these kidnappers in front of her.
A few seconds later, Vitale suddenly smiled.
It was a faint smile, but it carried a strange sense of confirmation, as if he'd figured something out.
"Alright," Vitale nodded, his tone softening, even taking on a soothing edge, "I believe you."
He paused, then took a small step closer to Eva and the hostage nurse, still keeping a safe distance while spreading his hands to show he had no weapons or ill intent.
"I'm with them," Vitale said, following Eva's logic to build a twisted sense of trust, "but you've got one thing wrong. We didn't kidnap Isabella. We saved you, and we saved Isabella."
He pointed at himself, his tone sincere, "My name's Vitale. Isabella is my woman."
He dropped his name and watched Eva's reaction closely.
That name, for a member of Thorn of Justice, especially for Eva, who had directly kidnapped Isabella and clashed with him face-to-face, should hit like a thunderbolt.
Eva's body visibly stiffened.
Her deep green pupils contracted sharply, like a startled cat's.
The hand holding the scissors trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.
The hostage nurse felt the tremor of the sharp object near her neck and nearly fainted from fear.
Vitale, Jerry, and even Amboni by the door held their breath, staring intently at Eva.
However, Eva's next reaction completely caught them off guard.
It shocked everyone, even the experienced Jerry, beyond belief.