Chapter 1481


    The Laurence family was up in arms, and it was Veronica who lit the fuse. She stormed into Yates’


    office with the fury of a hurricane, her voice echoing through the chambers like a gavel of justice. “You


    owe us an apology, Yates. You’ve crossed a line with Bernard’s chip imnt, and my family won’t stand


    for it,” she dered.


    With ke gone, Veronica had taken the reins of the old family estate, and she wasn’t about to let


    Yates off the hook easily. After discovering the invasive procedure Yates had performed on her brother,


    she rallied her brothers and set out for North Fund, where Yates resided.


    Yates had the means to quell the Laurence family’s wrath, but he chose to stay silent, knowing he was


    in the wrong. So, he took their verbalshings without a word of protest. Once they had made their


    presence felt at the Sharp family estate, Veronicaid down her terms, “I won’t demand a life for a life


    right now, Yates. What I want is for you to find a way to remove that chip from my brother’s brain, no


    matter what it takes… or else.”


    Her threat hung in the air, unspoken but clear as day, and Yates understood all too well. “I know an old


    surgeon, Dr. Moore, who’s quite skilled in neurosurgery. Let me bring him to assess Bernard’s condition


    before we make any promises, okay?”


    Veronica, arms crossed and back against the sofa, lifted her icy chin and replied coolly, “That chip is


    your doing, Yates. If your ‘old surgeon’ can’t remove it and heal my brother, then you better be


    prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice as atonement.”


    In other words, it was a promise or bust for the Laurences. United in their determination, they left Yates


    contemting his own family’s future, and finally, with a heavy heart, he agreed.


    Yates, now with Dr. Moore in tow, returned stateside, putting off a visit to his granddaughter Eleanor to


    attend to Bernard’s urgent situation first.


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    Bernard was a shell of a man, broken and spiritless, as doctors poked and prodded without eliciting


    even a twitch. He seemed to have lost all will to live, he seemed bereft of purpose.


    After examining Bernard’s condition, Dr. Moore shook his head at Yates in a silent signal of defeat.


    Yates nced at Veronica, “Miss Laurence, let me see my granddaughter and leave somest words


    for her. Then, I’ll return to fulfill my debt to you.”


    Veronica and her brothers were stunned. They’d expected Yates, with his medical connections, to do


    the impossible. To them, Bernard’s life mattered more than anything, and they realized Eleanor had


    married into a family that valued life as much as the Sharps did.


    Leaning on his cane, Yates approached Veronica with a look of regret. “The chip in Bernard’s brain isn’t


    just a small hindrance; it’s a lethal virus I developed, never intended for someone like him, Eleanor’s


    husband.”


    Veronica’s face flushed with anger. “Bernard is Eleanor’s husband, your granddaughter’s partner, and


    you’ve created something that could kill him? You’re heartless!”


    Yates epted his fate. “It was my team who imnted it, and for that, I am deeply sorry. Let me


    speak to Eleanor, and then… I will make amends.”


    With eyes zing, Veronica wanted tosh out at Yates but restrained herself, considering his


    rtionship with Eleanor. She turned her back on Yates, signaling her reluctant consent. Yates,


    understanding her gesture, left the room to find Eleanor.


    In Eleanor’s hospital room, she awoke to the sight of Hailey feeding a baby with a bottle. Confused,


    Eleanor furrowed her brow, “Hailey, whose child is that?”


    Relieved at Eleanor’s awakening, Hailey responded, “This is your child, Eleanor… It’s because of this


    little one that you’ve been unconscious for so long…”


    Eleanor’s gaze shifted from Hailey to the chubby-cheeked infant. “Are you telling me… I risked my life


    to bring him into the world?”


    Her disbelief was evident. She loved Garett, but not to the extent of sacrificing her life. Now, it seemed,


    she had loved Bernard enough to bear his child at great peril to herself.


    Hailey sighed, seeing Eleanor’s incredulity. “Eleanor, it’s because of this baby that you suffered


    amnesia and forgot all about Bernard.”


    In the end, it all traced back to ke’s scheme. If only he had spoken sooner, two people so in love


    could have had a simpler life. Now, one was grappling with memory loss, and the other was facing


    death.