“Christina, drop the act! I’m going to take care of my husband’s infection. You’ve already been infected, and you’re on your own now!”
At first, Roxanne was reluctant to speak out, but then she came to the realization that Christina was still intent on threatening Lucian even though she would be meeting her doom soon. Her eyes conveyed a look of compassion as she reminded Christina of the situation.
What a foolish woman! In spite of the dire circumstances, Christina still managed to show a coy, contemptuous grin and firmly shook her head. “No way. You may be skilled, but you can’t expect to develop a vaccine in such a short amount of time. If you want to make it out of this alive, you’ll have to use me as a bargaining chip to get the vaccine from Mr. Goldstein.”
Madilyn couldn’t hold it in any longer. She snorted icily and declared, “Ha! I knew you wouldn’t believe it. I mean, look at us. We’re both perfectly calm, aren’t we? You should really think carefully before jumping to any conclusions.”
Christina was taken aback to hear that. She quickly raked her gaze over the three of them. Shaking her head profusely, she insisted, “No, that’s impossible. There’s no way you could’ve done that! Even if the vaccine is flown in from Moranta, it won’t arrive in three hours. You’re just trying to delay time!”
“Delay? “Do you honestly believe that I would permit someone else to dictate terms to me and direct the course of my life?” Lucian’s voice was laced with icy contempt.
Christina refused to believe either Roxanne or Madilyn, but Lucian’s words made her break down instantly. Lucian exuded confidence, and he made sure that anything he said was achievable.
Roxanne is capable of creating a vaccine! Astonishment struck her, and her heart was torn between a feeling of intense anger and an unwillingness to accept the situation.
“It is clear that you are of no value to us,” Lucian said in a level-headed manner, “and I am not going to let you go this time.”
“No! How did you do that, Roxanne? How could you possibly achieve that?” Lucian’s words had sealed Christina’s destiny. However, she still refused to give up and fixed her gaze on Roxanne stubbornly.
Madilyn shook her head and revealed, “Oh, I feel
so sorry for you. We don’t need to get the vaccine delivered from Moranta. As long as we know the production method, Roxanne’s research institute has all the resources and capability to produce it. That will take less than three hours. It’s time for you to give up now!”
At the same time, Roxanne’s phone rang. It was a call from Peregrine, so she answered it instantly. “Roxanne, the vaccine is ready. It will be delivered to the hospital soon. How are you doing? Your condition didn’t worsen, did it?” Peregrine sounded concerned.
“We’re fine. You may deliver the vaccine here, but there’s no rush. Safety comes first,” Roxanne instructed briefly before cutting the line. She then gave Lucian and Madilyn a firm nod.
“That’s quick. It has only been over an hour!” Madilyn relaxed as she gave Christina an amused look. “Hear that, Christina? The vaccine is ready! Do you still not trust us?”
Christina was shocked by the news that she froze. It was as if she had just been struck by lightning. She didn’t know how to react to that piece of information.
After what felt like an eternity, but only thirty. seconds later, she slowly came to her senses and started to tremble uncontrollably. Her body felt so weak she could not even stand up and instead slumped against the wall, crouching down in the fetal position.
In a daze, she started muttering to herself. “I admit defeat. I’ve lost! In the end, I fail to avenge myself. Roxanne, I despise you! I curse you every day, but why are you so lucky? Roxanne, you should rot in hell!”
A few seconds later, she found herself overwhelmed by an intense, sudden surge of emotion and jumped up to lunge at Roxanne.
