The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 1059

Aloys and Marcia shared a look, both at a loss for words.

“If you think my price is too much, we can talk about it,” Charlotte said, twisting the hair tie on her wrist. Her dark eyes narrowed, but her face stayed calm. “I’m pretty easy to deal with.”

“Asclepius…” Marcia started, frowning, but Aloys stopped her with a raised hand.

“No matter how high your price is, we can pay it. But can you actually give us what we want?” he asked.

“Your genetic mutation research has dragged on for decades. You’re at the final step. Honestly, you should have succeeded by now.” Charlotte didn’t even change her posture. She just raised an eyebrow, her tone steady. “But you’ve been stuck on that one step for almost twenty years. If you had any other options, you wouldn’t have come to me.”

Aloys pressed his lips together, the lines on his face tightening. His eyes turned cold and sharp. If he’d had any doubts about this person being Asclepius, now he was almost certain.

“So,” Charlotte went on, lifting her chin. She tapped her fingers on her suitcase, each tap steady, the air around her tense. “I’m your last shot. Like it or not, you’re going to have to pay what I’m asking if you want a chance.”

It was true. Asclepius was their last hope.

“Asclepius, let’s work well together,” Aloys said after a moment, reaching out to shake hands. He tried to hide the flash of cunning in his eyes, but Charlotte caught it right away.

She looked at his hand but didn’t bother to take it. Instead, she asked, “So, who’s in charge of transferring the first half of my payment?”

Everyone else stared in disbelief. The only other person who’d dared to make demands like this had been Mr. X and his woman.

“Marcia, take care of it,” Aloys said, his voice low and tight as his hand curled into a fist.

Thirty minutes later, the convoy rolled through the gates of the genetics institute.

Inside one of the cars, Aloys and Marcia watched the feed from the cameras trained on Asclepius. Two of their men sat with him, one in front, one behind.

“Dad, doesn’t Asclepius look kind of familiar to you?” Marcia said, frowning.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something about Asclepius’s expression, something around the eyes and brow, that reminded her of her father. Maybe she was just overthinking it.

“A bit,” Aloys replied, narrowing his eyes. He’d noticed it too, but he was sure he’d never met this man before.

“Don’t let your mind wander,” Aloys warned, giving Marcia a sharp look. “G2 is assigning you and Rena to work with Asclepius. You need to stay alert. And remember, nothing from the core files can leak out. Not for any reason.”