NOVEL NEXT Chapter 131: Emma Backs Down
Ethan reached out and petted Flora's head.
Flora's senses were much sharper than his. She had warned him more than once when someone was about to show up outside.
Back near the abandoned factory, the small figure he saw was Flora too. She must have followed his scent all the way from the hospital to the factory.
He'd been really surprised when he saw her there.
Thinking about it now, a little calico cat running that far just for him—it was hard not to be moved.
Ethan picked Flora up and gently set her back on the bed.
Right after he did that, he heard a knock at the door.
Emma's voice came through, calm and slow: "Mr. Ethan, are you there?"
Ethan gave a simple answer and let Emma into the room.
He had thought it would be Leo. He didn't expect Emma to come find him so soon.
He casually pointed at the sofa. "Have a seat. You came this early—there must be something you want to talk about."
Emma sat down slowly. She looked unsettled. After taking a deep breath, she said to Ethan:
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ethan. Last night I didn't agree to work with you right away."
"That was my mistake."
Ethan nodded but didn't respond.
Emma froze for a moment, hesitated, and looked at him.
Only then did Ethan speak. "Mm. And then?"
Emma opened her mouth, then closed it. She lowered her chin a little, stared at the floor in front of the sofa, and said softly:
"I hope you'll keep working with me. Veritas Snow Group has plenty of funds, full research gear, and pro researchers."
"You just need to give us a direction, and we can develop something everyone needs."
Ethan slowly moved his gaze to Emma's striking face and smiled.
Was she hinting that he only needed to hand over the potion formula and didn't need to get involved in anything else?
This Emma really was proud and confident.
Ethan was still thinking about how to push back when Emma said:
"Mr. Ethan, I'm truly grateful you saved me and Lucas that day. To show my thanks, I've prepared 20 million. Just give me your account number and I'll transfer it right away."
Seeing how sincere she looked, Ethan got straight to the point:
"I'll take the money, and I want to call the shots in this partnership."
"I have much more intel than you. I choose the research direction; you handle the details and staffing."
"If you can accept that, we'll work together. If not, I'll find someone else."
After he finished, he stopped looking at Emma and calmly stroked Flora, smoothing her fur.
Emma sat on the sofa, her expression changing. She hadn't expected Ethan to be so direct, and she had no real way to refuse him.
Right now, only Ethan could provide the potion formula that would let Veritas Snow Group make a strength-boosting potion.
Emma took a deep breath, stood up slowly, and gave a slight bow.
"Alright, I accept your terms. But if problems come up later, I hope you'll consider my advice."
Ethan nodded. He might not be a pro researcher, but he did have more intel. Plus, Elise was a pro [Pharmacist]. If the research ran into issues, he could ask for her input.
He also knew that smart, capable people like Emma don't give up control willingly.
But give Ethan a little time, and he'll show Emma he's far more capable than she thinks.
Ethan slowly turned, gave Emma a nod, and said: "You should be able to get my bank info. Just wire me the 20 million."
"Also, help me check if there are any powerful weapons on the market. If I run into danger, I can perform better, right?"
Emma's hesitant look turned firm in an instant. She answered seriously: "Okay, I'll send people to look right away."
With that, Emma was ready to leave.
Just as she was about to step out of the hospital room, Ethan's voice sounded again, reminding her:"Danger always comes quietly. If you notice anything unusual, come find me. Maybe I can help."
Emma paused and said: "As long as it's not supernatural power like last time, I won't trouble you, Mr. Ethan. Please rest well."
Then she left without looking back.
Ethan watched her go and smiled. He knew that once Emma noticed what was different about him, she would come to him again.
In the hospital hallway, Emma stood in a quiet corner, steadying her breath.
In front of Ethan, she felt like she had changed from a proud, capable CEO into a secretary with no say.
This change made her very uncomfortable. All these years, she had relied only on herself.
She whispered to herself: "It's fine. Just wait a bit. When Ethan runs into a problem he can't solve, I'll take back the lead."
Right then, Leo stepped out of the elevator with a big bag. He spotted Emma at once.
"Ms. Emma! What are you doing here?" Leo called.
Emma hadn't expected to run into Leo. Her expression went a bit stiff, but she smiled and said: "I had something to talk over with Ethan. You're here to see him too, right?"
Emma saw the bag in Leo's hand and thought it was just a fruit gift. She didn't think much of it.
Leo nodded, lifted the bag to open it, and said: "Yeah, Ethan's been wanting some fruit lately. Ms. Emma, want to try one first?"
Emma quickly waved him off. She just wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible.
Leo watched her leave with some regret. He took an apple from the bag, took a bite, and muttered to himself:
"Pretty good."
A cleaner nearby glanced at Leo without a hint of emotion. After Leo left, he moved to a quiet corner, tilted his head slightly, and whispered into his collar:
"HQ, HQ, this is Jackal. Leo came to see Ethan. He brought some fruit. Nothing unusual."
...
Inside the ward, Ethan watched as Leo kept pulling all kinds of chemical reagents out of the bag, along with an apple with a bite taken out of it.
Leo let out a sigh and said to Ethan:
"There are quite a few people watching you outside. Good thing I came prepared."
"When you log into Dawnfall Online these days, be careful. Don't let them slip into your room and plant bugs or cameras. That would put us in a bad spot."
Hearing that, Ethan glanced at Flora and smiled.
"Don't worry. With Flora here, even if I step out, she'll keep an eye on this place."
Leo followed his gaze and saw an ordinary calico cat lying on Ethan's bed, fast asleep, not alert at all.
He looked doubtful and asked: "Isn't that just a regular cat? What can it do?"
Ethan didn't explain much. Flora is very alert. She can sense danger before he does, or notice if someone shows up at the door.
That makes things much easier for him.
He had a checkup soon, so he only chatted with Leo for a bit and then left the ward.
Leo looked at Flora on the hospital bed, curious. He was about to step closer when the sleeping Flora, without even opening her eyes, let out a warning hiss at him.
Leo curled his lip and said: "Pretty fierce."
An hour later, after the exam, Ethan went to Dr. Axel's office.
Dr. Axel was reading his files, his brow sometimes relaxing and sometimes tightening.
After a moment, he set the papers down, looked at Ethan, and said:
"Right now your body is healthier than 99% of people—of course, that's if we ignore the brain tumor."
"We can't estimate your life expectancy yet. I need you to come back after some time for another check."
"Then we can figure out how fast the tumor is growing and how much strain it puts on your body."
Ethan nodded. He was sure he had more than three months left now.
Also, it shouldn't be long before the [Blue Ice Potion] can be made in the real world. His body would get stronger, and he could live longer.
At that moment, Ethan thought of the glass test tube Dr. Axel had given him before. He asked:"Doctor, what was in that test tube you gave me?"
"I lost it by accident at the abandoned factory."
Dr. Axel waved a hand and said: "It wasn't that important. Just the original strain of the Ice Virus. Even if someone touched it, it wouldn't be a problem."
Hearing this, Ethan frowned. Didn't Emma become the [Ice Calamity] because of that?