For Elena, the heavy silence was broken only by the steady tick...tick...tick of the wall clock. She stood frozen, her eyes locked on the swinging pendulum. The shadows stretched across the floor, creeping closer to the mark of noon—12:00 p.m.
In all the chaos, with raised voices, threats, and arguments, no one else had noticed the time. Only her.
The relatives finally breathed a sigh of relief when they heard her surrender. They quickly turned to Drake, begging him to let Dr. Zhou Fen take over.
With a lazy wave of his hand, Drake gave the signal. Zhou Fen stepped forward confidently. He didn't even need to examine Robert; he already knew what was wrong because he was the one who had cast the dark spell in the first place. His eyes were fixed on the dark, bruised veins in Robert's neck. He straightened his back and cast a cold, dry look over the family. "Everyone out," he commanded. "My medicine needs silence."
From his spot against the far wall, Alexander let out a short, quiet breath that sounded almost like a laugh. "You can't save him," he said, his voice barely a whisper but cutting through the room like a knife.
The relatives gasped, their faces twisting with rage. "Will you shut up?" Harlan barked. He took a threatening step toward Alexander, his face turning a blotchy red, but he stopped halfway."See! I'm warning you." He said pointing at him.
William didn't even glance at the man he had already dismissed as a beggar. His angry gaze stayed locked on Elena.
"Elena, look at this!" William's voice thundered through the hallway. "Did you even check this man's past before dragging a stray into our home? He is insulting the doctor while your grandfather lies dying!" his face was red with anger. "Is he trying to send the doctor away?
Exactly Clara said. Is that why you brought him here, to ruin our last hope? Yet you claim you are worried about grandpa?"
Elena stayed quiet. She didn't say a single word. But her heart sank, wishing she had never brought him here.
Veronica stepped into the light, her voice war"We can't blame her too much, William," she said softly. "She's just a girl. She saw her world falling apart and reached for the first 'man' she could find. She was desperate."
"Is that why she picked a dog from the street?" William snapped back.
"Exactly," Veronica replied, her voice sharpening. She turned her head slightly to look at Harlan. "This is why I've said it from the start, Harlan should be the one leading the family. Elena is simply too weak for this."
"That's enough!"
Margaret's voice cracked through the insults like a whip. Her eyes were red, burning with a fury that made her heart jump in her chest. She looked at Harlan, the adopted boy they had raised out of pity, and saw the raw hunger for power in his eyes. To hear them discussing business while Robert's heart was still struggling felt like a slap in the face. She turned her glare toward Veronica, her breath hitching. Veronica knew perfectly well that Harlan didn't belong in the family bloodline, yet she was still pushing for him to take over the Carter leadership. To Margaret, it didn't just feel like a betrayal; it felt like a cold blade stabbing her in the back.
"We are talking about my husband's life here, not a chair in an office!" Margaret hissed. Her finger stayed pointed at Robert on the bed, but her eyes snapped between Veronica and her son, burning with a cold fury. "Don't you dare speak of power while he is still in that bed!"
Harlan felt the temperature in the room drop. He realized, more than he had ever imagined, that their hearts would never truly accept him. In their eyes, he was unworthy, completely ignoring the fact that he was the only son of his father in this house. Feeling the weight of their judgment, he shuffled closer to Drake, his voice a frantic whisper. "Master Drake... you see how they treat me? You promised you'd help me. Say something..."
Drake didn't look at him. He simply reached out and tapped Harlan's shoulder three times, a slow, heavy rhythm. "I almost forgot about you," Drake said, finally looking at the family. "Harlan has been loyal. For my sake, let him lead. I believe he will do better than a girl who cries at every shadow."
The room fell into a sick, heavy stillness. Drake's words felt like a physical weight pressing them into the floor. They knew they couldn't just disagree with him if he forced it, not while Robert's life was hanging by a thread. The relatives glanced at one another, their eyes full of a silent, helpless fear.
Elena finally looked up. She stared at the clock, feeling her grandfather's life leaking out of the room with every heavy tick. "You already have everything you wanted," she said, her voice trembling but gaining strength. "You have my pride. You have thirty percent of the Carter Group. What more are you looking for? Stay out of our family business, Drake!"
Harlan rebuked her. "Who told you he doesn't have a say in the business? As long as he is a shareholder now, he has every right to protest and speak his mind."
The relatives had almost felt relieved that Elena was ending the argument, but Harlan had suddenly made things even worse. They watched Drake, who simply wore a small, cold smile and nodded.
Before Drake could say a word, Elena's sharp mind took over. Her eyes darted between Veronica and her son, her gaze flashing with fury. "Are you all so blinded by greed that you've forgotten the time? The doctor needs the room! If you want Grandpa to live even one more minute, get out! Now!"
"Yes! Yes!" they all cried out. There was no more time. They hurried outside, their hearts relieved to escape whatever Drake was about to say next. Veronica and Harlan remained disappointed, leaving the room with heavy hearts.
The door clicked shut.
Zhou Fen sat cross-legged on the floor. He began to whisper strange, low words, his hands weaving through the air as if he were untying invisible knots in the wind, trying to break the very curse he had created.
Outside, the hallway was silent. Fifteen minutes passed. Thirty.
Inside the room, Zhou Fen finally felt the dark energy snap. The curse was broken. But as the magic faded, the cold reality of the body took over. He pressed his fingers to Robert's wrist and his own blood turned to ice. The skin was as cold as a stone in winter.
"What's going on, Zhou Fen?" Drake asked, uncrossing his legs. He stood up and moved closer to him, his eyes narrowing. "Why are you stopping? Don't tell me you can't wake him either!"
Zhou Fen didn't move. He stared at his silver needles, then slowly turned his head toward the clock. "What time is it?" he asked, his voice sounding hollow.
Drake looked up and remembered. His face went white. He stumbled back, his knees hitting his chair, and he collapsed into it.
"It's 12:45," Zhou Fen whispered. "The poison... It has finished its work. I broke the curse, but the venom has already eaten his life away. There is nothing on this earth, not my medicine, not modern science, that can save him now." He paused, a look of pure terror crossing his face. "Unless... unless someone knew the '18-Needle Technique.' But that secret has been buried for two thousand years."
Dammit!" Drake roared. His fist crashed into the table, the sound echoing through the room like a gunshot. He wasn't crying for Robert; he was screaming because his prize was slipping away, and the sting of failure burned in his chest.
He stood up. "Try something! I don't care about legends! Fix him!" He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous, low growl. "I don't believe in superstition. Anything lost can be found!"
Zhou Fen didn't argue. With shaking hands, he began to desperately poke needles into Robert's cold skin, but deep down, he knew he was just stabbing a dead man.
Outside, a full hour had passed.
Alexander finally pushed himself off the wall. He turned. "Why not check on them?" he suggested, his voice calm. "Maybe the 'Great Master' has realized he's just a student after all."
Harlan spun around, his finger shaking as he pointed it at Alexander's face. "I forbid you to speak! One more word and I'll—"
Margaret stepped forward, her hand firmly pushing Harlan's arm down. She locked her eyes on Alexander, her gaze full of a cold promise. "Let him talk for now, Harlan," she said quietly. "Once the doctor comes out and tells us the news... I will deal with this beggar myself."
Elena didn't care what was going on with the others. Her mind was trapped inside that room. She sat in total silence, not uttering a single word, even as the air around her grew thick with tension. When the others turned their fury toward Alexander, she didn't defend him or look up. She simply sat with her head bowed, her hands trembling in her lap.
Even in her grief, a cold spark of determination remained. She would deal with Alexander and his mistakes later.