Chapter ElevenThe moment Isabella Reyes stood in front of Adrian Cole, the entire banquet shifted. Silence wrapped around the room like a noose, and even those who had been mocking him minutes ago now looked uneasy, darting glances between Isabella and Adrian.Mr. Graham, Armstrong’s manager, swallowed hard. His earlier arrogance vanished, replaced by something close to fear. Clearing his throat, he managed to say, “Miss Reyes… do you know this man?”The question cracked through the hall like a whip. All eyes swung toward Isabella.Before she could answer, Lucas Brown stepped forward, his tone sharper than usual, his pride bleeding through his words. “Manager Graham, who is this woman? Why is her presence suddenly changing the tone of this conversation?”Graham turned toward him, frowning deeply. “You don’t know her?”Lucas blinked. “Should I?”The manager exhaled slowly, his voice dropping into something heavy, reverent. “That woman is Isabella Reyes—the Director of the Cole Conglom

Adrian Cole sat in silence long after the surge of power had faded. The ring, small and unassuming, rested in his palm like a burden too heavy for one man to bear. Knowledge still burned hot inside his mind—martial arts techniques that could shatter mountains, alchemy that defied natural law, medicine that could cut through mysteries no physician alive could solve. And yet… his past remained sealed. He clenched his jaw, his pulse hammering. This isn’t memory loss. This isn’t an accident. He could feel it now, as clearly as the blood running through his veins—an invisible seal wrapped tight around his soul. A deliberate lock. A cage meant to keep him blind. Whoever had done this hadn’t just stolen his past—they had taken his mother’s final truth from him. Grinding his teeth, Adrian pressed both hands against the table. For a moment, the grief nearly drowned him. He could see her faintly in his mind’s eye—his mother’s smile, warm and fleeting, a fragment he couldn’t hold on to. The

Chapter FifteenThe ward was thick with silence, broken only by the rasping sound of the old man’s labored breathing. Adrian’s words—poison—hung in the air like a blade, cutting through doubt, pride, and fear.No one spoke at first. The doctors shifted uncomfortably, their confidence fractured. Catherine’s parents exchanged stricken glances, while Catherine herself could only stare at Adrian, her chest rising and falling in quick, shallow breaths.And Marco—her cousin, the loudest skeptic a moment ago—stood frozen. His face was still flushed, not just from humiliation, but from the shock of having his darkest secret torn into the open.He swallowed hard, unable to meet Adrian’s eyes. Nobody in the family knew his condition. Not even Catherine. Yet this man had seen it in a glance.Marco’s anger withered into something else—fear, yes, but also a spark of hope. If he can see through me… maybe he can fix me too.One of the senior physicians finally broke the silence. His voice trembled w

Chapter Seventeen The ward became quiet after Adrian’s shut the nurses up. he stood there observing the Catherine stood close to her grandfather, her fingers shaking as they rested against his. The peace shattered with a firm knock at the ward doors. A man entered with the calm certainty of one who commands rooms before speaking. Tall, sharp-featured, and clad in a perfectly pressed white coat, he moved with deliberate steps. His presence seemed to pull all attention toward him. Dr. Blaine Corvus, the city’s most renowned physician, had arrived. “I was summoned,” he said in a low but authoritative voice, scanning the ward with sharp precision. His eyes stopped on the old man in the bed, then flicked toward Adrian. “It appears I have arrived after some… unconventional intervention.” Catherine’s father straightened. “Doctor Corvus, you were invited—” “I am aware,” Dr. Corvus interrupted smoothly, “but I must speak plainly: those needles must be removed. Immediately.” A murmur ra

Chapter Nineteen The atmosphere in the ward was divided. On one side stood Catherine and her family, their hope resting entirely on Adrian. On the other side, Dr. Blaine Corvus and his disciples loomed, their pride bruised but their tongues sharp with scorn. “Young man,” Dr. Corvus sneered, folding his arms. “You truly expect us to believe that crushing bugs into powder is medicine? That such superstition could rival modern science?” One of his disciples, a tall youth with mocking eyes, laughed outright. “Master, don’t waste your breath on him. He wants to use worms to cure illness? Ha! If he actually makes one crawl out of the old man, I’ll eat it on the spot.” Snickers rippled among the other students. Their arrogance clashed harshly against the family’s desperation. Catherine’s hands balled into fists, her eyes flashing. “Mock him all you want, but you couldn’t save my grandfather. Adrian already has!” Her words silenced them for a moment, but Dr. Corvus quickly recovered, li