While Colin was at the hospital, Kate and Gerard climbed into the ambulance.
Kate was seething. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that Colin—always so meek and obedient around her—would dare to lay a hand on her.
And he'd beaten Gerard to a pulp.
Before they even reached the hospital, she was already on the phone with Iris, lodging her complaints.
"Mom, is something wrong? I'm in a meeting right now. Can I call you back later?" Iris kept her voice low.
Kate's shrill voice cut through. "Forget the meeting, Iris! Something terrible happened! That bastard Colin has gone completely off the rails!"
"Mom, what's going on?"
Kate's voice cracked with theatrical sobs. "Gerard and I went to see Colin about that calligraphy piece. The second that animal heard it was an authentic Master Ashen work, he tried to snatch our family treasure!"
"When we refused to hand it over, he hit me! And he beat Gerard—badly. Gerard's injuries are critical. He's in surgery right now, fighting for his life!"
"What?"
Iris immediately cut the meeting short, her voice sharp with alarm. "Gerard's in surgery?"
"Could you please stop exaggerating? It's just superficial wounds and a fractured arm. His life isn't in danger," the paramedic snapped, shooting Kate a withering look.
Hearing the paramedic's words, Iris relaxed. "Mom, you're being dramatic. Colin would never hit anyone. He's the gentlest person I know."
"Gentle my ass! You didn't see the look on his face—like he wanted to kill me and your brother! If we hadn't run fast enough, we'd be dead!"
Iris rolled her eyes. There was no way she'd believe Colin was capable of murder.
"By the way, Mom—what did you find out? Did Colin write that calligraphy?"
"Of course that animal didn't write it! If he had, why would he try to steal it?" Kate's voice dripped with anguish. "That's an authentic Master Ashen piece, worth millions! Iris, you need to have Colin arrested immediately and get our treasure back!"
Iris's tone remained calm. "Mom, it was Colin's property to begin with. If he took it back, that's his right. Let it go."
"Let it go? He robbed us—"
Before Kate could finish, Iris moved to hang up. Kate scrambled. "Wait, don't hang up! There's something else! Colin's keeping a mistress on the side. She helped him beat us!"
"A mistress?" Iris laughed. She believed that even less.
After three years of marriage, she knew Colin's character inside and out. Other women could be stunning, and he wouldn't spare them a second glance.
"Mom, I'm in a meeting. We'll talk later." Her tone was dismissive.
Kate turned hysterical. "Iris! Your mother and brother are in the hospital because of him! If you won't do anything about it, I might as well be dead! Don't try to stop me—I'm jumping out of this ambulance!"
Hearing her mother's theatrics, Iris had no choice but to relent. "Fine, Mom. I'll call Colin later and find out what happened. If he really hit you, I won't let him get away with it."
"Iris, you have to avenge your mother..."
"DIE!"
The thirteen venomous insects had arranged themselves into that single character inside the jar, and the sight sent ice through Marjorie's veins.
There was no mistaking it. This was a declaration of war. A threat. A show of force.
As the reigning queen of Seacliff's business world—the precious heiress of the Floyd family—Marjorie had weathered countless storms.
But facing something this sinister and unnatural rattled even her.
"What do we do?" She looked to Colin, helpless.
Colin remained unruffled. A faint smile played at his lips. "I've already dealt with this particular problem for you. Whether I continue helping depends on what your grandfather decides."
Marjorie blinked, then quickly dialed her grandfather.
She returned moments later. "Colin, my grandfather says he'll have the Blood Ganoderma delivered immediately. He's asking you to resolve this threat completely. And within the month, he'll send you a Dragon-Scale Root as well!"
Dragon-Scale Root!
Colin's eyes lit up. It was a spiritual herb—one that strengthened the body and laid the foundation for cultivation.
The old patriarch certainly knew what Colin needed, offering terms he couldn't refuse.
Now that Colin had broken the Dragon Seal, his most pressing task was cultivation. Only by restoring his former strength could he accomplish what he needed to do.
Including seeking justice for his daughter.
"Very well. I'll see this through to the end." Colin smiled slightly.
Marjorie's spirits lifted. "So what's our next move?"
Colin considered for a moment. "Whoever's behind this is clearly targeting Longtide Group. Most likely a business rival. You'd know better than I would who might be responsible."
Marjorie's beautiful eyes narrowed. "I have a few suspects in mind, but nothing concrete."
"Investigate. You'll find traces eventually. They failed this time, which means they'll try again. It won't be long before we see their true faces."
Colin's voice was calm. "So for now, we stay composed and wait—"
Before he could finish, Samuel and Russell burst through the door.
"It's been a while. How's the treatment going?" Samuel demanded.
"They've stabilized." Marjorie gestured toward the monitoring equipment.
Samuel checked the readings. Sure enough, all the vital signs had returned to normal.
"Heh heh, Mr. Floyd, I told you so."
Russell stroked his beard with a satisfied smile. "After I used my silver needles to purge the toxins, naturally they recovered."
"Excuse me?"
Marjorie and Colin exchanged glances, equally stunned.
This man had nearly caused a catastrophe. Colin was the one who saved these patients. And now Russell was swooping in to claim credit?
"Dr. Murphy is truly remarkable," Samuel praised.
Colin said nothing. He didn't care about credit—his eyes were fixed only on the Blood Ganoderma.
But Marjorie couldn't let this slide. "It was Colin who cured them. Why are you taking credit? Besides, these employees weren't poisoned—they were infected with venomous insects."
"Your needle technique only agitated the creatures inside them, accelerating their deaths. Did you already forget what happened?"
"Nonsense! What venomous insects? This was clearly poisoning. Without my needle therapy to purge the toxins, would they have recovered?" Russell argued indignantly.
"See for yourself. The insects are right here—Colin extracted every one of them." Marjorie pointed to the glass jar on the table.
Russell leaned in for a closer look, then scoffed. "Venomous insects? These are just caterpillars. This Colin fellow caught some bugs to trick you, and you can't even see through such an obvious ploy?"
With that, he reached for the jar.
"Don't open it!" Colin's expression shifted.
But it was too late. Russell had already pried off the lid, sneering, "Look—these are obviously just cater—"
Before he could finish, a black insect shot out like lightning and burrowed into Russell's nostril.
The color drained from Russell's face. Within seconds, searing pain tore through him.
He collapsed to his knees before Colin, his face contorted in agony.
"Dr. Cox, save me—"
