Chapter 234: No Room for Negotiation
“I don’t care what anyone else thanks—I’m not settling
Her voice was firm, cold as ter
That sharp, unyielding energy made it impossible for anyone to even try bargaining with her.
‘Gemma‘
Bran’s heart ached.
He hadn’t expected her to go through so much in just a few days off.
I’m sorry, I should’ve looked out for you more.”
Gemma shot back. “And what about the women still in the hospital? How do you plan to make it up to them?”
Brian froze
One second, they were talking about something else; the next, she’d thrown this at him.
It took him a moment to catch up.
The chill in Gemma’s eyes was almost suffocating.
So, you never even thought about it. Which means the Read family didn’t either.”
She didn’t need to ask to know that Lucas had the Read family behind him.
In her mind, the’d already torn the real culprit to shreds.
But in reality, she had to wait for the law to take its course.
What truly disgusted her, though, was that the people responsible didn’t feel a shred of remorse.
Even the so–called ‘compensation‘ was just a ploy to reduce their sentences.
“Gemma, you’ve got it wrong.” Brian hurried to explain. “I had no idea Harvey would do something this horrible, and I definitely didn’t know you were one of the victims.”
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have come here at all. And I would’ve made sure Harvey paid for what he did.”
Gemma’s gaze didn’t waver.
“Well, now you do know. So tell me what’s the Read family going to do for the victims?”
Brian met her eyes and promised seriously,
“First, we’ll cover all medical expenses. We’ll make sure they get the best treatment. And once they’re stable, I’ll send someone to hear them out and do whatever we can to make things right.”
‘I don’t see Harvey as a brother–we’re barely even family. Honestly, we’re closer to enemies.”
“But at the end of the day, we’re both Reads. I can’t run from this. I have to take responsibility.”
Gemma nodded.
“Brian, I hope you mean what you say,”
This was big
When the media got hold of the story, it would explode.
The Read family would be ripped to shreds online.
But if they handled it properly, they might just survive the storm.
Deep down, she knew no amount of money could erase what had happened.
But at this point, getting proper compensation was the only way to secure the victims‘ future.
“Gemma does this mean you-
“Brian, as far as I’m concerned, this has nothing to do with you. I know exactly who’s to blame.”
Brian let out a quiet breath.
He’d been afraid this would ruin any chance he had of standing by her side.
Let me drive you back to the hospital?”
Gemma shook her head. “I have things to take care of first. You go on ahead–I’ll catch a cab later.”
Brian’s expression dimmed slightly.
But he could only watch as she walked away.
Gemma wasn’t wasting time worrying about whether Brian and Harvey were in it together.
Setting
1426
Chapter 274 No Room for Negotiation
She was waiting anxiously for news from Robin’s interrogation.
Just then, her phone buzzed with a message from Bradley
[You’re really pushing it. Fine Wait for me—I’ll bring them to you myself.]
Her heart nearly stopped
She reread the message at least ten times, making sure she hadn’t imagined it.
Then, she pushed him further.
[Big words. Pick a time and place, or it’s all just talk]
This time. Bradley took a long, long time to reply.
It wasn’t until Robin finished questioning his suspect and started walking back that a new message popped up.
(Three days Hospital.]
Gemma’s grip tightened around her phone.
Every nerve in her body tensed.
Robin gave her a light tap.
“What’s wrong‘ You okay?
Gemma snapped out of it.
She quickly masked her emotions. “Nothing. Just still wrapping my head around the fact that I’m not biologically related to them.”
Robin knew the situation, so she went with it.
It actually made the excuse more believable.
Robin sighed.
“Honestly? That’s probably a good thing for you.”
Gemma nodded.
“Guess you could say it’s a blessing in disguise.”
Robin chuckled and sat across from her.
He knew she cared about the case, so he’d tell her what he could.
“From what we’ve gathered, they were using fetuses to study our country’s genetic makeup–trying to develop a targeted virus.”
Gemma kept her head down. “People have been speculating about that for a while. It’s hardly a secret.”
When you see one flea on the surface, it means the whole garment is crawling with them.
By the time the truth starts circulating, the people behind it are already covered in filth.
Robin sighed.
“They realized this method had too many flaws–too many unintended casualties, even among their own people. So they started shifting gears.”
Gemma’s voice dropped.
“So.. they found another way?”
Robin rubbed his temples. He couldn’t spell it out, but he could hint at it.
“You remember how Aunt Evan died?”
Gemma’s heart clenched.
Evangeline had been researching genetic editing. Esapring Island had targeted her, but she refused to hand over her findings. That’s why she was
killed.
“If she had given up her research, they would’ve had the key to precise genetic targeting.”
A cold sweat broke out on Gemma’s back.
So that was the plan. Identify genetic sequences. Use them to launch targeted attacks.
People would grow weaker. Die off.
“Good thing we caught on in time.”
She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.
Mr. Gray had been one of their test subjects.
If she hadn’t been there to notice something was off, he would’ve died. And if they’d thought their experiment had succeeded, they would’ve
unleashed it on a massive scale.
Her intervention had shattered their illusion of success, forcing them back to the drawing board.
“That’s all I can tell you,” Robin said, standing up. “Cass is here. You should go.”
Setting
1426
Chapter 234 No Room for Negotiation
He gestured toward the window.
Cassius stood outside the police station, tall and striking as ever.
“Dr. Kelestine, real quick–when did you and Cass start… you know?”
Gemma blinked, clueless. “Start what?”
Robin gave her a long look, then sighed. Her acting skills were top–notch.
Fine.
If she wasn’t answering him, he’d just have to ask Cass himself. That would bring more fun.
