Chapter 97 Notify Me When They Are Dead

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Notify Me When They Are Dead

Grabbed by the arm and yanked back, Sophie Winslow turned around just in time to see the blur of an incoming slap. It happened far too suddenly. Her expression instantly darkened. Before she could react, someone pulled her out of range.

Then came Evan York’s cold, deep voice. "Nothing is conclusive yet. Wait for the definitive results."

Sophie looked up. Evan still had hold of her arm, subconsciously positioning himself in front of her to block Stella Sutton’s slap. He was exhibiting a bizarre... protective stance, though she had no idea what they were talking about or what had prompted this sudden confrontation.

Evan’s reaction was also witnessed by Julian Sterling, who had just arrived. His dark, inscrutable eyes fixed on Evan’s face.

Stella was even more stunned. She couldn’t believe Evan would help Sophie; she had been so close to returning that slap. "Mr. York?" she asked, her eyes filled with disappointment.

Sophie had fully processed the situation by now. Facing such an ambush right as she was getting off work, she could hardly maintain her usual pleasant demeanor. Slipping her arm out of Evan’s grasp, she swept her gaze over the people in front of her. "Reason? Motive? Have you lost your mind?"

Stella’s expression turned freezing cold as she glared at Sophie in sheer disbelief. "How could you use a child as a test subject? Just to satisfy your ambition for fame and success? Sophie, are you even human?!"

The harsh, furious accusations rained down on her. Sophie strongly disliked this kind of baseless nonsense. She interrupted impatiently, "Spare me the moral high ground and speak plainly."

Seeing Sophie’s unrepentant attitude, Stella’s eyes turned icy. "Seth is suffering from acute anaphylaxis! It was caused by an overdose of an ingredient in a cardiovascular drug! He’s already been rushed into treatment, and the blood toxicology report is out. The substance matches the exact ingredient from Helios’s current pharmaceutical project!"

Sophie was speechless. An enormous, unwarranted blame had just been dumped on her out of nowhere. She was so angry she actually laughed. "Me? Using a child for experiments?"

"Is it not true? For the sake of your own success, you took advantage of the fact that Seth has this condition and tested the drug directly on him! One wrong move and Seth could have died! Sophie, this is deliberate retaliation!" Stella glared at her with venomous hatred.

Sophie finally understood the context of this whole farce. The faint smirk faded from her lips. "Pinning the blame on me before even investigating? Stella, are you just stupid, or in a rush?"

Evan frowned, looking at Sophie. "Seth Sutton is in emergency care now. His condition is genuinely critical. If the dosage had been any higher, it likely would have triggered organ failure."

"And what does that have to do with me? Every debt has its debtor. Do you want me to help you sue the responsible personnel and their affiliated organizations?" A cold chill lingered on Sophie’s lips.

"He is your brother too! You’re completely cold-blooded!" Stella took a deep breath. "If we could investigate it clearly, why would we come to you? Everyone knows there are no security cameras in the ward. But you—you have a motive. Because of the antique shop, and because Seth doesn’t like you and isn’t close to you. Sophie, you are unimaginably vicious."

Stella could barely stand. She naturally reached back and clung to Julian Sterling’s arm. Throughout the entire exchange, Julian hadn’t interjected a single word. His cold, profound eyes, however, remained fixed on Sophie. It was impossible to discern what he was thinking.

Sophie looked at the two of them. Standing side by side, they truly looked like they were putting on a united front against a common enemy.

"Are you implying that Sophie made her move in my family’s hospital, intentionally saddling us with a massive lawsuit?" Peter Preston hurried over, his tone far from friendly. He walked straight to Sophie’s side, seamlessly nudging Evan out of the way. It felt like a silent expulsion.

Forced to step away from Sophie, Evan furrowed his brows silently and glanced at Peter. A trace of displeasure unexpectedly welled up in his heart.

