I felt my heart sink when I saw him like this. I wasn’t sure exactly what happened back then but it was clear that Edward fully med himself for it.


    “Edward…” I whispered his name.


    “Back then, I could sense that something was wrong and that your father was hiding something. But the young teenager that I was back then couldn’t do anything to help him. He wouldn’t even tell me what was going on. Even when he gave me the ck envelop, he still didn’t tell me,” Edward said with frustration.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    “Edward…it’s not your fault,” I said, meaning every word.


    “No, Natalia. It was my fault…” Edward voice cracked, and I realized for the first time that he was silently crying.


    His hand squeezed mine tightly as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. His green eyes felt like they were shades darker than they normally were. At first, I thought Edward was just sad but when his eyes met mine, I knew I was wrong.


    He wasn’t just sad; he was very furious.


    “It wasn’t long after that your father died. To be precise, he was erased. He was killed…murdered,” Edward stated factually.


    “My father was murdered…” I repeated in shock. I was already quite certain that he was probably killed but to hear it confirmed made me feel sick.


    “Back then, I just lost it. I felt helpless and I felt responsible,” Edward said with a troubled sigh.


    “Edward, it’s not your fault…” I repeated.


    “It was my fault. I didn’t even know why my friend had to die. I wanted to know…and the only way to find out was to return to the Rosenhall family and that was exactly what I did. When I had enough achievements and influence, I returned to that goddamned family. Just so I could find out why my friend had to die…” Edward spat; his voice so malicious that he was scaring me.


    “After I had disappeared from the family and went into hiding, this ce was transformed into ab that did all the dirty work for thepany to get ahead,” Edward said passively.


    “What do you mean?” I asked, my eyes narrowing suspiciously.


    “What’s one of the biggest factors that determine a pharmaceuticalpany’spetitiveness? Time to market. You have to be the first tounch a drug. So, how do you do that?” Edward asked rhetorically.


    “You must haverge teams of R&D and a streamlined process,” I replied based on what Edward had taught me.


    “Correct. That, or you just cut corners,” Edward said as he squeezed my hand.


    “What do you mean?” I found myself asking this same question repeatedly as I struggled to keep up.


    “Illegal human trials, Natalia. That was what thisb was used for, and your father was forced to shoulder the burden of all of it,” Edward said emotionlessly as he revealed the truth.


    “It can’t be…” I gasped in shock. Human trials…illegal human trials.


    “This building always had an undergroundboratory; however, after it was decided that illegal human trials would be conducted here, the whole building was shut down and abandoned so that no one would evere here ever again. While the undergroundb continued to function, well-hidden underground,” Edward said with narrowed eyes.


    I felt like I was going to faint. My father was forced to lead studies involving illegal human clinical trials. Was that why thepany was so sessful?


    “It can’t be…why would he do that?” I asked as I still found it hard to believe.


    “I don’t know the whole truth, but I am at least partly to me. I found outter that the family had figured out that he was hiding me and used that against him,” Edward said regretfully.


    So, Edward returned to the Rosenhall family to find out the truth behind my father’s death. What about the illegal trials and thisb?


    “But…thisb is no longer in use…” I voiced my thought.


    “That’s right. It’s been this way for over ten years now…at least, I made sure of that,” Edward replied as he patted the top of my head softly and reassuringly.


    “You stopped it?” I asked.


    “Yes. In exchange for heading thepany’s research and producing the same results, I was able to negotiate and bring a close to thisb and an end to all illegal trials,” Edward said with a sigh. I lost count of how many times I’ve heard him sigh like that today.


    So that was why thisb had been abandoned with the rest of the building. I looked around theb now with a new pair of eyes. So many hical things took ce in this ce.


    “So, who is the one behind all of this?” I asked as anger took over me.


    “I’m not sure and there’s no proof…but I have a good guess,” Edward replied, his face serious.


    “Who is it?” I asked again.


    “I can’t tell you…but perhaps Zak can,” Edward said after taking a moment to think it over.


    “Zak?” I asked, clearly surprised. How was Zak involved in all of this?


    “We should go…there’s nothing more for you or me here,” Edward said as he suddenly got up from the sofa.


    I watched as Edward got up before cing a hand over his eyes. The stress and strain must be catching up to him. I got up and was beside him in a sh, supporting his body by wrapping my arm around his back.


    “Edward…are you ok? Your face looks pale,” I said worriedly as I stared up at his face.


    “I’m…ok,” Edward whispered stubbornly.


    “I don’t think so. Please sit back down and rest…we don’t need to rush,” I said as I clutched tighter on his arm.


    “You sit down first,” Edward said gesturing to where he wanted me to sit with his hand.


    I looked at him in confusion but decided to do as he said before he might faint right in front of my eyes. I quickly sat down on the sofa. Edward slowly walked back to the sofa before sitting down a little away from me.


    Suddenly, Edward’s head was on myp as hey down on the sofa.


    “Edward?” I called out his name softly as I blinked rapidly in slight confusion.


    “Let me rest here for a while…” Edward said against myp as he buried his face into the flesh of my thighs. His arms circled my waist to hug me closer to him.


    I smiled a little as I looked down at him from above. I have never seen Edward act so clingy, and it was a cute and refreshing change.


    “You must be so tired…” I said as I stroked his hair softly.


    “No, I’m not…” Edward retorted stubbornly but with a smile.


    I watched silently until he fell into a sleep that I hoped was peaceful.


    –To be continued…