Chapter 640

Chapter 640

Linda didn't press for details. She trusted Eleanor completely.

Especially now, seeing that something was clearly wrong.

Without hesitation, she reached out to Aiden directly.

When Aiden learned that Eleanor suddenly wanted to see him, surprise flickered through him.

But he could roughly guess why Eleanor wanted to meet.

He sighed inwardly but didn't refuse. "Alright, let's set up a time."

Soon, Eleanor and Aiden met successfully.

Originally, Aiden had planned to brush her off.

But Eleanor had no patience for that. Asher had already been taken, which meant whoever was behind this was desperate. She had no time to waste on dancing around the issue.

As soon as she sat down, she said to Aiden, "I know you have connections with high-level government officials, and I'm sure you know what happened to my child. I'm here today with just one question."

Aiden studied Eleanor for a long moment.

Finally, he let out a long sigh and said helplessly, "Go ahead."

"I want to know—aside from William, between Clarence and Bodhi, which one do you think is more likely to have taken my child?"

Even though Aiden had mentally prepared himself, he hadn't expected Eleanor to be so direct.

He fell silent.

Eleanor pressed on. "You know this matters to me. Even if you won't say anything, I'll find out on my own."

Aiden deflected. "My family has no interest in getting involved in this. We can't fight City Hall. I still need to give Linda a stable life. I'm sure you can understand my position."

He had no interest in getting caught up in Eleanor's struggle with high-level officials.

He hoped invoking Linda would convince Eleanor to give up.

Aiden's tone became earnest as he tried to persuade her. "He won't do anything to the child—you can rest assured about that. The safest approach right now is for you to stop digging and wait patiently for the outcome."

"Since your child's condition is unusual, you should have been mentally prepared for this from the start. Wouldn't it be better if everyone worked together to protect the child?"

Eleanor let out a cold laugh, too tired to listen to this twisted logic. "If 'protection' means snatching my child away from me without a word, then I don't accept that kind of protection."

She glanced up at Aiden's attitude.

Suddenly, she laughed softly. "You say you don't want this to affect Linda, but haven't you noticed? Linda's already affected."

Aiden frowned.

Eleanor continued, "I can't eat or sleep because of what happened to my child. Linda can see that."

"Even if you don't get involved at all, she's already worried because of me. In fact, if you keep refusing to help, Linda might make her own choice."

"And when that happens, she could get hurt because of your indifference."

Aiden's expression shifted, anger flashing in his voice. "You're threatening me with Linda."

"No," Eleanor said. "I'm just telling you the facts. Helping you see clearly that no matter what happens, she'll stand by my side."

As for whether Aiden was willing to believe it.

Or rather, whether he was willing to gamble on Linda's final choice.

That depended on his own confidence.

As Eleanor expected, Aiden didn't dare take that risk.

He cared about Linda, especially couldn't bear the thought of her getting hurt because of him.

Finally, he said helplessly to Eleanor, "I don't know much. What I tell you might not really help."

The tension between them eased considerably. Aiden began to recall:

"I first suspected something would eventually happen to your child because before you gave birth, I heard some whispers from Secretary Fisher."

Eleanor's hand tightened around her cup.

These people had been scheming in the shadows even before Asher was born?

Just as ruthless as she'd expected.

She frowned and asked, "Was it Clarence?"

"I don't think so," Aiden shook his head. "He didn't reveal much at the time, but I could tell from his attitude that he didn't approve of experimenting on a child. Clarence is classically trained in medicine—he tends to follow medical ethics."

Eleanor nodded, listening as he continued. "However, Clarence did reveal some of Bodhi's views, which I found rather concerning at the time."

Because he could tell that Clarence strongly disapproved of using a child for experiments.

So when he mentioned Bodhi, there was a barely perceptible hint of contempt in his expression.

Probably because, unlike Clarence, Bodhi saw this child as an 'opportunity.'

When it came to experimenting on the child, Bodhi didn't have the same moral constraints. He even championed the idea, believing it was an honor for the child.

Eleanor's expression turned ice-cold.

Her disgust for Bodhi reached an unprecedented peak. "He doesn't have long to live himself, so he's using this method to rob a newborn baby!"

"Yeah."

Aiden was also caring for Linda's child, so he could somewhat understand Eleanor's feelings.

Still...

He advised Eleanor, "Now that you have a guess about who's behind this, you should also realize that right now, you're no match for him."

"Why not back off before Bodhi gets completely enraged? That way, when it comes time to negotiate, it'll be better for everyone."

Eleanor didn't say anything more.

She hadn't come to see Aiden today to convince him in the first place.

Now that she'd gotten the information she wanted, she quickly said goodbye to Aiden and moved swiftly to the next phase of her plan.

This time, Eleanor went to see William.

William hadn't expected Eleanor to reach out to him on her own initiative.

He teased Eleanor, "I didn't think someone as busy as you would have time to visit an idle person like me."

His tone carried obvious mockery and sarcasm.

Apparently, he also knew something about Asher's situation.

Eleanor was no longer angry. She had come to see William on business today.

But just as Eleanor was about to speak, William seemed to see right through her intentions.

He refused directly. "Eleanor, you know I can't possibly help you. You've come to the wrong person today."

Eleanor paused but didn't lose heart.

Instead, she said, "Don't worry. I'm only here to ask you to pass along a message. Please let Mr. Fisher and Mr. Owens know that I don't plan to pursue this matter any further."

William was somewhat surprised by Eleanor's decision.

This meant Eleanor had accepted defeat, acknowledging that all she could do now was wait for the experimental results.

He studied Eleanor carefully.

Though his instincts told him something was off, he didn't say anything more.

He was happy to watch Eleanor clash with the other two, so he didn't refuse her request.

Soon, Bodhi received the message William had passed along.

He frowned. When he learned that Eleanor was no longer investigating, his first reaction wasn't relief but renewed suspicion about whether this child was genuine.

Bodhi stood up, leaning on his cane, and ordered, "Run the child's genetic profile again."