NovelApp
Chapter 152
At the corner of a long table in the dining hall, Dr. Dylan Felch was admiring an extremely rare celadon
vase Andy had brought over. The colors of the vase were striking, and the details exquisite. As an avid
antique collector, Dr. Dylan was completely mesmerized, unable to take his eyes off the vase.
“Andy, this is an absolute beauty!" Dr. Dylan exclaimed in awe. "Look at the glazing, and the
workmanship!”
“Dr. Felch, it’s yours if you like it. We’re both men of science after all, and we work for the same boss.
I’ll have plenty of favors to ask from you in the future,” Andy was straight to the point.
Although Dylan was indeed captivated by the vase, he was not one to easily make friends or promise
favors. However, Andy’s words did remind him that they do in fact work for the same people. He was
old buddies with Noah, Andy worked for Madeline, and Noah and Madeline were practically family!
Hmm, there was no harm in accepting a gift like that, was there?
“You're too polite, Andy! As you said, we're practically family! I’ll accept this vase as a token of your
friendship. Please feel free to visit my lab whenever you can!” Dylan said.
“Sure thing!” Andy smiled back. “Any friend of Madeline is a friend of mine! Please come and visit me at
my hospital any time, buddy!”
“Of course, of course!” Dylan replied cheerfully as he put the vase back into its casing. The two doctors
then began engaging in conversation about current medical issues and advances. However, as they
were chatting, Dylan felt an ominous chill down his spine, as if someone was observing him from
behind. As he turned his head around, he came right into contact with Elise Lambert’s face, giving him
the fright of his life!
“You… what sorcery is this?!” Dylan clasped his hand to his heart.
“Oh, just a little mugwort and salt,” Elise played along. She planted one leg on the chair next to him,
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtlike Napoleon the conqueror.
“Oh? Can I call for help then?” Dylan teased the pretty lady now that his shock had subsided.
“Sure, but I’m not sure if anyone would come to your rescue even if you shout at the top of your
lungs…” Elise told him.
“Mr. Quincy, save me!” Dylan feigned a terrified expression as he yelled for Noah as loud as he could,
causing a scene at the restaurant. He even paused to take a sip of water before continuing the ruckus.
Obviously, Noah Quincy was not around to rescue him.
“Hmm, it seems like there’s no one coming to save me,” Dylan finally relented after a while. “I suppose
I’m your prisoner now. May I know where are you taking me? I’ll have you know I may not look like it,
but my body is too weak to travel long distances…” Dylan tried another trick.
“Wa ha ha ha! Maddie, you were right! This guy is such a weirdo, I love it!” Elise laughed raucously as
she assessed the man in front of her. She then stepped aside to reveal Madeline Grant standing
behind her. Dylan was rather pleased with himself for being able to make the pretty lady laugh.
“Maddie, I was right! He’s definitely not the person wearing the pants in a relationship!” Elise
commented, still breathless from laughing too hard. Her voice was not loud, but loud enough for Dylan
to overhear. The color drained from his face as he considered Elise’s impression of him.
Madeline was flustered too as she had not seen this coming. Madeline sighed to herself as she
scanned the room for Noah and spotted him entering the dining hall from the patio, his expression dark
and stormy. Elise never knew when to keep her mouth shut!
“Elise, I just remembered I left my phone in the restroom!” Madeline told Elise, coming up with any
excuse she could use to escape.
“Oh? Aren’t you holding your phone in your hand right there? Silly you!” Elise pointed out, completely
oblivious of the looming danger ahead. Madeline ignored her, hastily turning away toward the staircase,
taking two steps at a time.
“Noah! These ladies here are giving me a hard time!” Dylan protested. Noah ignored him, walking
briskly toward the staircase. Before he took the stairs up, he gave Dylan a death stare, an unspoken
warning for him not to follow him upstairs. Dylan wiped at his nonexistent tears and looked at Elise
hurtfully. In the end, he gave Andy a full hug, seeking comfort from the man who had been watching the
drama unfold this whole time.
“Look at them bullying me, Andy! You can never win against women…” he muttered to a blushing Andy.
Upstairs, Madeline thought she had averted a disaster as she found her way into the restroom and
locked the door. She figured she could wait in here until dinner was served and usher everyone back
home immediately once dinner was over. Satisfied with her plan, she sat on the toilet bowl and
mindlessly scrolled through her phone. Suddenly, her phone pinged with a text message.
It was from Noah! “How long do you intend to hide in there?” the message read. On Noah’s end, he
saw a blue tick, indicating the message had been read but Madeline did not reply to it.
“If you don’t come out, I’m going in!” Noah threatened out loud as he stood in front of the restroom.
Madeline was in the midst of calculating her odds of survival if she stayed silent and pretended she
was not in the restroom when Noah started twisting the doorknob. Even though she was not actually
using the toilet, her heart still jumped at the rattling sound of the doorknob turning.
“Don’t!” she yelped. “I’m coming out!” She quickly stood up and opened the door, but there was no one
to be seen except a little wooden box hanging on the doorknob. Curiosity got the better of her as she
opened up the box, only to find a tiny glass container with some kind of salve in it. Madeline carefully
pulled out a small strip of paper lodged underneath the container.
“It’s an anti-scar remedy, one of Dylan’s prized treasures. Keep it to yourself,” the message wrote. It
was a simple one-liner that felt stern yet gentle, something only Noah managed to pull off. He even
ended the message with a barely discernable smiley face. Madeline was willing to bet the little brat
Thomas had put him up to this!
Her heart felt warm and fuzzy as she picked up the little container and opened the lid. Hmm, this smells
familiar… she thought as she took a whiff of the salve inside. Wait, it could not possibly be… the very
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmrare and expensive premium anti-scar remedy popularly known as Mermaid’s Tears? ‘Mermaid’s Tears’
was a substance formulated during the olden days by an ancient royal tribe to preserve their youth, but
the tribe disappeared as the years went by, leaving only one tiny vial of this coveted elixir behind. Three
years ago in New York, an anonymous bidder spent $88 billion on this vial at an auction. Could that
anonymous bidder be Dylan Felch…? Madeline wondered. Or was that douchebag Noah Quincy using
him as his front?
What a childish man! Madeline scoffed internally. Doing something sweet and leaving anonymous
messages… Does he think he’s five? Nonetheless, she still kept the container in the box carefully and
put it into a safe in the restroom. She did not want to accept gestures from Noah so easily, but it was
difficult to completely disregard his effort, especially considering the price tag. She took out her phone,
thinking to send Noah a message, but her fingers lingered on the keypad as she could not find the
words. At long last, she decided she would gift him a present of equal value, so she would not be
indebted to him. Pleased with her decision, she kept her phone and hurried downstairs.
Downstairs at the dining hall, Albert and Andy had prepared dinner and everyone had gathered around
the dining table, awaiting Madeline’s arrival.
“Mommy, come down quick!”
“Maddie, come sit here!”
“No, Maddie should sit with us!”
“She’s my wife, of course she’s sitting next to me.”
As Madeline took in the convivial scene in front of her, she realized this was exactly what she had been
dreaming of; to be surrounded by her family, friends, children, and her lover as they laughed and dined.
It was like a happy ending scene out of a children’s book, where the prince and princess got to live
happily ever after.
Filled with love and joy, she tried to take a mental photograph of this beautiful memory, not wanting to
ever forget this moment. Suddenly, she felt a burning hot sensation on her cheeks. Reaching a hand to
touch her cheek, she was shocked to find hot, warm blood coating her fingers. Before she could open
her mouth to scream for help, her world began to turn pitch black as she rapidly lost consciousness.
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