Chapter 643

Chapter 643

"Hello?"

On the other end of the line was Wendy's deliberately softened voice, dripping with cloying sweetness. "Eleanor? May I ask what you need Lucas for?"

Eleanor's tone turned cold. "Put him on."

Her patience with Wendy was wearing dangerously thin.

But hearing Eleanor's icy tone only filled Wendy with a sense of triumph. She actually laughed.

The more Eleanor loathed her, the more it proved she was close to winning.

It meant that in Eleanor's eyes, she'd already become a real threat.

Wendy viewed Eleanor's disgust as validation from a rival.

So after hearing Eleanor's tone, she felt incredibly smug and replied with exaggerated innocence, "Whatever you need to say, you can tell me. Why so hostile?"

She continued sweetly, "Maybe Lucas doesn't want to come home 'because' you're so uptight."

Eleanor closed her eyes, her displeasure reaching its peak.

She could tolerate Wendy's games, but that didn't mean she wanted to waste time on pointless bickering right now.

Suppressing her anger, she said, "Wendy, Lucas and I aren't officially divorced yet. I'd advise you to show some restraint."

Wendy couldn't have cared less.

She raised an eyebrow, continuing her provocation. "What are you talking about? Like I said, Lucas is in the shower. He can't come to the phone right now."

"Why don't you call back later? I'll pass along your message."

"Wendy—"

"Oh, right," Wendy said suddenly, as if something had just occurred to her. "There's something I think you'll find very interesting."

Her voice brimmed with satisfaction. "You'd better keep a low profile lately and not draw too much attention to yourself. Otherwise, when things go south and everyone points fingers at you, don't say I never warned you."

Eleanor frowned slightly, her instincts telling her Wendy had been up to something behind the scenes.

She pressed, "What did you do?"

Wendy laughed. "Don't go accusing me of anything."

She examined her scarlet nails with casual indifference. "I'm just giving you friendly advice. If you don't believe me, that's your problem."

Eleanor clearly caught the underlying threat.

She wanted to probe further.

But Wendy obviously had no intention of saying more. "That's all. I'm hanging up now."

With that, Wendy took it upon herself to end the call.

She stared at the phone smugly, her smile growing increasingly radiant.

Her disdain for Eleanor was palpable—gone was the flustered, defeated look she'd worn in Eleanor's presence before.

On the other end, Eleanor stared calmly at her phone.

She clicked her tongue softly.

Even though she'd put on a convincing show of anger, Wendy hadn't let anything slip. Her lips were surprisingly sealed.

Could Clifford have done something?

…

Meanwhile, at the hotel.

Lucas walked in from outside, dressed in a full suit and tie—clearly not fresh from a shower.

Seeing Wendy holding his phone, he frowned and asked sternly, "Who were you just talking to?"

Wendy tilted her head innocently. "No one. You must've heard wrong."

She smiled. "I was watching a TV show. Did you want to chat with me?"

Lucas studied her for a long moment.

Then he turned to leave. "I have to go back to the office. Don't bother me unless it's important."

With that, he walked out, ignoring Wendy's attempts to make him stay.

Soon, the day of Clarence's return arrived.

The moment he stepped off the plane, watchful eyes locked onto him. His every movement was tracked—his itinerary practically transparent.

Among those watching were Bodhi's informants.

Clarence's whereabouts were reported in full. One of them said, "Secretary Fisher left the airport last night, but he still hasn't checked in today and hasn't made any public appearances."

Bodhi slowly opened his eyes. "Where is he now?"

"Well…"

The subordinate clearly hesitated.

Watching Bodhi's expression carefully, he said, "Secretary Fisher went to see someone. Though it wasn't a public meeting, he didn't hide his movements either. A lot of people know about it—"

"Tell me. Who?"

The man gritted his teeth. "Secretary Fisher went to see Eleanor. And apparently, Lucas will be there too."

Bodhi's grip on his cane tightened slowly. He narrowed his eyes, and though aged, they radiated authority—and clear displeasure.

Out of nowhere, these three had ended up tangled together.

Though he and Clarence hadn't reached an all-out confrontation, their relationship was far from harmonious.

Before, he could have dismissed this as childish maneuvering.

But now, he had to be on guard.

After a moment of deep thought, Bodhi stood. "Let's go. I want to see the child again. Run another full examination."

His concern for the child was intensifying in direct proportion to Eleanor's reactions.

Now, seeing Eleanor calmly reaching out to Clarence, his suspicions flared anew. He demanded the lab verify the child's authenticity once more.

Even after confirming the child hadn't been switched, Bodhi still couldn't relax.

He kept his eyes locked on the child, refusing to let his guard down for even a moment.

Like a bird startled by the twang of a bow.

His subordinate shadowed Bodhi's every move.

Seeing him linger in the lab, the man didn't dare speak, simply following silently.

The lab director approached, curious. "Is there an error in the testing? Do you have new instructions?"

Bodhi shook his head.

He simply stared at the child, as if gazing at a priceless treasure.

His eyes were greedy, hungry, tinged with envy—envy for the child's young flesh and robust body.

This child, even though they still couldn't identify any trace of toxins in his system, exhibited traits far more developed than an ordinary child. He had an extraordinarily healthy body.

So healthy it was almost... unsettling.

The director found it strange. As a scientist, he couldn't see anything unusual about the child beyond perfect health.

He couldn't help but advise, "Even if this child's genes might be different from normal, any meaningful research will take time—it won't happen overnight."

"Why would you…"

He trailed off, unsure how to phrase it delicately.

In his view, there was no need to treat such an unknown variable as a lifeline.

Bodhi shook his head, offering no explanation. "What this child can give me is far beyond anything you could imagine."

At the same time, Eleanor and Clarence successfully met.

Her first impression was that he matched her expectations almost perfectly—a truly outstanding young talent.

She immediately understood why the media held him in such high regard.

Clarence had earned that reputation.

But when Clarence glanced in Eleanor's direction, he seemed somewhat dissatisfied. "You came alone?"