The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1054

Blunt and full of swagger.

If they couldn’t find the catalyst, any subject with the genetic mutation would die, and the research would hit a dead end. Years ago, she’d already started to suspect The Hawk Family had their own stash of antidote hidden away. Lately, she’d done more digging, and now she was sure of it. For the project to keep going, Aloys would have to hand it over. She just never thought he’d keep stalling this long. But now he was desperate enough to use such a sloppy way to track her down. Clearly, he was running out of options. The antidote would have to come out soon.

***

On the Isle of Veil, the lab was huge and eerily quiet. Rows and rows of researchers sat at their computers, all staring at the same warning on their screens. Not a word. The subject’s hacking skills were just that good.

“We definitely underestimated her,” G2 said, his voice low and serious. He stood with his hands behind his back, white lab coat spotless. “Aloys, she must know you’ve still got the antidote for the mutation.”

That would explain why she was coming in so hard.

Aloys sat there, face dark, saying nothing.

“Why is she so eager to trade herself for the antidote?” Marcia asked, narrowing her eyes, calculating as always. “Could it be…?”

Something seemed to hit her. She turned to G2.

“G2…”

G2 leaned on the table, his face twisted with something close to excitement. “It’s probably just like you’re thinking. She’s trading her life for the antidote, but there’s no way she plans to use it on herself.”

Aloys finally looked over, picking up on the exchange.

“You’re saying she knows that girl who broke into the Isle of Veil twice before?”

“Exactly,” G2 replied, nodding.

They’d been searching for Asclepius for years, always coming up empty. Now, not only had they found the mutated subject, but Asclepius too.

“We all know what Asclepius can do,” G2 said, gaze locked on the screen, practically buzzing with excitement. “If we put him in charge of dissecting the subject, he’ll figure out the cause of the mutation and how it’s passed down in no time.”

“Aloys, we’re on the edge of victory,” G2 went on, his energy building. “This is what we’ve waited for. All our work is finally paying off.”

He’d waited nearly forty years for this moment. Mrs. W was out of the picture, but it didn’t matter. He could still crack the secrets of the mutation.

Aloys’s lips curled into a cold, satisfied smile. He clenched his fist and said, “Contact Asclepius.”