Chapter 198: To The Living Room
Nat let out a loud, sudden cackle, resting his chin on his hand as his eyes gleamed with dark amusement. "She’s right, doc. You owe her a massive debt. Though if you want my opinion, I think we should just charge his hospital account two billion on the spot. He’s a wealthy surgeon, after all."
"Information obtained through ambient acoustic exposure during an observational survey does not constitute a financial contract," Oliver countered without a single second of hesitation, his tone flat and thoroughly unbothered by Nat’s threat.
However, the surgeon didn’t write a single word on his tablet. He simply sat there, his mind rapidly cross-referencing April’s statement with global health reports, secret pharmaceutical trials, and anomalous hospital intake data he had brushed off over the past month.
"However..." Oliver added slowly, his eyes locking onto April with a terrifying, newfound intensity, "if your predictive accuracy holds true, my current hospital infrastructure is entirely unprepared for a bio-containment breach of that magnitude."
"That’s your problem to solve, Dr. Baxter," April replied cleanly, dismissing him with a flick of her wrist before turning her attention back to her sister.
Right on cue, the head chef stepped out of the kitchen, pushing a grand silver serving cart, breaking the lingering tension in the room.
"The main courses are ready, Masters," the chef announced politely.
"Bring them in," Xavier commanded smoothly, diffusing the heavy atmosphere with effortless authority as the smell of pan-seared wagyu beef and truffle risotto filled the room.
Emily quietly laid her fork and knife down on her plate, her head lowering. "April... I think I’m full."
April looked at her twin’s pale, weary face, understanding the sheer mental burnout weighing her down. "Would you like to stay here and rest while we finish, or would you prefer to sit in the living room?"
"I think... I would like to sit in the living room," Emily whispered softly, seeking a quiet moment to digest everything she had just heard.
"Okay," April nodded, not forcing her to stay since she herself was nowhere near done eating and had zero intention of abandoning her wagyu beef. "You can go to the living room."
Emily stood up slowly, giving a faint, polite bow toward the table before quietly walking out of the dining room.
Every man at the table watched her retreating figure until she passed the corner leading to the living room.
The moment she was gone, Nat leaned back, looking at April with an unreadable glint in his dark eyes. "So... you’re really just going to let her die if she wants to? Seems like a terrible waste after going through all the trouble of breaking down the Gabriel estate to bring her out."
April cut a tender piece of wagyu beef, popping it into her mouth with pure satisfaction before glancing at Nat. "I respect her choices. If she truly wishes to end her life, I will not force her to stay in a rotting world."
Nat’s face split into a dark, knowing grin. "Right. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t going to manipulate her into changing her mind, does it?"
April chewed thoughtfully, giving a subtle, unbothered shrug. "Manipulate is such a strong word, Nat. Emily has a debt to settle with the Gabriels first. She won’t die before then so that is some reassurance."
Without missing a beat, April reached over, carefully arranging a secondary serving tray. She loaded it with a fresh bowl of hot gourmet soup, tender cuts of meat, rice, and several delicious side dishes she knew would appeal to a lingering appetite.
Holding the heavy tray smoothly in her hands, April stood up from the table.
Xavier looked up, his dark eyes trailing her movement. "Are you going?"
"I’m going to finish eating in the living room," April stated flatly, turning on her heel and carrying the tray out of the dining hall.
Xavier, Nat, Alexander, Samuel, and even Oliver exchanged a brief glance. Naturally, none of them stayed behind. Like an inescapable, protective detail, they all rose from their seats and followed right behind her into the grand living room.
Emily was sitting on the edge of the plush leather sofa, staring vacantly out the floor-to-ceiling glass windows at the sprawling mountain forest.
She was lost in her thoughts for a while. Unable to give herself a reason why she would want to keep living. Purpose? Her sister just said the world was going to burn soon, so what purpose could she find in a dangerous and isolated world?
Hearing footsteps, she turned her head, blinking in surprise as April walked over and set the heavy, steaming food tray directly on the coffee table in front of her.
"Eat," April commanded simply, sitting down beside her on the couch.
Emily looked at the lavish spread of food, then at April, and finally at the five formidable men who smoothly filled out the living room, gathering around like a high-tier security perimeter.
Nat walked over, casually tossing a small silver plate onto the coffee table right beside April’s hands—holding a slice of decadent, multi-layered dark chocolate berry cake.
"A little dessert bribe for my little seer," Nat smirked, winking down at her.
April looked at the dark chocolate cake, her eyes gleaming with immediate, irresistible temptation. She picked up her dessert fork without a second of hesitation.
"Accepted," April murmured dryly, taking a small bite of the cake as a rare, contented expression settled over her face.
Sitting beside her, watching her formidable, untouchable sister happily eating cake while surrounded by the most dangerous men in the city, Emily felt a strange, quiet warmth bloom in her chest.
Purpose, was it? Emily thought, her brown eyes tracking the way Xavier effortlessly adjusted the temperature in the room without April even asking, or how Nat casually rested an arm over the back of the sofa, guarding them like a sleeping predator. Could I find purpose like her?
Emily looked down at the steaming bowl of gourmet soup April had brought over. She picked up the silver spoon, took a small sip, and swallowed softly.
The warmth spread down into her core, slowly thawing the lingering chill in her nerves.
"April..." Emily murmured quietly, her voice low enough so only her sister would hear. "When the world burns... what will you do?"
April didn’t stop her fork mid-bite. She swallowed a piece of the berry-topped dark chocolate cake before turning her dark eyes toward her twin.
"I am going to live," April stated cleanly, devoid of any grand speech or dramatic flair. "I am going to survive. I am already accumulating resources and fortifying my fortress, and I plan to crush anyone who gets in my way."
She set her dessert plate down on the coffee table, leaning back against the leather cushions as she looked at Emily.
"You don’t need a grand, heroic purpose to stay alive, Emily," April added, her tone flat and pragmatic. "Living out of pure spite, living to watch your enemies rot, or simply living to eat good food—all of them are valid reasons. Find one that works for you, and cling to it."