Chapter 206

Chapter 206

The next day, Stephanie woke up still a little groggy. Peeking at the tightly drawn curtains, she lethargically rolled over, only to find that the spot next to her was already empty.

Slowly sitting up, she grabbed the remote control from the nightstand and pressed a button, the curtains swept open, letting in the high noon sunlight that bathed her face in a warm glow. Narrowing her eyes, she slowly adjusted to the brightness before suddenly realizing it must be aftemoon.

Shoot, she had plans to meet with two families for hunch at Fragrant Restaurant, and this was going to make her late.

She glanced at the bedside table but didn’t see her phone. It should be Vincent who took it away.

Pulling off the covers, she got out of bed to freshen up and saw the bedroom door open. Vincent walked in, carrying a tray with beautifully arranged side dishes and sushi rolls.

“Don’t worry. I have already called and changed the appointment to this evening?

Stephanie breathed a sigh of relief but still slipped on her slippers to wash up.

Picking up her toothbrush, she intended to squeeze out some toothpaste, only to find it had already been done. A slight smile curled the corners of her mouth, thinking how considerate Vincent was.

But as she looked up at her reflection in the mirror, her smile twitched. She saw a lot of hickeys on her collarbone.

At the sound of footsteps, she whirled around, “Look what you’ve done!”

“It’s a good thing, Vincent leaned against the doorframe, his smile spreading.

Stephanie said, “Now I have to wear a turtleneck!”

Jacaster and Manville were completely different seasons. Jacaster was still in the season of wearing a sweater inside and a cashmere coat outside.

Vincent came up behind her, hands bracing on the wash basin, his chin resting on Stephanie’s shoulder. Just wear a sweater with a slightly higher neck. It’s only on the collarbone, it’s not that high.”

Stephanie brushed her teeth angrily until she finished rinsing. Vincent turned her around, wiping the toothpaste foam from the corner of her mouth, “Don’t be mad, next time I’ll find a different spot.

“Where to?”

Vincent’s gaze dropped lower.

Stephanie knew exactly what he meant, “You have no shame anymore, ever since you stopped pretending to be disabled!” Vincent lifted her chin gently with his fingertips, speaking softly “Why do I need to be reserved when I have you, my wife?”

With that, his lips met Stephanie’s beautiful ones, filling their mouths with the refreshing taste of mint. Their entwined lips. and tongues told a story of a chase where Vincent always seemed to come out on top.

After a long while, they finally stabilized.

Vincent whispered in her ear, Stephic, I love you?

Stephanie wrapped her arms around his strong waist, “I love you too, Vincent.”

“Let’s eat.

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Chapter 206

“Okay”

Vincent’s culinary skills were impressive indeed, and Stephanie enjoyed a hearty meal.

After their meal, Vincent suggested they catch a movie to relax their frazzled nerves. Stephanie wasn’t in the mood for entertainment, though, she had more serious matters on her mind. She took Vincent to her research institute in Jacaster

instead.

Located in the suburban area, the institute required an iris scan for entry. Stephanie was swiftly verified and led Vincent

inside.

Technicians, spotting Stephanie, paid her respectful greetings. Stephanie explained that they were top medical professionals from various countries, dedicated to academic research, particularly intractable diseases.

“Have you heard of Helix Institute?”

Vincent nodded, “It’s quite famous. They donate loads of vaccines and medical supplies to impoverished areas each year. So, this is Helix Institute, and you are Dr. Helix?”

Stephanie raised an eyebrow in acknowledgment.

Vincent smirked. “How many more secret identities do you have?

Stephanie intertwined her fingers with his, “Mr. Fletcher, you might want to spend the rest of your life figuring that one out.”

She showed Vincent around.

She showed him around the institute, which spanned 25,000 square feet with four floors, the first two floors were dedicated to experiments, and the third and fourth floors to data analysis)

They headed to Stephanie’s private lab on the second floor. After access was granted, they entered and the lab automatically. began sterilization.

Stephanie drew Vincent’s blood and placed seven tubes into various sophisticated machines for centrifugal analysis. Thanks to the advanced equipment, the results were ready in less than thirty minutes.

