Chapter 53 The Child Will Become Foolish When He Wakes Up
William's eyes had been fixed on James and Michael. Seeing the gravity on Sophia's face, worry and anxiety churned deep inside him.
He wasn't annoyed by the mockery in Sophia's words. His eyes full of concern, he asked her, "Are James and Michael okay?"
Sophia looked at his hand gripping hers, feeling the warmth from his palm. She lowered her gaze and spoke bluntly.
"If you keep blocking me, they won't be."
William narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on the helicopter.
This was a plane specially used by ZN Laboratory to pick up patients.
It had many privileges.
That Sophia could mobilize this helicopter was beyond his expectations.
William's grip on her wrist was light, but he didn't let go because of her words.
He said in a low voice, "I'm the children's father. You can't keep shutting me out every time, Sophia. I love James and Michael just as much as you do."
William stepped forward, looking down at her. "Either leave the children here, or I'm coming with you."
In the night, the helicopter's sound was loud.
Sophia hesitated for a few seconds, then took William with her to ZN Laboratory for the children's sake.
Before boarding, she looked back at Monkey in the moonlight.
He nodded.
William took it all in, a dark gleam flashing through his eyes, deep as a cold pool. His thin lips pressed tight as he held Michael closer.
In the black car behind the Maybach.
Alice watched the child Sophia held in her arms, anger surging in her heart: What a bunch of useless fools!
Sophia sat beside him, holding James. Before the cabin door closed, Alice came running over in tears.
She deliberately hadn't worn a coat, trying to use her own frailty and weakness to manipulate William's emotions.
Little did she know, in the middle of the night, in a pure white dress with a pale face, she looked exactly like an evil ghost crawling out of hell.
Nothing pitiable about her at all.
Sophia watched Alice fall to the ground and said coolly to William beside her, "Your Alice fell. Aren't you going to help her up?"
William glanced at her indifferently. "You obviously don't want me to help her, so why say these things to make us both unhappy?"
Sophia fell silent.
William pulled over a nearby blanket and covered James and Michael.
Because they were holding the children, it unconsciously brought them much closer together.
A cool, masculine scent came rushing over.
Sophia's body stiffened. She shifted slightly to the side, trying not to be obvious. William saw her small movement crystal clear.
William's gaze fell on the fatigue under her eyes. The words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down. Silent particles slowly moved through the cabin.
The helicopter left the ground.
The figure below grew smaller and smaller.
From the corner of her eye, Sophia glanced at William beside her with his eyes closed. She held James tighter and closed her eyes to rest, too.
She'd rushed back to Empire City from Seraphim during the day, and now had to fly to ZN Laboratory. Last night's surgery plus today's running around made the fatigue under her eyes grow thicker and thicker.
Sophia couldn't help but close her eyes and fall asleep.
But her hands.
Always held James tightly in her arms.
The helicopter quickly took them to the nearest airport, where ZN Laboratory's medical plane was already waiting.
Time passed minute by minute.
By the time they reached Seraphim Laboratory, dawn was almost breaking.
The unconscious James and Michael slowly woke up, nestled in Sophia and William's arms, listless and without much strength in their bodies.
Amelia had already received word from Monkey.
She rushed over with the medical team and emergency beds.
"Ms. Johnson, the professor has received your message and sent us to pick up James and Michael. Don't worry, we'll do everything we can."
Sophia nodded, placing James on the bed to the left. William placed Michael on another bed.
James and Michael were quickly taken in for examination.
Amelia glanced at William, then said to Sophia in front of him, "Ms. Johnson, the professor requests to see you in his office."
Sophia nodded and followed her away.
William stayed outside the examination room.
After changing clothes, Sophia personally examined James and Michael.
Everyone was familiar with James and Michael.
After all, the two children had just left here not long ago. No one expected them to return so soon.
"Professor Johnson, the drug data from the children's bodies is out!"
"It's the latest dementia drug developed by Aetheria."
Hearing this, her beautiful face was instantly covered with frost.
Sophia looked at the data in her hand, the paper unconsciously crumpled into a ball in her grip.
William watched Sophia return from another direction, her face looking terrible, the darkness under her eyes seeming to have gotten worse.
Just then, the examination room door opened from inside.
Someone came out and told him the results of James and Michael's examination.
"It's Aetheria's dementia drug..."
"Even just a tiny amount will cause damage to the children's brains."
"If the children had been brought in any later, even if they woke up, they would have become mentally impaired."
William's eyes suddenly froze, darkness gathering in their depths.
He glanced at Sophia beside him. There was no surprise in her eyes—she clearly already knew about James and Michael's condition.
James and Michael were taken to a private room.
Sophia sat by the bed, her eyes full of heartache and regret. After staying with them for a while, she called William out.
She handed Helena's recording to William to listen to.
Hearing that this incident was related to the Rivera family and Alice, his long lashes cast faint shadows under the bright overhead lights.
William's voice was cool: "I'll have someone look into this."
Sophia sent the recording directly to his email. She didn't say anything bad about the Rivera family or Alice.
Her expression was indifferent, as if she had no surprise about any decision William might make, and no expectations either.
"There's a restroom next door. You can go rest."
As Sophia passed by him, he grabbed her arm. William's low, magnetic, slightly hoarse voice sounded.
"Where are you going?"
"Back to the room."
"You go rest. I'll stay with the children."
In the end, both of them stayed in the room with the children.
She leaned back on the sofa in the room with her eyes closed to rest, while William sat in the bedside chair, his expression unreadable.
After a long while, William turned around.
Sophia, leaning on the sofa, had already fallen into a deep sleep.
He got up and walked to her side, picked her up horizontally, laid her flat on the sofa, and took a nearby blanket to cover her.
Sophia frowned slightly, turned on her side a bit, and fell back asleep.
William's eyes lowered, standing by the sofa watching her in silence for a long time, all emotions hidden beneath his long lashes.
A moment later, he slowly crouched down...
When Sophia opened her eyes, William was nowhere to be seen.
She checked on James and Michael's condition. Their color had returned, and they should wake up soon.
Sophia glanced at her watch. It was almost lunchtime.
She waited a while without seeing William return, thinking she'd go back to the upstairs restroom to change clothes before coming back down.
Sophia contacted Amelia to come over, but the other party brought her unexpected news.