?Chapter 495 He Has No Regrets
Upon leaving Katie and Abel behind, Mitchel embraced a flood of relief. Despite Raegan''s faith in him, difort gnawed at him over the strategies Katie had employed. Yet, with the truth he had justid bare, he could finally face Raegan and Janey with an easy mind.
"Mr. Dixon, where to next?" Matteo inquired, settled behind the wheel.
A quick nce at the verdant canopy and pristine avenues brought a lightness to Mitchel''s mood. With a faint smile, he suggested, "Crescent."
The time hade to reconnect with the one Mitchel longed for.
Before long, they arrived, and Matteo brought the car to a stop at the destination.
Mitchel''s hand paused on the seatbelt as his phone interrupted the moment. Luis was on the other end.
Anticipating a casual call, Mitchel dismissed it, only to see Luis name sh again. "Yes?" he answered on the second ring. Luis'' grave tone met Mitchel. "Theb results came through."
Mitchel''s brow furrowed. "What results?" he probed.
*The blood analysis my overseas contact conducted while youy unconscious the other day," Luis exined.
A beat passed. "And?'' Mitchel pressed.
With earnest gravity, Luis revealed, "You were administered a virus known as ''Mutant.'' It was smuggled out and sold by someone from Swynborough''s bio-research sector. Only two pairs exist worldwide, and there''s no antidote."
A sharp intake of breath from Mitchel as he processed this. "You''re saying there are only two pairs, and I was injected with one?"
Luis''s surprise at Mitchel''s level-headed reaction was palpable. While panic would have been the norm, Mitchel was astute enough totch onto a vital piece of the conversation.
"Yes, ''Mutant'' is given in twos," Luis shared.
Luis continued to rify that the creators of "Mutant" had found a single dose to be benign. Only with a second injection would the real trouble start, triggering the mutation.
Mitchel digested this with a flicker of relief. "So Lauren''s single injection hasn''t put me in immediate danger?" "That''s correct."
Mitchel contemted this revtion in silence, his mind racing.
After a pause, Luis cautioned Mitchel to stay vignt. For now, Lauren was out of the picture, ted for her fate in mere days.
Mitchel then probed the more pressing issue. "How did Lauren get ess to such a virus?"
Such a thing was beyond the reach of Swynborough''s fortifiedbs, certainly beyond the strength of the Murray family. Luis admitted his ongoing probe but disclosed that one pair of "Mutant" was with the Maxwells on Aurora.
The mention of the Maxwell lineage brought a darker shadow to Mitchel''s expression. Agitationced his next words. "If the second injection finds me, what''s my timeline?"
There was reluctance in Luis''s voice, an urging toward Mitchel''s self-preservation, but Mitchel was adamant. "The full truth. I have to know," he insisted with gravity.
Luis'' voice carried a soft but grave note. "Three months."
The words hung in the air as Mitchel repeated them, seeking confirmation.
Luis borated that "Mutant" unfolded in distinct phases. Initially, the substance melded and interacted internally without apparent harm. But as the weeks passed, the inflicted person''s strength dwindled, their ability to walk slipped away, and muscles wasted away. By the third stage, confinement to a bed was inevitable, leaving nothing but a fragile shell of once robust vitality.
The mind behind "Mutant" had a twisted vision, crafting a demise that would force the afflicted to witness their own decay.
Often, the grip of helplessness gripped so tight that it drove the tormented to contemte a premature end to their anguish.
In the quiet that followed, Luis sought to imbue a sense of calm. "The tests indicate just a single dose in your system. The second has not found its way into you. And I''m on the trail of the mind that birthed this malice. Should we discern its makeup, hope for a cure is not lost..."
Before Luis could outline further ns, Mitchel cut in with a heavymand, "Keep Raegan in the dark about this."
A silence fell, with Luis lost momentarily in thought. Despite the weight of his revtion, Mitchel''s concerns were singrly fixed on Raegan.
"Raegan should be braced for what''s toe..." Luis suggested tentatively.
"No," Mitchel interjected firmly, his voice ice over the line. "I don''t want to burden her with worry."
"Okay, but..." Luis began but stopped mid-sentence, realizing the futility of his hopeful musings.
With brotherly conviction, Luis assured, ''Forget it. You''re going to pull through. I''ve got your back."
As Mitchel''s call ended, Matteo remained by the car, patiently awaiting Mitchel''s next move.
Mitchel''s gaze locked onto the vivid insignia of Crescent, lost in thought until finally, he broke the silence. "Let''s go to the office."
The tasks ahead dawned on Mitchel, an overwhelming tide of duty.
In a change of scene, Katie found sce in Luciana''s ce, her eyes brimming as she confided in Luciana about Mitchel''s coldness.
Lucianaforted, "Katie, don''t fret. I''m here, and I trust you wholeheartedly. I acknowledge your baby."
Thefort found in Luciana''s words bolstered Katie''s resolve, her attentiveness to Luciana growing.
In the quiet introspection that followed, Katie couldn''t help butment her ploy that had led to Luciana''s fall, all designed
to lure Mitchel back. After all, Luciana''s unguarded trust was far more pliable than Mitchel''s guarded nature.
As the evening waned and conversation with Luciana dwindled, Katie''s phone stirred to life with a buzz. Masking her emotions, Katie handed Luciana the medication with a cheerful guise. "Luciana, your medicine''s ready."
With a warm smile, Luciana epted and drank with Katie''s gaze firmly upon her.
Once Luciana wasfortably nestled in bed, Katie gently urged, "Time to sleep."
Luciana''s slumber was swift, as it always was.
Katie observed the rhythm of Luciana''s breathing for a moment before retrieving her phone, stepping quietly to the door. "How did it go?" she inquired.
Abel, his voice shaking, barely audible over the line, was a mess of wounds and blood. "Miss, I''vepleted the task."
A satisfied hum escaped Katie as she air-dried her freshly painted nails. "Nicely done. And Lauren''s condition?"
"She''s stable. I''ve administered her dose," Abel responded.
"Good. End the call now," Katie directed crisply.
But Abel hesitated, his voiceced with an earnest confession. "Miss, I must tell you about this. I hold you in high regard. It was your gaze during the fight that spurred me on. My only wish is for your continued happiness..."
Though only hearing his voice, Katie sensed the gravity of Abel''s injuries.
Abel pressed on his wound, speaking slowly. "Regarding that night, it''s all my fault. Please don''t hate me. If only I had exercised more control..." His remorse was palpable even through the phone.
"Abel, you''re forgiven. Yet, there''s something you must do," Katie replied, her tone t.
Grasping her cue and the gravity of the moment, Abel simply nodded. "I''m aware."
With a bitter smile, Abel grasped a vial of potent fluid and doused himself with it.
The agony that tore through him was immediate, as if he were a torch aze. Choosing such an end was beyond imagination for anyone given a choice.
His heart, though, was beyond repair, the point of no return had been crossed.
Abel''s voice was resigned,ced with a final plea. "Miss, my time of aid has passed. Regarding our child, please bring it to the world...''
Abel knew Katie lied, but still, he clung to a slender thread of hope. He had no regrets.
"I promise you. Go ahead with your work, Abel," Katie reassured softly.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
"Understood, Abel replied, a short, solemn eptance.
The pursuers were upon Abel now. Commands rang out, sharp and cold. "Freeze, hands up!"
Abel met his fate with a resigned smirk. In an instant, azure mes wrapped around him, and he was swept into an eerie spectacle of cobaltbustion.