Chapter 283 Mutation

Chapter 283 Mutation

Aurora Ross's POV:

Nighttime.

I sat quietly, staring at the book in my hands.

But no matter how long I looked, I couldn't absorb a single word.

Alex's departing figure kept replaying in my mind.

Finally, I stood up.

It was already 10:30 PM, but Eder's hospital room was still brightly lit.

Alex was right; people kept coming to see him, some not even leaving.

It was as noisy as a marketplace.

It didn't feel like a hospital room at all.

I frowned.

Even if Eder was gravely ill, there should still be some order.

How could these people be so unruly?

But as I stood at the door and saw the old man lying in the bed, I froze.

Eder, with a tracheal tube, was propped up in bed, a tube running from his throat to a ventilator, unable to speak.

His lips trembled uncontrollably as he struggled to breathe.

He wasn't really sitting up; he had been forcibly propped up, a pen shoved into his hand as if he was being made to write something.

But Eder, though physically weak, was still mentally sharp. He threw the pen to the ground, only for it to be shoved back into his hand.

His clothes were disheveled, his face pale.

He was a far cry from the man who once commanded the entire family.

No wonder they dared to act this way.

Eder wasn't going to get better.

Death was counting down.

Unable to speak, he couldn't give orders.

His bodyguards wouldn't intervene.

Only Harry was left, and he couldn't manage the Phillips family alone.

And Eder's relatives?

Alex hated him with a passion after all the torment.

His favored daughter was in the crowd, leading the charge to make him write.

The room was still noisy, their shadows on the walls filled with ridiculous greed.

Eder was surrounded, a look of confusion on his aged face.

He seemed to be pondering the same question as I.

What had he gained in this life?

I recalled the first time I saw him fishing.

I clicked my tongue softly.

"Too noisy."

I raised my hand.

My bodyguard immediately stepped forward.

A gunshot silenced everyone, and they all turned to look.

I walked to the center of the room, holding a small silver handgun, and sat on the couch, my voice raspy.

"Get them all out."

The bodyguard started to clear the room.

Fiona was the first to react, her voice sharp.

"Who do you think you are? What right do you have to kick me out?"

I gave her a cold glance.

After spending so much time at the estate, I no longer had the same attitude towards certain people and things.

In the past, I might have argued, but now, I didn't even want to speak.

I pointed the gun at her leg.

She screamed in pain.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Eder move slightly.

I smirked.

Even now, he worried about this ungrateful daughter.

I couldn't understand why he thought Alex was lacking.

Fiona was quickly carried out.

Even Eder's daughter had been shot by me, so the others, though unhappy with my sudden appearance, didn't dare resist.

The room quickly quieted down.

Only the sounds of the ventilator and other machines occasionally broke the silence.

I raised an eyebrow and scribbled a line.

[How does it feel not being able to speak?]

Eder stared at me silently. After a long time, his hand, still holding the pen, finally moved.

[I seem to recall teaching you not to be too arrogant before achieving complete victory.]

We both wrote at the same time.

I realized my handwriting was almost identical to his.

I chuckled.

[At this point, do you really think you'll survive?]

Alex wouldn't let him go.

We both knew that.

Eder: [It doesn't matter. Having you die with me is good enough.]

I frowned slightly.

He pointed to his throat and wrote another line.

Eder: [Remember the tea I gave you?]

Of course, I remembered.

My voice was ruined because of it.

I smirked, and so did he.

[Its effects aren't limited to that.]

[If Alex kills me, he'll never get the antidote.]

I suddenly understood why Alex was always under his control, but...[If Alex dared to act against you, do you really think he can't get the antidote?]

Without assurance, Alex wouldn't gamble with my life.

[Your sudden illness was caused by someone close to you, right?]

With his guard up against Alex, Alex's people couldn't get near him.

That left Harry.

Thinking of the old gardener who always followed the rules, I sighed softly.

As Eder's closest person, Alex must have investigated and even contacted him privately.

But Harry had served Eder his whole life. Despite Eder's bad temper, he never thought of leaving.

Maybe, deep down, Eder had become his friend.

But in the end, Harry betrayed Eder for his granddaughter.

Serves him right.

I held up my notebook to Eder.

[But a butler who never did anything wrong couldn't have pulled this off alone. Someone must have helped him.]

[So, do you want to guess who else betrayed you?]

If I, an outsider, could figure it out, so could he.

Seeing his smile gradually fade, my expression grew more mocking.

[Looks like your plan to groom a replacement failed completely.]

He wanted to raise an obedient Alex, but instead, he raised a viper.

Eder didn't pick up the pen for a long time.

His silence made me purse my lips slightly.

It also allowed me to notice his emaciated body, bones clearly visible.

He looked like a candle about to burn out.

The anger I had wanted to vent suddenly lost its direction.

It felt pointless.

I frowned, closing the notebook.

Eder suddenly started writing: [Did you come here just to see me suffer?]

I gave him a cold look, ignored him, and turned to leave.

As the door closed, I could still feel his gaze.

Buried deep in his indifference was a hint of loss, even he didn't realize.

I gave orders to the bodyguards at the door.

"From now on, don't let anyone in."

Eder's bodyguards immediately complied.

But Alex's bodyguard hesitated. "Ms. Ross, the boss's orders are..."

"Let him tell me himself."

The bodyguard replied, "Yes, ma'am."