Chapter 131
Sophia's brow furrowed slightly. "Connor may have just returned to the country, but he's very capable. If you offend him now, your time at the facility could become quite difficult."
Caroline smiled and leaned close to whisper in her ear, "I forgot to tell you—I just recognized the person who delivered the medication to me that day. He's with Connor."
She had always been sensitive to people's scents and faces. Even with a mask on, she could identify someone.
It's why she had deliberately provoked him earlier.
Sophia, however, was interested in something else. "Why couldn't Connor move just now? Are there really pressure points in the human body that can paralyze someone with a touch?"
Caroline smiled casually. "I coated the needle with anesthetic."
Sophia fell silent.
When Caroline entered the laboratory as planned, many researchers were displeased by her arrival.
The cryogenic experiment followed by the cancer drug had been their agreed approach, but Caroline had disrupted their plans by suggesting acupuncture instead. No one was happy about it.
Especially after Connor's deliberate provocation, everyone believed Caroline was just there to claim unearned glory—someone who had somehow manipulated her way into becoming Gabriel's student and now wanted to throw her weight around.
What Caroline hadn't expected was running into Frank here. He had been her colleague in the neurology lab and was highly skilled.
But in her current role, she couldn't acknowledge knowing him.
After a brief pause, Caroline continued walking.
Connor deliberately stirred up trouble from the sidelines. "Dr. Q, while your acupuncture skills may be impressive, research isn't about randomly sticking needles into people. Modern precision data is what truly matters in experimentation."
His words quickly resonated with those around them.
"Exactly! Just because she can stick a few needles doesn't make her special!"
"If she weren't hiding behind her status as Mr. Barnes' student, a cancer patient like her would only be allowed in here as a volunteer. Who does she think she is?"
From within the crowd, Sophia watched Caroline with concern, genuinely worried she might not be able to handle the pressure.
Caroline suppressed her nervousness, confidently raised her chin, and took out her silver needles, quickly applying them to the volunteer.
The volunteer's body temperature rapidly decreased, and as it approached the critical value, she immediately instructed, "Administer the drug."
When no one moved, Sophia stepped forward to give the volunteer the medication.
After the first treatment, the volunteer's vital signs showed significant changes.
Sophia gasped in surprise. "It's working! It's actually working! The acupuncture method really is better than cryogenics!"
The other researchers quickly gathered around. Seeing the results, their opinions of Caroline began to shift.
"Dr. Q is amazing. She used acupuncture to lower the volunteer's vital signs to minimum levels and then administered the drug at precisely the right moment. We've never had such good data in our previous experiments."
"It's true—the volunteer's condition has stabilized significantly."
Caroline smiled faintly. "Modern precision instruments and their data are important, of course, but we shouldn't rely solely on machines."
Connor's face darkened. He knew Caroline was referring to him, but he couldn't refute her.
"You're certainly skilled," he said tightly, "but there are over ninety volunteers at the facility. Do you plan to personally perform acupuncture on each one? That seems terribly inefficient."
"You needn't worry about that, Dr. Cox," Caroline replied. "My teacher will be offering an acupuncture course, and he's arranged for fellow students who've studied acupuncture to come assist. We won't be short-handed."
"That's good to hear," Connor said through a forced smile and gritted teeth.
He had originally planned to push out that old man Gabriel and take over the project himself, but now the teacher's students were arriving one after another. Fine—he'd deal with all of them at once.
After leaving the lab, Caroline asked Sophia to prepare a silver mask for her.
Though she had worn a surgical mask in the lab, anyone familiar with her might still recognize her. To prevent unnecessary complications, she needed a complete disguise.
Looking at the unfamiliar mask in the mirror, Caroline's lips curved into a satisfied smile.
Sophia entered with some documents. "Arthur's assistant says he's hosting a welcome dinner for you tonight."
Caroline paused. "I understand."
She lowered her gaze, her smile turning ironic.
Once, she could only contact Arthur through his assistant, couldn't visit his company, couldn't even reveal their relationship.
Now, Arthur was actively inviting her to dinner.
How times had changed.
That evening, after finishing with the experimental data, Caroline changed into formal attire and headed to the designated hotel.
She went for a seductive look tonight—a red dress paired with her silver mask and vibrant red lips.
It was completely different from her usual gentle, intellectual style. She was red like fire, dazzling and untamable.
Now she was simply herself, wanting only to live passionately and vibrantly—not as someone's mother, certainly not as someone's wife.
Just Caroline Hamilton.
---
At the Royal Hotel, Caroline stumbled as someone accidentally tripped her. As she tried to steady herself, she began to fall sideways, only to land in strong, steady arms.
"Careful," Arthur said instinctively as his hand caught her waist.
Caroline quickly straightened up, creating distance while adjusting her silver mask.
"Thank you," she said coolly before walking away on her high heels directly into the elevator.
Arthur thoughtfully registered her scent, his eyes darkening. He was certain he recognized that woman's perfume from long ago.
Heidi, watching from a corner, had witnessed everything. Her nails dug deep into her palms, her eyes filled with twisted hatred.
She truly hated this situation. She had paid a significant price to ensure Caroline died in that fire, yet here was another woman already trying to catch Arthur's attention.
Why? Why couldn't Arthur's gaze remain fixed on her alone? Hadn't she done enough?
Thinking about the direction the woman had gone, calculation flickered in her eyes as she quietly followed upstairs.
When Caroline emerged from the restroom, she found Heidi waiting outside the door, exactly as she had anticipated.
After all, that "damsel in distress" moment with Arthur had been entirely deliberate.
Acting as if she noticed nothing unusual, Caroline unhurriedly washed her hands and touched up her makeup.
Seeing this, Heidi let out a cold laugh. "Someone who doesn't dare show her face must be incredibly ugly. Yet you still try to play hard-to-get games with Arthur. Have you no shame?"
Caroline remained expressionless, as if she hadn't heard anything, focusing intently on applying her red lipstick.
After standing beside her for a while, Heidi suddenly felt foolish. Her face flushed with anger. "Let's see what kind of face you're hiding behind that mask!"