Chapter 215 Only After Losing Do You Know How to Cherish It
Jonas's father and grandfather hold significant power in Lysander, while his mother and her family are all major business owners.
His family is very powerful, but this power doesn't come without a price.
Years ago, when Silas came to see me and Doyle, he was still a graceful and handsome man.
He had delicate features but a strong personality. He had a male lover who used chronic poison and hallucinogens to control his mind and steal business secrets.
Back then, Doyle offered to help clear the toxins from his body, though it would take three months. Unfortunately, Silas discovered that his lover had planted traitors both at home and in his company, so he decided to delay the treatment and eliminate the traitors first.
"Mr. Cunningham and I waited for you for a year, but you never came," I said, looking at Silas and sighing.
Without any precise instruments, I could tell just by looking that Silas was in terrible condition.
"I had bad luck," Silas also sighed. "Mr. Cunningham told me I had to detoxify within a year. One month before the scheduled time, I got into a car accident and was in a coma for a month and a half."
I fell silent.
"When I woke up, my first thought was that the traitors hadn't been completely eliminated, so I decided to fake my death and continue investigating the hidden traitors," Silas said with a bitter smile. "However, three days after I made that decision, news came that Mr. Cunningham had passed away, and shortly after, you disappeared too."
"I really don't approve of your disregard for life, but you've already paid the price," I said, then changed the subject. "Have you completely eliminated the traitors?"
Silas nodded, genuine amusement in his eyes. "It took me five years, but it was all worth it."
His expression inadvertently revealed a mixture of killing intent and relief that shook me to my core.
It was a kind of resonance. My brothers and I had also been hiding and biding our time for revenge these past five years. As a doctor, I didn't agree with his methods, but from a personal and emotional standpoint, I understood his choice.
I opened my medical kit and did a basic examination of Silas, then drew out several vials of blood.
"Sorry to trouble you to come here, and please keep the fact that I'm alive a secret," Silas said, gasping for breath even after the simplest examination.
"I can do that," I agreed, though I was puzzled.
"My ex-boyfriend regrets betraying me," Silas said, his lips curling slightly. "Let him think I'm dead and live with that regret for the rest of his life."
I glanced at Lucas.
Regret is based on love. The deeper the love, the deeper the torment and suffering. But since that scumbag could betray Silas in the first place, how long could his love and regret really last?
Silas seemed to read my thoughts. "When that day comes, I'll appear before him and kill him with my own hands."
I thought that sounded good. At least Silas wasn't a hopeless fool blinded by love.
"So I must live to see that day," Silas said with a smile.
I felt his will to survive and smiled happily. "Alright, we'll work on it together."
Within a few minutes of me putting away my tools, Silas had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
His breathing was so shallow you could barely see his chest rise and fall. His overly thin frame made Jonas and the middle-aged couple afraid to speak loudly.
I picked up my toolkit, and Lucas immediately took it from me. I pointed toward the door and indicated that the family should talk with me privately.
"Bella, Silas is...?" Jonas hesitated.
Seeing Silas so young yet ravaged by illness, Jonas felt terrible.
He couldn't help but blame his family. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"What good would telling you do?" Jonas's father, Cillian Donovan, said.
Jonas's face tightened, and Jonas's mother, Blair Donovan, pinched Cillian's arm.
I pretended not to notice their conflict and asked the other couple, "Are you Silas's parents?"
"Yes," they said nervously, their voices cracking. "Is there still hope for Silas?"
"I'll know the specifics once the blood test results come out. Silas has a very strong will, so you don't need to be too pessimistic."
I didn't mention that Silas's organs and immune system had been eroded to tatters by poison and injury. If the patient hadn't given up, then neither could I.
"But I must tell you clearly that a complete cure is impossible. We can only rely on care—through diet, regular lifestyle, and exercise—to gradually improve his condition. From now on, he can't overwork himself, can't get too excited, and can't do intense exercise. You need to be mentally prepared for this."
Silas's mother began crying sadly.
Silas's father's eyes also reddened. "As long as he's alive, that's a blessing."
I nodded. Cillian and Blair quickly thanked me and tried to persuade Lucas and me to stay for dinner, but we politely declined.
On the way back, Lucas asked me, "When Silas mentioned his ex, why did you suddenly look at me?"
"I just glanced at you with my peripheral vision, and you noticed?" I was both surprised and helpless.
"Because I'm always watching you," Lucas said.
"A thought flashed through my mind—if I never forgive you, what will happen to you? What will our relationship be in the future?" I muttered in confusion.
Looking back, I really had once thought of tormenting Lucas for the rest of his life.
Lucas thought for a moment and asked, "Do you mean you've already forgiven me?"
My melancholy instantly vanished.
"Not yet. Don't get ahead of yourself," I said, crossing my arms in front of my chest and snorting without much conviction.
"Alright, I'll keep trying," Lucas said, opening his arms to hold me. Though I'm not short, I felt so small in his embrace.
"What if I never forgave you?" I asked curiously.
"I still won't give up," Lucas said, his lips gently brushing against the corner of my mouth as he sighed. "That feeling of regret from losing you—I don't want to experience it a second time."
I pushed him away in disgust. "See, people only learn to cherish love when they're about to lose it."
Lucas changed the subject. "Let's not talk about that. Let's visit Grandfather together tonight."
"Okay, it's been a while since we went."
"Grandfather keeps complaining, saying he misses you."
The next day, Matteo came to Platinum Haven Hotel after a long absence.
He came to give me money—the Thornfield family's secret warehouse had been raided by a gang of bandits a few days ago.
No one knew the identity of these bandits. They appeared without any warning, each wearing a mask that completely concealed, but the heavy firepower they used showed they weren't ordinary people.
Matteo carefully described what he saw. "The warehouse guards were helpless. The bandits swept through like locusts, not leaving them a single potato. The things I grabbed are in the underground parking lot—I left them there before coming up."
Silver Eagle Auctions was probably afraid that if this information got sold, it could easily be traced back to them by the Thornfield family, so they played a clever game of "information leak."
The more people who knew about this, the safer the 'bandits'would be.
Maybe Silver Eagle Auctions was one of the bandits too.
I smiled meaningfully.