"They will agree to this," Lionel said with a deep, serious look in his eyes.
Deanna sensed something was off about his demeanor but thought it was a private matter and refrained from asking further. However, she didn't forget to give a stern reminder to her colleague and junior, "Julia is like a sister to me and the godmother of my three children. If you dare to make her suffer even a bit, you should know what the consequences will be."
"I know. That won't happen," Lionel promised solemnly.
As he finished speaking, the elevator stopped. Julia looked at her concerned friend and then at the man she loved, feeling warmth in her heart. She took each of their hands and smiled, "Alright, I know you both care about me, but this isn't the place to discuss these things. We need to rest well now so we can go out this afternoon. Mr. Martinez said we only have half a day to play today; otherwise, we'll have to wait until you're done with work."
Deanna and Lionel exchanged a glance but said nothing more, following Julia out of the elevator. Lance, carrying Chloe, walked at the back with a slight smile on his face. He noticed that even though Deanna had lost her memory, her bond with Julia remained unaffected.
Soon, the group parted ways in the hallway. Inside the suite, Lance and Deanna carefully placed their two little ones on the bed. Watching them sleep soundly, Deanna couldn't help but lean in and kiss their cheeks, whispering with a smile, "They're sleeping so deeply; our talking didn't wake them."
"Flying is tiring, and they played late last night. It's normal for them to sleep deeply today," Lance said as he took off his jacket and headed to the bathroom. "You must be tired too. I'll run a bath for you so you can relax. Later, I'll have the hotel send up some food; you can eat something and then take a nap."
Hearing the care in his words, Deanna felt as if her heart was filled with honey. "Thank you, honey," she said, giving Lance a sweet smile.
Meanwhile, Gunner looked seriously at his friend, "You must have something else you haven't told me."
Knowing his friend well, he understood that unless it was something catastrophic, Baird wouldn't easily leave his lab. Baird grinned sheepishly, "Indeed, there are some things not suitable to discuss earlier."
He then revealed his true purpose for coming. "I got word that Abla is conducting a cell experiment and is recruiting experts from various fields. I heard your team at Chiaz recently developed a special drug and several new medications over the past year. They will likely approach your team. You must leave Abla with your students right after the award ceremony."
Gunner's face turned serious. "This experiment can't be anything good, right?"
"Details are scarce; it's very secretive. But through some channels, I learned that since last November, over a thousand corpses have been transported out of there," Baird said gravely.
Gunner's expression grew even more severe. Clearly, this wasn't just a cell experiment but human experimentation. Historically, such experiments were never good news. Now his team was being targeted.
Grateful, Gunner looked at his old friend, "I owe you one for this."
"Don't mention it. I'm telling you because I'm also on their list. I need your backing to make them drop me," Baird admitted.
As they spoke, Baird's expression suddenly changed, and he shifted the topic to a research project. Gunner was momentarily stunned by the abrupt change.
Before he could react, an Abla official in professional attire approached them. "Professor Baird, Professor Martinez, the minister would like to invite you both for a cup of coffee."
Though polite in words, the official's tone left no room for refusal. Seeing his friend's cautious expression, Gunner realized these must be people behind the experiment.
Thinking it was better to see what they wanted rather than refusing outright, Gunner decided to go along and contact Chiaz's higher-ups later about this international matter.
They ended up spending most of the day there.
Meanwhile, Deanna and Lance had been out playing and returned with bags full of purchases and bright smiles on their faces by late afternoon. However, their smiles faded when they saw Gunner.