Chapter 15 Am I a Fool?

• "Where… where did you get that?" Kyle stared at the box in disbelief. The surge of rage hit him square in the chest, leaving him out of breath.
• Kyle seethed inwardly. How is it possible for Ian to get an entire box of anti-C5 monoclonal antibodies? Not only is possession of the drug extremely rare, but that box can easily cost a million dollars. Most families can’t afford such a high price. It's difficult to believe, but Ivan has indeed obtained a box of the drug in a single night. Seems like the man’s background may not be that simple after all…
• Kyle's gaze was drawn to Rosie, whose beauty captivated him. His competitive spirit was suddenly awoken. He shot the doctor a signal before instructing, “The patient has managed to obtain a box of anti-C5 monoclonal antibodies. Administer it for him.”
• The doctor walked over to Ian and said, “You can pass the drugs to me. To administer the injection, we will need to use a unique technique. Furthermore, the drugs must be stored at a cool temperature, or they will lose their effectiveness.”
• “All right, thanks for the help.” Ian handed the box of medication to the doctor without hesitation. He then glanced at Kyle and said coldly, “Why are you still standing here? Are you planning to apologize to me?”
• Kyle replied spitefully before heading back to his office, “Let's see who gets the last laugh!”
• Rosie heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Ian. “Was the drug given by Mr. Ashford?”
• Ian nodded his head and replied, “Yeah. He said that one vial can last for six months. The box has six vials. Wilhelm should be fine for the next three years. The medical field is advancing so rapidly, and I’m sure they will find a cure by then.”
• “Thank you so much, Ivan.” Rosie was touched by the man’s efforts to save her father. Her opinion of Ian changed drastically after spending two days with him. He was no longer the foolish husband he used to be. The car accident seemed to have caused Ian to return to normal.
• Ian chuckled and said, “Haha, it’s only right for me to care for Wilhelm. We are a family after all.”
• Rosie blushed as Ian took her small, soft hands in his. She could feel butterflies in her stomach as she struggled to overcome her shyness. After a short while, she drew her hand back and muttered, “I’ll check on Dad.”
• Ian smiled and said gently, “Let’s head in together.” He was beginning to see signs of hope in their relationship. Rosie was willing to take his hand in hers. It was only a matter of time before they kissed and began a sexual relationship. The man could not help but grin to himself as he followed Rosie to the ward.
• Rosie and Ian were pleased to see Wilhelm sitting on his bed, visibly energized. It seemed like the drug was truly effective. The elderly man was relieved but concerned that they had spent a fortune on his illness. Hence, he queried, “Ivan, Rosie, how much did you spend on the drug?”
• Even though Wilhelm held the position of Deputy Director, he did not command a high salary as his persistent ill health had caused him to be in a semi-retired state. In addition, a large part of his salary was often spent on purchasing medications. As a result, aside from the villa he owned, he had little savings left. Wilhelm was afraid that he would not be able to pay his hospital bills.
• “Don’t worry, Dad. It wasn’t very expensive. Please focus on your recovery and leave the other matters to Ian and me.” When Rosie looked at Ian, she felt a surge of warmth in her heart. He was more appealing to her than ever before.
• “What a relief! All’s good then.” Wilhelm was ecstatic when he noticed his daughter's gaze on Ian had changed.
• After a short while, Margaret entered the ward with a bag of nutritious food, interrupting the trio's lively conversation. Rosie decided to head back to the police station to finish her work while Ian planned to continue scavenging for rare metals to fix the cauldron. He expected that it would take approximately one month to source adequate rare metals. Rosie and Ian were able to leave the hospital in peace because they knew that Margaret would take good care of Wilhelm.
• Rosie turned to ask Ian when they exited the car park. “Are you heading home? I’m late for work. Why don’t you hail a cab back home? Keep this credit card with you. I’ll deposit the 5 million dollars in here once I received it.” She was willing to split her salary with Ian because she was prepared to spend the rest of her life with him. Given that the man was jobless and penniless, she had decided to gift him a credit card for his expenses.
• “Thank you, Honey.” Ian was moved by Rosie’s thoughtfulness. He peered at her smooth contoured face and luscious ruby lips that glistened in the sunlight. He longed to kiss her passionately on the lip.