Seeing Peter arrive, Stella pursed her lips. "Mr. Preston, it’s my brother who is in danger. I hope you can understand my anxiety. I’m not demanding an explanation from Calyx or the Preston Family, but the nature of this incident is far too egregious. If this blows up, it will generate massive negative press for Calyx, and it would be a devastating scandal for Helios’s current clinical trials. After all, if the drug is branded as having no respect for human life, how many consumers would actually buy it, even if it successfully hits the market?"

Hearing this, realization slowly dawned in Sophie’s eyes. So Stella’s true intention was...

"I will give Mr. Preston and Calyx face and choose to keep my mouth shut to the public, minimizing the losses for both Calyx and Helios, but..." Stella shot Sophie a mocking, cynical look. "Furthermore, Helios’s surgical robot project is still trying to attract investors. A scandal right now would deal a severe blow to this new venture; failing to secure financing would be a colossal loss. I want Mr. Preston to kick Sophie out of the project team. Forbid her from participating in any follow-up clinical trials, and strip her of her authorship credits for the pharmaceutical project. If possible, I’d be willing to join Helios to help complete the final stages of the work."

Unsurprised, Sophie let out a soft scoff. So this was her ultimate goal all along. She wanted to seize this opportunity to snatch the authorship credits for the drug. It was quite a grand scheme.

Peter’s complexion wasn’t exactly pleasant either. Even someone as good-tempered as him felt words catch in his throat. This move left him with absolutely no other choices. It was a perfectly executed precision strike!

"Alright, I can quit." Sophie didn’t show the slightest intention of dragging out an argument. Her bluntness caused the entire scene to freeze in stunned silence.

Julian’s thumb, which had been idly rubbing against his lighter, paused. His gaze landed on Sophie’s face.

Evan’s expression shifted drastically. "Sophie, have you really thought this through? You’re just a junior researcher; if you want authorship rights, you have to follow the project through to the very end. Are you truly giving it up?"

If she were a leader with decision-making power like Peter, it would be a different story. But in Helios, she was a nobody with little influence. Results were just around the corner. Was Sophie truly willing to let it all go?

Ignoring Evan’s words, Sophie looked straight at Stella. "My withdrawal isn’t an admission of guilt. I’m doing it purely to ensure the pharmaceutical project can conclude without delay. As for Seth’s incident, if you want to pin the blame on me, slap the ironclad evidence on my face. Otherwise, stop spewing bullshit in my presence."

She spoke without an ounce of politeness. The joy Stella had just begun to feel from Sophie’s withdrawal instantly transformed into fury.

"Peter, let’s go," Sophie said, grabbing his arm to leave.

Peter still turned back to glance at Stella. "Helios isn’t short on staff at the moment. Miss Sutton, I appreciate your kind intentions."

Stella’s expression darkened. She had offered him a way out, yet he was refusing to take it?

Julian, who had remained silent the entire time, lifted his eyes and finally spoke. "Seth hasn’t even been moved out of the intensive care unit yet. Aren’t you going to check on the situation?"

Even though he didn’t explicitly say "go apologize" or "go atone for your sins," Sophie could easily guess that by telling her to "check on the situation," he didn’t want her to investigate the truth—he simply wanted her to apologize. At the end of the day, he was still standing on the same side as Stella.

She stared into the man’s cold, dark eyes and curled her lips. "Is he dead?"

Julian’s dark eyes locked onto her.

Sophie coldly dropped one last sentence. "Notify me when he’s dead."

Stella’s expression changed abruptly, but Sophie didn’t give her a chance to lash out, walking away without looking back. Their retreating figures were entirely resolute.

Evan’s heart tightened. Sophie would have a hard time breaking out of this predicament. If Peter wanted to preserve Calyx’s reputation, the prospects of Helios’s drug, and ensure the successful financing of the surgical robot, he had to... draw a line between himself and Sophie.

A flash of mockery crossed Stella’s eyes. Sophie was merely putting up a brave front. Even if Stella herself couldn’t ultimately join the Helios project team and claim the authorship credits, Sophie remained a lowly researcher—destined to be nothing more than Helios’s discarded pawn!