Chapter 1428


    Fate was unpredictable; Cooper certainly did not think that he’d have to go through a separation like


    this twice in this lifetime.


    Cade’s condition had taken a turn for the worse. There were no medical treatments or procedures that


    had proven effective thus far, and since GvHD was a rare disease, there was only a 0.01% risk of


    anyone developing it, but when they did, it was almost always fatal.


    Cooper tried tofort himself. He had money, and he would invest billions into research and


    development if it meant he coulde up with a miracle cure.


    He didn’t mind investing any amount of money if it meant he could save his son.


    In the meantime, Cade had arrived in Africa, whereupon he would be put to cryogenic sleep.


    It was uncertain as to whaty ahead of him.


    No one could tell what would happen after the cryopreservation. It would be ideal if he turned out to be


    the second Theo Fletcher, who had been put into a thirty-year-long cryogenic sleep, thereafter


    resurrected once they’d achieved technological advancement. Theo was living his best life now, and he


    experienced no side effects following the cryopreservation.


    But what was considered to be an ideal situation was now only wishful thinking.


    Upon hearing the news, Sophia and Linus flew over to Africa.


    They were surprised to find out that Callum and Cade were also Cooper’s biological children. In


    retrospect, Sophia understood why she could never hate the both of them, even though they’d stolen


    her baby alpaca and refused to return it.


    The family was now gathered in Michel Town in Africa.


    Sophia, Linus, Michael, and Carmen were all there, and they’d brought Louis along with them.


    This was the first time that Louis learned the truth behind Anna’s past, and along with that knowledge,


    he learned that Anna had another set of twins—a boy and a girl. However, he also discovered that


    Cade was about to be put into cryogenic sleep.


    Louis had further been informed that Cade’s condition was deteriorating, and it seemed that nothing


    could stop it from worsening. All medical treatments proved futile, and in the absence of a miracle drug,


    Cade didn’t have much time left. Cryopreservation was the only way to buy him time while they looked


    for a cure.


    Despair hung thick in the air as everyone staked out a spot in the treatment room.


    Carmen had pulled up a seat next to the bed, and her tiny hand sped around Cade’s big one, which


    had been poked through with needles. “I’m here to tell you that you’re qualified to be my uncle,


    and you will be my Uncle Cade from now onward. Promise me you’ll spoil me and go on ‘Let’s Go,


    Uncle!’ with me,” she said before she turned around and nced at Callum briefly. “Uncle Callum has


    promised me, so now, it’s your turn.”


    Cade nodded weakly. Over the course of a few days, he’d lost a significant amount of weight, and there


    was a green tinge to his skin. The disease was at its worst now, and the gunshot wound that Cade had


    sustained previously was now infected.


    It had only been a couple of days, but it was as though a skyscraper hade crashing down without


    warning, and no one saw iting.


    “I’ll go on the show with you when I recover.” Cade promised in abored voice. He sounded as if he


    barely had enough breath in him.


    “Pinky swear!” Carmen reached out and wrapped her pinky around Cade’s, her little face looking


    solemn, as if she was signing a very important contract. “Pinky swear. No going back.”


    Cade recited the words as he gazed at Carmen lovingly.


    Later, Michael brought Carmen out of the room after she’d given her Uncle Cade a hug.


    She was still far too young to learn about life and death.


    Before Michael left the room, he cast a nce toward Cade.


    There was a deep sadness in Cade’s eyes. He was still so young, in his mid twenties. He had yet to


    settle down with a family of his own, and he had so many more milestones to achieve in his career. All


    it took was an ident to rip all of these possibilities away from him.


    He had so many sentiments toward the world and his family. He didn’t want to die—he wanted to live,


    but he was only too aware of the fickleness of mortality.


    After Michael had left with Carmen, Sophia sidled up to the bed where Carmen had sat and began


    talking to Cade.


    It had been a while since Sophia found out that the Yard twins were her brothers, but what she didn’t


    know was that she shared the same pair of biological parents with them, too.


    “Sophia,” Cade called out. He was so weakened by the disease that he barely had enough strength to


    lift his hand. Sophia wrapped her hand around his, surprised to find that he had lost so much weight. It


    hadn’t been that long since theyst saw each other, but Sophia could feel his bones through the thin


    layer of skin. At this, she felt as if she’d been gutted.


