Relanie hadn’t come here to take anything though. What was there to take anyway? She was originally going somewhere else and only came here because it had been a long time. Most of her childhood memories were here. No matter how much she tried to ignore the Vales, she could not ignore that part of her past.

Instead of going to her own room, she had gone to Aurelia’s room and simply sat on the bed. After a long time, she finally went back to the first floor.

Mrs Vale was still in the sitting room, but Mr Vale was nowhere to be seen.

"I’m leaving," Relanie informed.

Mrs. Vale nodded calmly and then walked her out to where she had parked her car outside. "Relanie, you know you can always come here. If I did any–"

"It’s alright. Goodbye," Relanie said quickly. Then she closed the door and started the engine. Soon, the car moved out of the Vale’s premises, leaving Mrs Vale standing alone and staring at the taillights.

The car moved back onto the road again. Almost an hour later, it finally stopped in front of a white building that looked like a hospital.

She pulled her scarf over her head and walked inside. Most of the security recognized her, but they did not say anything. When she reached a door at the side of the building, she pushed it open and a nurse came into view instantly.

The nurse quickly bowed, letting out a small sigh of relief. "I’ve been waiting for a long time. I thought you wouldn’t come."

Relanie only nodded calmly and walked past her. "Any changes?" she asked as they moved through the corridor.

"No," the nurse answered respectfully.

"Still unconscious?"

"Yes."

"What did the doctors say?"

"They are not sure anymore. His organs are weakening and at this point, everyone is just hoping he wakes up once, even if it’s only for a few minutes before he passes away."

Relanie pressed her lips together and continued walking. Soon they stopped in front of a door.

204.

"You can enter now Miss Ardent. The doctor in charge has stepped out. I’ll be back in a few minutes," the nurse said. She placed her hand on the palm scanner and the door opened. She gave a small bow and walked away.

Relanie stood there for a long time, then she pushed the door open and walked in. She calmly moved toward the figure lying on the bed and only stopped a bit distance beside it.

Her gaze dropped to the face of the man, her expression slowly hardening.

"You really picked a troublesome child," she said with a mocking snort. She clicked her tongue and stepped closer to the bed. "I just hope..." She stopped, her words wavering for a second. Then she continued, "you never wake up."

She straightened up and a strange smile appeared on her lips. "You spent all those years protecting her. Now you can spend the rest of your life sleeping because of her too," she muttered, her tone as calm as if she was simply giving him a blessing.

Then she suddenly gave a short laugh, her fingers flying to her nose as she rubbed it absentmindedly.

"Do you realize what the funniest part is?" She sniffed, rubbing her nose again. "I once used to feel sorry for her."

"Ah. That girl is really something." She sighed, her expression slowly darkening. "But she took everything. Adrian. Mrs Vale. Do you know how many years I spent with the Vales?"

Her eyes reddened and her laughter faded into a frown. "And now she wants the industry too. She’s too greedy."

She snorted and moved closer to the bed. "No. She doesn’t get everything." Her voice turned colder. "She took things from me. Now I’ll take them back. One by one. Until one day she wakes up and realizes there’s nothing left."

Her hand moved into her bag and she pulled out a small paper. Then she took another step forward until her knees touched the side of the bed. "Maybe in your next life, you’ll learn not to bring strange babies home."

But just as she stretched her hand forward, the door suddenly opened and the nurse who had brought her earlier stepped inside quietly. "Miss Ardent. Someone will be here shortly."

Relanie’s hand froze immediately. Then she slowly withdrew it and stepped back. After a moment, she walked to the locker beside the bed and placed the paper on it. She stared at it quietly for a long second.

"Let’s see what happens."

A smile appeared on her lips as she turned and walked toward the door.

"Miss Ardent..." The nurse hesitated. "Leaving that there might be dangerous."

Her expression was filled with worry.

"Leave it there," Relanie said immediately. Then after a small pause, she added, "Don’t touch it."

Without another word, she walked past the nurse and out of the ICU...

–

Adrian sat alone in his office, his gaze fixed on the documents on the desk. He tapped his fingers against the desk casually. After a long silence, he pressed the intercom.

"Harris," he said calmly.

A few seconds later, the office door opened slowly and Harris hesitantly walked in. Or rather, something that resembled Harris walked in.

"Yes boss." He answered.

His hair was standing in every direction. One sleeve of his shirt was black, and there was a burnt mark on his tie.

Adrian stared at him while he stared back. Then his eyes moved from Harris’s face to his hair, then back to his face again.

The office went quiet.

"What happened to you?" Adrian muttered.

Harris gave a short laugh. "It’s the coffee machine."

Adrian remained expressionless as he looked at him.

"It shocked me," Harris continued, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "I’ve been meaning to get someone to fix it. I just kept forgetting."

Adrian snorted, parting his lips. "Fix it before it kills you."

Harris blinked, then he flashed a smile. "Alright, Boss."

Adrian ignored him after that and picked up one of the files on the desk. "Arrange a meeting."

"With who?" Harris asked calmly as he walked over to the desk.

Adrian looked up at him again and shook his head mockingly. "Carris Riole," he muttered..