Eric blinked, seemingly not expecting Georgia to say that.
At that moment, Wilson, who'd been at Georgia's side all along, moved. Before anyone could react, and with shocking speed, Wilson grabbed Eric and held him in his grasp.
All the bodyguards inside raised their pistols and pointed at them.
Eric's neck was being held in Wilson's vise-grip, but he didn't appear panic as he sneered at Georgia.
"I thought you really didn't care about the money, but you do. Seems like Robert's not worth a few hundred billions to you."
"Eric, the moment I signed the contract to exchange the stocks, you'll hand me another document to have me give you all my assets, then you'll have me sign to transfer Robert's company stocks. I gleaned what kind of person you were from just the few words you said today. You won't let Robert go even if I signed this."
Georgia scoffed, then tore up the document she'd just signed before Eric.
She just wanted to let Eric go through a bit of shock, then have Wilson start moving within that time.
Wilson was the cream of mercenary crop, and normal people couldn't match his reaction time.
Even with Eric's people all around them, Georgia wasn't concerned with Wilson there.
Eric cared about his own life, and was trying so desperately to live that he'd captured Robert all to cure his illness.
From the moment Eric decided to meet her, Georgia knew that the man was still attached to his property. It was a glaring weakness.
Eric also knew that her weakness was Robert.
So this was now a clash of wills, to see who gave way first.
The person to admit defeat would get backed up to a wall.
"Even with me in your grasp, this entire base is full of my people. You really think you can take Robert home safely? I'm telling you, I'm a very capricious fellow. If I didn't want to, I'd rather die here than let you take Robert away."
"I don't want to hear him babble, Wilson. He probably hasn't felt much pain in his life. Have him experience what a beating feels like."
At Georgia's command, Wilson punched Eric in the gut.
Eric groaned, face contorting, while the people levelling guns at them didn't dare move.
From that, it was clear that they followed Eric's orders.
And Eric wasn't having them shoot clearly because he was afraid they'd kill him outright, or he'd be wounded.
Georgia knew that Eric was immunodeficient.
Adolf had also said that Eric's defect was like his daughters.
With a bit of a scrape or a small wound, it was enough to cause all sorts of illnesses and even total organ failure. Eric's body wasn't up to task.
Georgia leant close to Eric's ear, her voice devilish.
"When you investigated me, you probably didn't find what kind of person Wilson was.
"You'd better let Robert and I walk, Eric. Or with your body like this, even with a bit more hurt, you probably won't live to see the sun come up tomorrow."
Georgia finished.
Then she dug her nails deep inside the flesh in Eric's palm.
They'd passed a security check and couldn't bring any sharp objects with them. But a woman's fingernails also had great effect.
Adolf had told her how immunodeficient people were most afraid of bloodborne infections. Even a small wound could be devastating.
As expected, the moment, Georgia's nails drew blood, his face contorted.
He shot a dark look at Georgia, who simply sneered and dug her nails into other parts of Eric's body.
The wounds were tiny, but growing in number.
Eric still held out and didn't speak. Georgia suddenly lowered her head and bit Eric's hand with all her strength.
She tasted rust in her mouth. It was disgusting, but very effective.
Eric finally broke and gave the order.
"Release him!"
At that, Georgia saw the glass doors open.
She could see Eric's face going pale, on the verge of collapse.
She didn't know what he was sick with, but it was clear that he wasn't going to make it soon.
"Escort us out, or I'll have Wilson toy with you some more. It might only be death waiting for you."
Georgia turned to the nearly unconscious Eric and spoke.
Eric's face twisted at her, full of rage and hate.
Finally, he turned to his people.
"Let them go."
Georgia only released Eric when Georgia and Wilson and their people put Robert in a car and drove off swiftly.
The moment they exited the base, Wilson had them get out immediately, then head off in another waiting car.
Only after driving off in the new car for a while did Wilson speak.
"There was a bomb in that vehicle."
Georgia spoke with a bit of apprehension.
"It's good that you came with me. I'd guessed that he couldn't have let me go honestly. That car really had been rigged. Thankfully we were ready."
Georgia clutched at Robert, who was still wounded, the tubes stuck in his body having done untold work.
Robert was still unconscious, and an ambulance drove over to pick him up, while Georgia and Robert switched cars again.
This time, Georgia saw Ivan and Jason in the car.
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief, and after half an hour, Robert finally arrived in hospital.
Ivan handed the surgery and emergency checks and procedures to doctors he trusted and had invited to the hospital. Georgia waited outside.
The surgery took six hours.
Georgia waited all the while, her anxiety boiling.
When the doctors came out, Georgia and Ivan rushed over and started raising questions.
"What's the situation like now, doctor?"
"Mrs. Simpson, Mr. Simpson is in a serious condition. We don't know what's wrong with his hormones or his blood. We could only sew his wounds back together, but we can't control his hormones or his blood content right now. He might have been injected with something. We can't do anything about this, and we can only go through a serum treatment to reduce Mr. Simpson's hormones and blood concentration to normal parameters. It's clear that we've never experienced Mr. Simpson's condition before, and we don't know what the right way to treat him is."
Georgia collapsed to the floor, limp, clamping a hand over her mouth and trying not to cry, her heart throbbing.
Ivan's hands shook and he bent over Georgia.
"With Robert in this condition, Georgia, the hospital can only fix his external injuries. But with his internal issues, they can't do a thing. Like how I'm a surgeon who can't do anything internal. Let's go over to Antonio. I've already told him about this and he's prepared a room. Over there, at least Antonio can slow down his progression."
Georgia, though, felt it was a nightmare. She remembered how Antonio had said that many people had gone over to search for a final trace of life.
But those people either died in agony, or lost all hope of a cure, waiting to die in despair.
Did she have to go through this now, too?
Georgia turned to Ivan, fearfully and hopelessly.
"Are we out of options? Can we find nobody else to cure him? It's such a wide world, but none of them can fix Robert? We're not pressed for money. Can you get some more people over to check over Robert's situation, Ivan?"
Ivan was helpless.
"There's a lot of miracles and miracle workers in this world, Georgia, but can you afford to trust them now? Who knows if they really can fix Robert? Who knows how capable they are? At least Antonio deserves our trust, and at least he's had experience with this sort of condition. Robert's only in an abnormal physiological state right now, and we're not in despair yet. There's still a way out. Trust me."
Georgia sobbed and nodded, and they had a car bring Robert, surgery complete, over to Antonio.