Studying the report, with arrows pointing in every direction, Stephanie noticed abnormalities in Vincent’s hemoglobin, neutrophil count, and lymphocyte levels. Under the microscope, she observed an unknown substance attacking his healthy

Stephanie thought this was what caused Vincent’s illness. Its attack was slow because of the medication, but she knew if left unchecked, it would viciously ravage normal cells, plunging Vincent into a state of uncontrollable madness.

She called Vincent over to view the source of his longstanding torment.

Vincent frowned and looked at the slow–moving thing swallowing his normal cells little by little, his lips forming a straight

line.

Stephanie said, “This is a virus, it needs to be injected directly into the bloodstream, not airborne. We need to develop an antidote. I suspect you were infected as a child, but it had been formant until recently. It must have been someone close to you who infected you. Think hard, was there anyone who had close contact with you?”

Vincent recalled, “There was a maid named Sandy who took care of me until I was six, then left the Fletcher residence after some family issues, After that, no one got close.”

Stephanie thought for a while, “Let’s investigate Sandy and see if we can find anything

Vincent nodded.

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Stephanie stored the blood samples carefully, opting not to involve others in analyzing the virus, knowing that the slightest mistake could be disastrous.

Leaving the institute, Stephanie and Vincent made their way to the Millennium Hotel.

As they pushed open the doors to their private room, everyone around the round table stood up.

Selena rushed over with tears in her eyes and hugged Stephanie lightly, “Stephie, you’re finally back!”

When Stephanie and Vincent left Jacaster, they told their family they had some business to handle overseas, and their families didn’t think much of it. However, the alarm bells started ringing when both went off the grid during their trip to Parasopolis. The Jimenez family and the Fletcher family grew anxious.

Until Vincent contacted two families during his hospitalization and reported that they were safe, he did not explain what had happened.

This morning. Vincent called the two families while Stephanie was sleeping and told them what had happened recently. After hearing this, the two families were both shocked and angry After all, Stephanie and Vincent kept such a big matter secret. If they talked about it, at least the two families would have someone to discuss it with.

Stephanie, smiling, wrapped her arms around Selena. “I missed you.”

Selena held onto Stephanie’s shoulders and looked at her. “Let me have a look at you, you’ve lost weight! You two are just too headstrong, not consulting us onhnything. Only after everything’s resolved you tell us. What do you think families are for?”

Even as Selena chided her, every word was laced with concern. Her long–lost daughter, whom she cherished and feared losing again, had returned.

“It’s fine, Mom. I’m all good. And the weight loss can pass off as adiet. Stephanie said, her eyes still smiling.

Annabelle and Ellen also gathered around. Ellen held Stephanie’s hand. I couldn’t care less about my boneheaded son, but you are precious. What if we had lost you, Stephie?

Stephanie grasped her hand back. “Me? Lost? Here I am, safe and sound in front of you.”

Vincent offered a gentle smile. “You do play favorites, Ellen. Without a son, where would you get Stephanie?”

Annabelle sighed, “Hearing about what you’ve gone through these past weeks from Vincent had us worried sick. From now on, whatever happens, let us know. We’ll face it together.”

Vincent nodded. “Okay”

Kevin called the family to dinner. “Let’s sit down to eat. You haven’t had much good food lately, so let’s make up for it today.” Stephanie added, “Vincent can only have liquid foods right now

Kenneth chuckled, “Don’t you worry, we’ve got all sorts of porridge ready. Kevin made sure of it

True to his word, when twelve different types of porridge were set in front of Vincent, he pursed his lips.

Sebastian, sitting beside him, said with a laugh, “Take your time enjoying the meal, Vincent

Vincent said with a smile, “Thank you, Dad

He looked at Matthew, Melvin, and Malcoln beside him. “It tastes good. Would you like to have a try?”

All three said in unison, “You go ahead and eat

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Vincent was silent.

Stephanie, unable to help herself, chuckled out of sympathy. She then turned to Selena. “Where’s Madeline?

Selena said, “Madeline went to pick up Christie and the others. Hearing that you were back, Christie went to the mountain to pray for blessings, but his car broke down halfway, Madeline happened to come back from the shooting not far away from that road section, so she went there to pick them up,”

“Blessing?” Stephanie glanced in the direction of Malcolm. Did Christina just pray for them? She was slightly skeptical.

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