After leaving Ethan's penthouse, Valerian finally arrived at Minerva's house. The moment he stepped inside, he made his way straight toward Crystal's room, the sealed bag of ingredients still firmly in his hand.He pushed the door open and saw Minerva sitting on the couch beside the bed, her attention fixed on Crystal."You're back," Minerva said, lifting her gaze toward him."Yes." Valerian went straight to Crystal's side. He placed the back of his hand against her forehead, checking her temperature before carefully looking her over. His expression remained composed, but his eyes carried a faint trace of concern as he studied every subtle change.Minerva watched him closely before her gaze shifted toward the sealed bag in his hand."And what's the progress?" she asked.Valerian lowered his hand from Crystal's forehead and straightened."Like I said earlier, the ingredients are extremely difficult to find," he explained. "But I managed to get a lead. I went to the black market to obta

Valerian nodded slightly."Yes, I know about it."Marl moved closer to the glass display, his eyes settling on the peculiar flower. "It's said to possess the ability to heal even the deadliest diseases. Seraphine Nectar is an extremely rare treasure, so it's not something to be taken lightly."Valerian's gaze remained fixed on the flower, his expression composed, though his mind was already calculating how he could get his hands on it.Marl eventually turned toward him."If you don't mind, I'd love to introduce you to some of my friends, just as I promised earlier. They're over there."He gestured toward the other side of the hall.Valerian nodded, but before following him, he took one last look at the display case. His eyes lingered on the Seraphine Nectar for a moment longer.*No matter what happens, I'm going to buy this flower.*With that thought firmly settled in his mind, he turned toward Marl and gestured for him to lead the way."After you."Marl gave a small smile and led the

"Twenty-five million."Neil's voice broke through the silence once again.Valerian's fingers curled tightly into a fist beneath the table, a surge of rage coursing through him. What the hell was this idiot thinking? What could Neil possibly want with the Seraphine Nectar?He slowly turned his gaze toward him, his expression remaining impassive despite the irritation burning beneath the surface.Keeya leaned closer to Neil, her brows furrowing in confusion. "What are you doing? Why are you wasting so much money on this garbage?" she whispered.A smug grin slowly formed on Neil's lips as he kept his eyes fixed on Valerian."Shh. Valerian is a smart man. He wouldn't sit here for hours just to bid on some random flower. I think this thing is important to him, and we need to find out why."Keeya's expression shifted as she followed his gaze toward Valerian.On the stage, the host raised his voice."Twenty-five million going once…"Valerian remained silent, his jaw tightening."Going twice…

The doctor reached for the medical file, taking it from the assistant doctor beside him. He flipped through several pages before releasing a heavy sigh, his expression grim."We actually don't know what happened at first, Mr. Lodge. Your mother seemed to be responding well to the treatment, and for several days, her condition remained relatively stable. But then she suddenly suffered an attack, and we had to conduct another series of tests."He paused, his fingers tightening around the file."That was when we discovered that she had been poisoned. The toxin has been gradually spreading through her system, and according to the results, it has already begun damaging her vital organs."Valerian froze. For several seconds, he said nothing.His eyes remained fixed on his mother's pale face, but beneath his stillness, a violent storm of anger and anguish was gathering. His fingers trembled slightly as he reached for her hand."How could you not have discovered this?" he suddenly shouted, hi

The doctor led Valerian toward the CCTV monitoring office at once. The five nurses followed behind them, their expressions becoming increasingly uneasy as they walked through the quiet hospital corridor.Just before they reached the office, Valerian suddenly halted.He turned toward the doctor, his expression stern."I want these nurses to come with me."A faint frown settled across the doctor's face. He glanced at the nurses, then back at Valerian. Under normal circumstances, he might have questioned the request, but Valerian's influence within the hospital made him hesitate. The last thing he wanted was to offend someone whose connections could cost him his position."Of course," he finally said.The nurses exchanged uncertain glances before following Valerian into the CCTV monitoring room.The moment they stepped inside, Valerian's eyes settled on the enormous surveillance screens covering one side of the room. Multiple feeds displayed different sections of the hospital simultaneou