She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 578

St. Jude’s Medical Center.

Preston Whitmore stood in the quiet hospital corridor, silent. He held his phone to his ear.

On the other end, Philip was delivering his report. "Mr. Whitmore, it was indeed the Carter Group that contacted the FHDB. They reported that the VitalBreath Fortis, co-developed by Aria and the Hale Group, possesses severe delayed defects. Elias Carter made the call himself."

Philip made sure to emphasize Elias Carter's name, knowing Preston would be particularly interested in that detail.

"Understood," Preston replied smoothly.

Lowering his phone, Preston let his eyelashes drop, casting dark shadows over his cheekbones.

It made perfect sense for Melanie to ask Elias for help. Elias was the reigning head of the Carter Group, whereas Preston, in Melanie's eyes, was just an ordinary employee from a wealthy background.

Preston let out a quiet sigh. The Whitmore family's Stellaris PharmaTech should have been a golden advantage, but in Melanie's case, it had become his greatest obstacle.

It was a knot he had yet to untangle. Initially, he had only intended to quietly investigate the truth behind her mother's fatal car crash to help her. But to his absolute shock, the deeper he dug into the fragmented, decades-old files, the more he realized the only organization involved in that old research project was Stellaris PharmaTech.

The discovery had hit Preston like a physical blow.

If Melanie's mother's death was truly connected to the Whitmore family... If Melanie ever found out...

Preston squeezed his eyes shut.

Aria was the one who swore she had a foolproof solution for the serum. It was her provided serum, combined with the Silver-Leaf Orchid Variant and the Advanced Extraction Protocol stolen from Stellaris, that created the new drug. It was also her brilliant idea to launch the botanical reserve, with her supplying the serum and the Hale Group footing the bill.

"Aria Royce! Where the hell did you get that serum?! That was clearly not the Royce Group's Genesis Serum! They've used it for years without a single issue! You dared to lie to me! If the Hale Group goes down, I swear I'm taking you with us!"

Gregory's explosive anger terrified Aria, her voice shaking as she tried to defend herself.

"It... it was the Genesis Serum... When I was analyzing it, I couldn't crack the Core Bio-Strain, so I found an expert to help me..."

"Who?!" Gregory demanded, his voice turning deadly.

Aria shuddered. "It was... Schrödinger's Pill..."