Dark Revenge Of An Unwanted Wife: The Twins Are Not Yours! - Chapter 435

Chapter 435: Dejection

Athena sank into one of the tall stools, shoulders hunched, lips pressed firm in a thin line, tears burning behind her eyelids, fists splaying weakly on her thighs.

A picture of frustration and dejection she was. Not to be blamed, for she had exhausted her options to work with the drug—every possible solution, every possible combination—and yet nothing had come through.

No breakthrough. No progress. No cure.

The whatever fulfillment she had felt the last time she had worked in the lab had vanished with every ticking minute as she worked on the solution, with every ounce of realization that sank in that she wasn’t aware of what she was working with. That she might have thanked the stars too soon.

A deep sigh escaped her lips—one of sorrow, of abject sorrow. A tear slipped past; she didn’t bother to wipe it off.

What happens now? Something was missing from the solution, some step, but she couldn’t pinpoint it.

She had made calls to a couple of doctors and scientists in her field; they had no idea what she was talking about. They were just even hearing of the variant from her lips.

From the gasps that had escaped their mouths when she talked about the matter, she considered—even regretted—that she shouldn’t have let them know, shouldn’t have made the call, not trusting that they would keep it close to their hearts and not spread the word.

But did she even have a choice?

What had the evil twins done? Was the quest for money so great? What solutions had they mixed to come up with this evil concoction?

She ruffled her hair violently, cussing out loud, her foot stamping on the floor with a sharp thud. What could she do?

Depression was setting in; she could feel the cloud rolling in. But she knew that letting the emotion win was tantamount to throwing in the towel, and she couldn’t—not with Ewan bearing the burdens of Kael and the rest.

“Ewan…” muttering his name brought some sort of unconscious relief to her. She hadn’t known when she had called him Iron Shoulder, didn’t know he had graduated to that term of endearment which referred to someone who always comforts, whose shoulder is always open.

A barely-there smile grazed her lips when she remembered the look on his face; he hadn’t understood the meaning of the term.

Good, they had been alone. She mused that an outsider like Chelsea wouldn’t have let her hear the end of it.

What to do? Her mind returned to the matter at hand. What to do? Which call should she make next? Should she call the twins?

She barked a disbelieving, bitter laugh. Call the twins? They would laugh her to scorn!

Then her eyes found the second vial she had come to the lab with—Spider’s bloodwork. That was another solution she wasn’t sure of, and didn’t know what to make of it.

The constituents too were strange, stranger because she wasn’t sure how Spider had survived having them as a whole in his body. Just one of those constituents was enough to kill a person.

Maybe she should call her fellow in the black market. She decided, getting to her feet. Maybe he would have answers ready for her. That was the only way forward—hope.

When she picked her phone from the table closest to the library space, she saw a message from an unknown number. Deciding to check it later, she called the fellow whom she had sent details to just two hours ago.

“Nez, any updates with what I sent you?”

The fellow on the other end cleared his throat first before speaking. “Not really. The constituents… I have not seen them, but I have heard rumours of it, especially the one you say is poison. I wouldn’t have believed it, but for your call…”

Athena frowned. “And why is that?”

“There are claims that it is made for a certain kind of special people. To subdue them or something… do you believe in the supernatural, Anth?”

Athena’s frown deepened. What nonsense was her friend talking about? “Nez, this is not the time for jokes.”

Nez laughed softly. “Join the bandwagon. If whoever is poisoned is still alive, you should let me know… I would want to confirm the rumours.”

Athena kissed her teeth sharply. She had no time for this. She would work on Spider’s stuff herself. “What about the other one? Any more rumours?”

“Well…” a pause, one that had Athena holding her breath. “There are also rumours about it, but I haven’t confirmed or seen it. The rumour is about a new virus coming to town or something. I don’t know who’s behind it though…”

Athena released a curse before she could help it. “What the hell are you doing then, Nez?! Of what use is your position?!”

A pause on the other end again.

Athena was so beyond pissed that she ended the call without waiting for the fading away of the pause. Her last hope had been quenched.

More tears slipped from the confines of her eyes as she slipped into a single sofa. She bowed her head, holding it in the hollow of her hands, elbows digging into her thighs.

How does she get past this in the limited time?

The first time the grey virus had made an appearance, the pressure had been less because there was no spotlight on her. But this was different.

Already she had received more than fifty calls from doctors and nurses alike in Whitman’s hospitals. Fear wouldn’t let her check if they were all from the Whitman’s hospital where she worked at, or in other branches.

Was the virus already spreading?

More than seven hours of working here, and she had nothing to show for it.

Her phone vibrated then. She lifted her head to peer at the screen. Aiden.

“Hey…” she muttered, zeal to speak, to know the current state of things, very low—low enough to be heard by her older friend.

“What is going on, Athena?” Aiden demanded softly after a few beats had gone past, his concern seeping through the phone. “Is it the news at the hospital… you don’t have to…”

“Aiden, there’s no hope.” She interrupted, confessing her truth. “I don’t think I can fix this one.”