• Rosie seemed to have guessed Ian’s thoughts. She glared at the man and warned, “Don’t push your luck. Get home and have a good rest.”
• “Drive safely, Honey.” Ian knew it was best to take things slowly with Rosie. Hence, he alighted the car and smiled widely as he waved her goodbye.
• When Rosie was finally out of sight, Ian headed to the nearby bank and withdrew a few thousand dollars. He was planning to return to the junkyard to seek rare metals. As he was making his way there, someone called him from behind, “Stop right there, liar!”
• Ian heard the familiar voice and turned around to see Cindy. She was wearing a plain white dress that elegantly emphasized the curves of her body. Her face was twisted in anger as she snapped at Ian, “I've been looking for you the whole afternoon.”
• “What’s the matter?” Ian rubbed his hand through his hair feeling confused.
• “Hmph! Follow me!” Cindy grabbed Ian’s arm and pulled him across the road. She released her grip when they arrived at a quiet corner in the park. “Do you think I’m a fool, Ian?”
• “No.” Ian shook his head, puzzled by her sudden outburst.
• “My dad thinks I’m a fool. Not only that, he thinks that everyone around me is a fool. He insisted that I skip school for a month so that I could see a psychiatrist. Why won’t they believe me?" Cindy was fighting back her tears as she ranted about the injustice of her life.
• Ian was afraid of seeing women cry. He furrowed his brows and said sheepishly, "What's that got to do with me?"
• "It's all your fault. Why won't you admit that you killed a wolf with a tree branch? It was also you and not Keith who killed the three kidnappers. Everyone is saying that I'm hallucinating because of post-traumatic stress disorder. Can you please tell me if what happened the other day was real?" Cindy shrieked.
• "Oh, I see." Ian sighed and contemplated what to say. On one hand, he could not bear to deceive a young naive girl like Cindy. He wanted very much to tell her that what she saw was the truth so that she would not feel miserable. However, he knew that the girl was strong-headed and would argue for her case. His life would be in danger if the news spread.
• Why did I use a tree branch to kill the wolf? I'll not be in such a troubled state if I had used a rock instead! Most people will not believe that killing a wolf with a tree branch is possible. The minority who believe are skilled in combat. They may even be my enemies! He thought.
• After much deliberation, Ian said weakly, "You must be mistaken, Ms. Jones. As you can see, I'm just a regular person who has trouble walking. How am I going to take down three kidnappers by myself? Furthermore, I doubt I could kill a wolf with a knife, let alone a tree branch. You must be extremely terrified and have hallucinations. Get some rest at home. Forget about these absurd memories!"
• "Liar! Stop deceiving me! Why won't you admit what happened the other day? What are you trying to hide? I hate you!" Cindy was upset to learn that Ian agreed she was having hallucinations. She stomped her feet in frustration before heading toward a car.
• After paying off her father's chauffeur, Cindy discovered that her father and Aiden had tried to bribe Ian with 5 million dollars. When she learned that the man had declined the offer, she was impressed with his character. After all, it was rare for one to turn down such a hefty sum of money. Cindy had considered Ian to be her hero ever since he killed a wolf with a tree branch despite his minor physical impairment. She was sure that Ian's capabilities far surpassed Aiden's.
• Cindy had planned for Ian to vouch for her words so that she could seek Desmond's approval for their relationship. To her disappointment, Ian refused to acknowledge that he had dealt with the wolf and kidnappers. The woman pouted her lips and clenched her jaws as she thought, I swear I'll get to the bottom of this!
• Ian shook his head and sighed as he watched Cindy stomp away. He was determined to spend his time and energy fixing the cauldron in order to create the miracle pill that would restore his power. He would not have to fear anyone once he regained his strength.
• Ian soon arrived at the junkyard and wasted no time digging for the rare metals. He was done for the day by the evening and grabbed a cab back to the villa with a bag full of "treasure."
• When Ian arrived at the villa, he was surprised to find that no one was at home. Hence, he took out his phone and called Rosie. "Are you at the hospital, Honey?"
• The woman replied in an icy tone, "Get over here right now, Ivan Griffin!"