As Nightingale and the others were taken to settle in, a dark gleam quickly flashed in Brent's cloudy eyes.
He hadn't expected Master Gunner to send the Alpha Guard. It seemed Master Gunner truly considered Deanna his successor.
This woman was indeed fortunate.
For a moment, Brent felt a pang of jealousy towards Deanna, but he quickly returned to normal.
So what if she was lucky? The matter wasn't settled yet; he still had a chance.
Even if he didn't, he would create one.
After all, he had been plotting for over a decade. How could he allow someone else to reap the fruits of his labor?
Deanna was unaware of Brent's thoughts.
She picked up her phone and sent a message to her master, informing him that Nightingale and the others had arrived.
However, she received no reply.
Deanna didn't mind, thinking her master might be busy.
Just as Nightingale and the others were settling in, Lance returned home.
Seeing the unfamiliar faces in the house, he guessed they were the people Deanna's master had sent to protect her.
He walked straight to Deanna's side and asked with concern, "Have you eaten?"
"I have. What about you?" Deanna nodded and looked at him with concern.
Lance smiled and said, "I've eaten too."
Hearing this, Deanna smiled softly. She glanced at Nightingale and the others standing straight nearby, feeling a bit helpless but didn't forget to introduce them to Lance.
"By the way, these are the people my master arranged to protect me. This is their captain, Nightingale."
"Thank you for your hard work," Lance nodded to Nightingale.
Nightingale discreetly sized up their young lady's fiance and said solemnly, "You're too kind. We're just following orders. Additionally, the master has prepared a gift for you."
"A gift?" Deanna was surprised.
She didn't know about this.
Nightingale nodded and signaled one of her subordinates to bring over a long jade box.
As the moon-white jade box appeared, both Deanna and Lance raised their eyebrows.
An item stored in such a high-quality jade box was undoubtedly valuable.
Nightingale held the jade box with both hands and respectfully presented it to Lance. "I heard you suffer from a strange illness. The master specially found this medicinal herb for you to use as a remedy."
She paused and then turned to look at Deanna.
Deanna met her gaze and, as if understanding each other, asked, "Did my master leave any instructions for me?"
"Yes, my lady. The master said he found the remedy, but how to treat your fiance's illness is your test. You have one year."
Nightingale faithfully conveyed her master's words.
Unbeknownst to her, this information provided Brent with a significant clue.
Lance had an illness; perhaps this was a breakthrough point.
Brent silently contemplated this.
Deanna felt exhausted by Nightingale's words.
What was supposed to be a gift had turned into a task for her.
However, she didn't refuse because she had already thought of a treatment plan for Lance's illness. It was just that Lance's physical condition wasn't yet suitable for formal treatment, so they had been focusing on recuperation.
The following days seemed to return to their previous calm.
Deanna spent her days with Lionel and Brent deciphering the code for the special medicine.
They initially thought they could crack the remaining data in two or three days, but half a month passed without any progress.
Deanna became increasingly anxious and couldn't sleep well at night.
Perhaps it was because of her constant worry that she started having nightmares.
In her dreams, she saw herself failing to develop the special medicine, and the news leaked out. Her grandmother Gregory and Chloe were captured by the mastermind behind it all. Lance got injured trying to save them and fell into a coma.
In her worst nightmare, she was captured by the mastermind, and Lance was shot while trying to rescue her.
Tonight, Deanna had another nightmare.
"No, run! Run!"
She reached out her hand, waving it in the air.
Lance woke up almost instantly when she spoke.
Seeing Deanna beside him, sweating profusely and looking terrified, Lance felt heartbroken.
He grabbed her waving hand and woke her up.
"Lance?"
Deanna woke up from her daze and met Lance's worried eyes.
Thinking about her dream, she couldn't help but smile bitterly. "I had another nightmare."
"You're too tense," Lance said disapprovingly.
He handed her a water cup from the bedside table and said in an unquestionable tone, "Tomorrow you're not allowed to go to the lab. I'll have Shannon contact Julia to take you out for some relaxation. In the evening, you can pick up Gregory and Chloe and stay at the manor for a night."
He wanted to accompany Deanna himself, but his company had recently started a new project at a critical stage, so he couldn't spare the time.
Seeing the serious and slightly angry man before her, Deanna finally agreed.