Chapter 235By evening, the entire medical complex had transformed. The usual sterile atmosphere of urgency and quiet coordination was replaced with something more deliberate—structured, controlled, and undeniably grand. The central hall, normally reserved for large-scale briefings and emergency coordination, had been redesigned into a formal venue.Soft white lighting replaced the harsh overhead beams. A raised platform stood at the front, framed by digital panels displaying recovery statistics, research summaries, and a single highlighted title:Post-Outbreak Medical Breakthrough Recognition SummitRows of seats filled the hall, arranged with precision. Specialists from neighboring regions had already begun arriving hours earlier. Renowned physicians, research analysts, policy representatives—people whose names carried weight in the medical world—now occupied the space.Low conversations filled the air.Measured.Curious.Anticipating.No one here had come casually.They had all hea

Chapter 237 The hallway outside the sitting room was quieter. Distant voices faded behind closed doors, leaving only the soft echo of footsteps against polished floors. Selene walked without hurry, her expression composed, but her thoughts clearly elsewhere. She had just reached the end of the corridor when— “Selene.” She stopped. Didn’t turn immediately. She already knew who it was. Marcus approached from behind, his steps steady but not as controlled as usual. There was tension in his posture—something restrained, something unresolved. Selene turned slowly to face him. For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. Then Marcus exhaled. “…I wanted to talk.” Selene nodded once. “I figured.” A pause. Marcus ran a hand through his hair, something he rarely did in front of others. “My parents…” he started, then paused again, choosing his words more carefully. “…they shouldn’t have put you on the spot like that.” Selene watched him quietly. “They meant well,” he added. A fa

Chapter 239The car hadn’t gone far when Adrian’s voice broke the silence.“Change of plan.”The driver’s hands tightened slightly on the wheel, immediately attentive.“Chairman?”Adrian didn’t look up from the window, his gaze fixed on the passing city.“We’re not going home.”A brief pause.“Take me to the company.”From the front seat, Isabella Reyes looked at him through the rearview mirror, her brows drawing together slightly.“Chairman… you just arrived.”Her tone remained respectful, but the concern was clear.“You’ve had a long flight. It would be better to rest first.”Adrian didn’t respond immediately.The city lights reflected faintly in his eyes.Unmoved.“I’ve rested enough.”Simple.Final.Isabella turned slightly in her seat.“The board situation can wait a few hours. Your condition—”“It can’t.”That cut in cleanly.Not loud.But absolute.Silence followed.The driver adjusted the route without another word, the car smoothly turning away from the road leading home.Isa

Chapter 241The boardroom slowly emptied after the meeting.Chairs shifted back into place, quiet footsteps fading one after another as executives filed out, each carrying their own thoughts about what had just transpired. The tension that had filled the room earlier was gone—but not resolved. It had only changed form.At the center of it all, Adrian remained seated.Calm.Unmoved.As though the entire confrontation had been nothing more than routine.A few seconds later, only one person was left standing across from him.Director Isabella Reyes.She held her tablet close, eyes still scanning through the notes she had taken during the meeting. Her posture was composed, but there was a subtle weight in her expression.Adrian finally leaned back slightly in his chair.“Sit.”She didn’t hesitate.Pulling a chair, she sat opposite him, ready.“What’s next, Chairman?” she asked.Her tone was steady—but attentive.Adrian rested his fingers lightly on the table.“We move forward.”A pause.“

Chapter 243The Elders Pavilion stood far from the noise of the modern world.Hidden.Ancient.Untouched by time in the way cities were not.Stone pillars lined the vast hall, each carved with symbols long forgotten by ordinary men. The air carried a faint, almost imperceptible pressure—like the weight of history itself pressing down on anyone who entered.At the center of the chamber, a long circular table sat beneath a dim golden light.Seated around it—Were the elders.Silent.Waiting.The large screen embedded into the far wall slowly dimmed as the global broadcast ended. The final image of Adrian addressing the world faded into darkness.For a moment—No one spoke.The weight of what they had just witnessed lingered heavily in the room.Then—Footsteps echoed from the entrance.Measured.Uncertain.Smith.He stepped into the chamber, his usual confidence replaced by something far less composed. His gaze flickered briefly across the elders before lowering slightly.“I—”He paused