Chapter 597: Something Is Fishy

(Author's POV)

"This way," Iris led the way, her steps heavy, taking Alaric and Dion to the room where Fabian's body was kept.

They entered the room to find Fabian lying motionless on the medical bed. His eyes were closed, his face unusually chalky, almost white, and his lips, they were chapped and a lot paler than normal. No pulse or breathing sound was resonating in the air, telling them that he really was no more.

An oppressive quiet choked the room for a few seconds; neither of them dared to speak. Then Alaric took slow steps towards Fabian and asked, "How did this happen? The surgery was a success, wasn't it? Then how?"

With a strained voice, Iris answered, "Yes, the surgery was indeed successful. But~ …." She paused, then continued, "There were still chances of relapse until he regained consciousness."

Dion spoke, inquiring, "When did it happen? Was there no one with him?"

Iris pursed her lips and replied, "His Majesty had summoned me at that time, so my assistant healer was the one on duty at the time, looking after Prof. Stephens. From what he told me, around the time when the full moon was at its peak, he noticed a sudden abnormality in his vitals. It started slowly but gradually sped up, and his heart rate kept fluctuating frantically."

"His heart rate spiked out of nowhere?" Dion narrowed his eyes.

Iris continued while nodding, "It was a cardiac arrest. My assistant healer tried to stabilize him by providing him with electrical cardioversion, but it didn't do anything. He then called for me. I performed healing spells and even gave Prof. Stephens a potion that could stabilize him instantly, but at that time, nothing worked." When she said this, her voice cracked a little. "It was as if … he was obstructing all the effort to be saved."

The brothers exchanged glances, their expressions complicated, their brows furrowed.

"We tried everything we could, but his condition deteriorated with each passing second. And at the end, we could not~ …." She left her words unsaid, but even the silence after was pregnant with meaning.

After what felt like an eternal quiet, Dion spoke his mind, "Was there any chance of foul play? It feels all too sudden. And there seems to be too many coincidences."

"No, there wasn't any. I checked. There was no poisoning. No stimulation. It all happened naturally," Iris said.

"Did anyone other than your assistant go into the room?" Alaric queried. To which Iris replied, "Secretary Shadow checked the footage inside the room. No one entered those premises."

What about your assistant? Can you trust him completely? What if he did something behind your back?" Dion pointed out.

"Peter won't do such a thing. I can vouch for him. Plus, the CCTV footage showed exactly what he said. So, there is no chance of him being involved," Iris told them.

Her words should have made sense, but both Alaric and Dion thought something was amiss. 'Al, something is definitely fishy about all this,' Dion mindlinked his brother.

'Yeah, I think so too. But don't say anything right now. Once Jacob regains consciousness, we will tell him about our doubts,' Alaric replied.

He looked at Iris, nodding to show he understood, then shifted his gaze to Fabian with a subtle expression. Clearly, he didn't like Fabian, but not enough to wish him harm. His cocky attitude and close relationship with Myra always annoyed him, but apart from that, he had no real issues with Fabian. After all, Fabian was known to be brilliant—a prodigy, some say. During any business discussion, Fabian was always eloquent and quick-witted. As a fellow business professional, Alaric admired his sharpness.

But now, seeing his lifeless body, it was a little uncomfortable for him and his wolf, and the same was the case with Dion. Neither of the brothers thought that the cause of his death was natural.

__________________________

"You should go see Mr. Yates first. Elio and I need to change into something~ …. suitable," Brave spoke, looking down at their clothes.

Myra hummed and rushed towards Garry's room. Outside, she waited for two seconds, calmed her breathing, knocked gently on the door and then stepped in. As soon as she entered, she saw Yelena, who threw herself in her arms and started crying hysterically, "Myra~ …. Grand~pa"

Myra staggered a little but maintained her balance. She embraced her friend, patted her back and tried to comfort her, but Yelena only sobbed louder and louder.

Apart from Myra and Yelena, three other people were there in the room. Yelena's mother, Liliana; Garry's secretary, Oliver Grey; and Garry himself. He lay in bed, looking utterly rattled after seeing Myra. His appearance had gone from bad to worse in such a short time, with visible blood clots covering his face and exposed skin.

Yelena eventually pulled away. That's when Garry asked with a feeble voice, though still in shock, "Ms. Miracle~ … ho~w … how did you come here?"

"Brave and Alaric told me everything," she said, her face tight, her expression pitiful.

Garry's eyes grew wider. He mistook her pity for disgust for him and gulped hard; his nose stung painfully. Utterly ashamed, his eyes flickered as he tried to avoid any eye contact with her. He simply had no courage to face her at all.

"Myra~ …." Liliana called her name, grabbing her attention. Myra nodded, "Aunt Lily. What did the doctor say?"

Liliana sighed and, with a heavy tone, told her, "The doctor told us the injury Dad has sustained on his head is quite grave, along with the blow to his ribcage. Because of his age, they cannot perform any neurosurgery. He said~ …. we need to … we need to prepare for the worst." Tears trickled down her eyes as she finished her words.

Myra was shell shocked to hear her words. Her hand covered her mouth as she gasped, her eyes trembling, slightly moist. The impeccable old man she had grown up seeing was now nothing but flesh and bones. His darkened, gaunt face and his shrunk body were telling all about his dire condition.

"What about a second opinion from another doctor?" Myra queried, recovering from her initial stumped state.

"Ms. Miracle, Mr. Jeffery Yates has already made arrangements and gathered a top-tier medical team. They are waiting in Damona. We are taking Mr. Yates Senior back. But as of now~ …. nothing is certain," Oliver was the one who replied this time. His eyes welled up as he wiped them off with his unfractured hand.

All of a sudden, Myra was reminded of her conversation with the moon goddess. 'My child~ … your blood is an elixir of life. It has the power to heal anyone in this world. If you willingly give your blood to someone, that person will survive, even if he or she is on the brink of death. They will resuscitate and will be even stronger than before.'

To Be Continued . . . . . . . .