Chapter 163 Mr. Harrison, the Madam is Here
After a long moment, Emma finally asked quietly, "Charlie, tell me where he is."
"Mr. Harrison... didn't tell anyone." Charlie looked troubled. "He caught the noon flight. He's probably... no longer in Luminous City."
Emma nodded without saying another word and headed for the door.
"Mrs. Harrison, where are you going?" Charlie called after her urgently.
"To the lab." She didn't look back, throwing the words over her shoulder as she descended the stairs.
Outside, the wind was fierce, whipping up fallen leaves and dust in violent spirals.
Emma pulled her coat tighter around herself, squinting against the gusts as she walked with unwavering determination.
Pushing open the laboratory door, she was hit by the sharp smell of disinfectant.
She approached the workbench, pulled on gloves, and picked up a test tube, just like she had countless times before.
Studying carefully, methodically adding reagents drop by drop.
As long as she kept moving, she wouldn't think. As long as she kept moving, there was still hope.
Suddenly, her gaze fell on the cage in the corner.
The white lab mouse that had received the latest serum injection lay motionless.
Dead.
Her hands froze.
The glass test tube slipped from her fingers, shattering on the floor into countless pieces.
The sharp sound pierced through her eardrums like a knife.
In that moment, her heart began to spiral out of control.
Though she'd always known life was fragile, she'd never imagined having to face this reality.
If she hadn't come to Luminous City in the first place, he wouldn't have followed. He wouldn't have been poisoned.
No, that wasn't right.
If she hadn't fallen hopelessly in love with him, Matthew wouldn't have seen him as a threat and struck with such venom.
That wasn't right either.
If she hadn't stubbornly insisted on coming to Emerald City years ago, she never would have met him again. None of this would have happened.
He would still be alive and well.
He'd still be the untouchable CEO of Harrison Group, Emerald City's wealthiest bachelor, living his carefree, adored life.
Everything was because of her.
It was all her fault.
She slowly sank to her knees, covering her face with both hands, her nails digging deep into her skin.
She didn't want to face this world anymore.
Her world had shattered.
She didn't know if what she felt was love or gratitude for everything he'd done for her. She only knew she couldn't bear to lose him, couldn't stand the thought of him spending his final moments alone...
Novaria, the Moore Group Headquarters
Matthew stood at the window with a glass of whiskey, gazing out at the bustling world below, his handsome face cold as marble.
He remembered the first time he saw her—she'd been on stage, lecturing about the conflict between genetics and disease.
Radiant and captivating, she'd drawn him in completely.
Later, when he'd visited Professor Frank's lab to find her, she'd burst out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground.
"Danger!" Her voice was urgent and tight. "I think it's about to explode!"
Seeing stars from the impact, all he could register was the soft warmth of her body against his, her beautiful face and those bright, sparkling eyes burning themselves into his memory.
She'd lifted her head, scanning the quiet laboratory.
"It didn't explode."
She'd sighed in relief and started to climb off him.
Possessed by some impulse, he'd reached out and grabbed her wrist, yanking her back down. She'd cried out as she tumbled back onto him.
He'd rolled them over, shielding her completely as he pressed down.
The explosion had shaken the entire floor.
He'd felt her tremble violently in his arms as she gasped for breath, her voice thick with terror.
"Oh god, the professor's going to kill me."
The next second, she'd looked ready to cry, and he'd actually smiled.
So he'd funded her laboratory, slowly weaving himself into her life.
Until she'd developed her cancer-curing formula—that earth-shattering genius that had stunned the world.
He'd protected her with an iron grip after that.
Until his brother Elvin had stolen her complete genetic database and been infected by a virus.
Elvin had even threatened him, demanding he steal the antidote. But even then, Matthew had never wanted to harm her.
He drained his glass in one swallow, the burning liquid scorching his throat but unable to quench the suffocating ache in his chest.
How could he stand by and watch her die for another man?
A knock interrupted his brooding.
A subordinate hurried in and whispered something in his ear.
The struggle in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by towering rage.
He spun around and strode out...
...
For the next two days, Emma remained locked in the laboratory, sleepless and relentless, endlessly preparing her serums.
She'd grown gaunt and hollow-eyed.
The meals Charlie brought went largely untouched.
Desperate and at his wit's end, Charlie finally made a call.
"Mr. Harrison, you need to come back. Mrs. Harrison hasn't eaten or slept in two days." Charlie's voice was pleading. "I'm afraid her body can't take much more. She just wants to see you—it's like she's punishing herself."
Silence stretched for several seconds before a cold voice replied, "If anything happens to her, I'll have your head."
Charlie sucked in a sharp breath, his face crumpling. "Mr. Harrison, ailments of the heart require medicine for the heart."
Another pause. "Better to end the pain quickly than let it linger."
The line went dead.
What could be more cruel than the agony of parting?
That afternoon, Emma finally emerged from the laboratory.
The weather was oppressive and gray.
Bitter wind cut through the air like a blade, bone-deep cold.
Charlie rushed over, draping a heavy coat around her shoulders.
"Mrs. Harrison, please come inside. There's hot soup on the stove."
Emma pulled the coat closer, her breath forming white puffs that were instantly scattered by the wind. She looked at Charlie and suddenly asked, "Charlie, where do you think is the warmest place in all of Luminous City?"
Charlie stared at her, speechless.
Suddenly, she spoke again. "There's somewhere I want to go."
Without another word, she headed for the door.
She'd been thinking about this place for days, and now she finally knew.
Half an hour later, their car pulled up beside a large meadow in a small village.
This was where Nicholas had planned their wedding.
In winter's grip, the surroundings looked desolate and barren, not a soul in sight. The lush green grass from her memories had withered to yellow stubble.
She opened the car door and slowly walked toward the Holy Tree where they'd made their wishes.
Charlie followed behind her, his heart nearly beating out of his chest.
He glanced around nervously, a chill running down his spine.
Nicholas was definitely going to think he'd betrayed him!
Nicholas was staying in the small building not far from the Holy Tree.
At this moment, he stood at the second-floor window.
Shrouded in shadow, he looked like a silent statue, suffering alone in his private hell.
He couldn't bear to be too far from her.
So he waited in the place closest to where happiness had once lived, clinging to those memories to sustain his broken body.
A bodyguard beside him whispered in shock, "Mr. Harrison, Mrs. Harrison is here!"
"She's walking toward the Holy Tree..."
Nicholas's body trembled slightly.
His hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into involuntary fists.