    She nodded with tears in her eyes, saying, “I’m here.”


    Cade gazed at her with fondness and teased weakly, “I’ll give you back the alpaca I stole.”


    Sophia’s tears streamed past her cheekbones, and she choked as she spoke. “You don’t have to. You


    can keep the alpaca. It’s a gift.”


    She thought back to the time when she first met the twins. They shone so brightly then—a painfully


    stark contrast to how they were presently.


    Cade then turned his eyes to Linus and called out, “Linus.”


    Linus nodded in acknowledgment as tears filled his eyes. It turned out that they’d been brothers all


    along; it was no wonder that he had never been able to dislike the twins, and he had always felt drawn


    to them even back when he thought of them as Jordan’s kids.


    “Callum,” Cade called out now as his gaze fell upon his twin.


    Callum was his twin brother, and he felt what Cade felt. The pain and desperation that overcame him


    were those of Cade’s as well. He nodded in response, unable to say anything coherent as he sobbed


    silently.


    Finally, Cade turned to look at Anna and Cooper. “Mom, Dad…” he called out.


    Cooper walked over to the bedside and gently took Cade’s hand in his. “My boy, don’t be afraid. You’ll


    make it. I won’t give up on you.” He promised.


    This was more than enough to put a smile on Cade’s face.


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    Cooper’s throat tightened. Cade had be so weak that even when he mustered all his strength to


    hold Cooper’s hand, thetter still felt nothing.


    Tears were streaming down from the corners of Cade’s eyes as hey in bed, and as Anna wiped her


    son’s tears away, she felt as though someone had stabbed through her heart with a knife. She put up a


    brave front nheless, for she had to remain strong.


    “Dad, Mom, Sophia, Linus, Callum, Grandpa…” Cade uttered as he looked at every single one of them


    and managed a weak smile. “Promise me that you’ll all still be here when I wake up, okay?”


    Atst, Cade was transferred into the cryogenic chamber. Anaesthesia was used to put Cade into a


    deep sleep, followed by a special preservation procedure. The procedure would put a halt to his


    heartbeat, and the blood would stop circting in his body. He would be cryogenically suspended, but


    he would not die.


    By the end of it all, Cade was sessfully cryopreserved. The thought of this was heart-wrenching.


    Presently, Sophia sat with her brothers, all of them looking mournful, while Anna and Cooper went to


    find out if there had been any breakthrough with the cure.


    Theo had shown up as well, and was now carrying Carmen on his hip as he conversed with Louis.


    Louis had only just discovered the things that Anna had had to go through since her arrival at Johnson


    Family Vige. Much to his surprise, Linus and Sophia turned out to be Anna’s descendants; he was


    even more surprised to learn that Theo was still alive.


    Years ago, Louis visited Elizabeth, whereupon he met Theo for the first time. He was in his thirties, and


    decades had passed since then, but Theo still looked the same. Louis, on the other hand, was sporting


    a head full of grey hair.


    Time was a curious thing, indeed.


    Louis drew a long sigh while gazing at Theo, who looked much younger than Michael. He didn’t know


    what to say. Meanwhile, Carmen decided to call out for him sweetly. “Forefather!”


    “Hello, little one,” Louis responded affectionately while holding her little hand.


    Who could have thought that he and Theo would end up as inws? His granddaughter was married to


    Theo’s son, which meant he was now Carmen’s great-grandfather.


    He mused at the fact that Michael was his grandson-inw. Finally, his idol had be an official part


    of his family; this was too good to be true.


    Cade’s disease had brought this family together for the first time, but unfortunately, Cooper and Anna


    had made themselves scarce for the next couple of days.


    After all, saving Cade was their first priority.


    Sophia still hadn’t managed to get a word in with Anna, even on the day when she and Michael were


    about to return to Cethos.


    Having returned to Bayside City, Sophia was furious when she saw that Tiffany was still around. She


    was about to give the woman a piece of her mind when shocking news arrived.


    “What? Jordan found out that the Yard twins are not his biological sons? And he’s sent someone to go


    after them?”