Vivian Hayes, the PR director, quickly swiped on her tablet,\u00a0<\/p>\n
pulling up a social media trend chart. \u201cThe related topic has\u00a0<\/p>\n
surpassed a hundred million views in three hours. The group\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
stock price has already started to fluctuate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s eyes darkened. \u201cSuppress it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re already on it, but it\u2019s not having much effect\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivian gave a bitter smile. \u201cNanette is very smart. She\u2019s painted\u00a0<\/p>\n
herself as the victim and even hinted that Kev\u2019s psychological\u00a0<\/p>\n
problems\u2026 were caused by his family.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her\u00a0<\/p>\n
palms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s gaze swept over everyone in the conference room,\u00a0<\/p>\n
his voice low and oppressive. \u201cThe things Nanette did to Kev-\u00a0<\/p>\n
it\u2019s impossible she left no evidence behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Surveillance, recordings, medical records\u2013check them all\u00a0<\/p>\n
again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mariah shook her head. \u201cWe\u2019ve gone through them repeatedly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 126\u00a0<\/p>\n
The kindergarten has too many surveillance blind spots, and Nanette is very cautious. She\u2019s never alone with the child in any environment with recording devices.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivian added, \u201cAnd her psychological consultation records are airtight. They\u2019re all standardized treatment procedures; you\u00a0<\/p>\n
can\u2019t find anything wrong with them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s knuckles tapped on the desk, each tap like a dull\u00a0<\/p>\n
clap of thunder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen check her private communications, bank transactions,\u00a0<\/p>\n
social connections. She can\u2019t be completely flawless.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as Mariah was about to respond, her phone vibrated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She glanced down at the caller ID, her brow furrowing slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a call from the kindergarten.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She pressed the answer key, and after a brief exchange, her\u00a0<\/p>\n
expression changed drastically.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After hanging up, she looked up at Roderick, her gaze sharp\u00a0<\/p>\n
behind her lenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a new lead. A janitor at the kindergarten said she\u00a0<\/p>\n
accidentally overheard Nanette on the phone, mentioning\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 126\u00a0<\/p>\n
something about medicine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s heart skipped a beat. \u201cWhat medicine?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe janitor didn\u2019t catch the specific name, but Nanette\u2019s tone\u00a0<\/p>\n
was very tense, like she was confirming the dosage and side\u00a0<\/p>\n
effects.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s eyes turned ice\u2013cold. \u201cCheck her prescription\u00a0<\/p>\n
purchase history. Now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerry moved quickly, stepping out immediately to make a call.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A cold sweat broke out on Madeleine\u2019s back. She turned her\u00a0<\/p>\n
head, her expression panicked as she met Roderick\u2019s eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He patted Madeleine\u2019s back, his eyes full of reassurance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll contact Bradley and have him take Kev for a check\u2013up, to\u00a0<\/p>\n
see if there\u2019s any drug residue.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The conference room fell into a brief silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a moment, Mr. Eleanor spoke up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it is medicine\u2026 I\u2019m more inclined to think it\u2019s a psychiatric\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 126\u00a0<\/p>\n
drug, used to aid in psychological control.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s heart trembled, the pain almost suffocating her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr. Eleanor frowned again. \u201cIt would be great if we could find\u00a0<\/p>\n
the drug, of course, but when I was talking with Kevin yesterday,\u00a0<\/p>\n
he didn\u2019t mention taking any medicine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a long silence, he continued, \u201cActually, there\u2019s another\u00a0<\/p>\n
way. We could try hypnotherapy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKev has been under Nanette\u2019s long\u2013term psychological\u00a0<\/p>\n
suggestion, but his subconscious must remember the truth. If\u00a0<\/p>\n
we can guide him to recall the key scene\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine cut him off almost instantly. She remembered the\u00a0<\/p>\n
last time she\u2019d recalled the past in a dream, how the pain had\u00a0<\/p>\n
washed over her like a tide, making her completely unable to\u00a0<\/p>\n
breathe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She just couldn\u2019t accept putting her son through that kind of\u00a0<\/p>\n
pain:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 126\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s so little. What if he can\u2019t handle it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr. Eleanor reassured her, \u201cI\u2019ll keep it within a safe range. We\u2019ll\u00a0<\/p>\n
only do a light hypnosis, with the goal of triggering his\u00a0<\/p>\n
situational memory. We won\u2019t touch the core trauma.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick reached out and squeezed Madeleine\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the one who always says we should listen to the child\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
opinion, aren\u2019t you? So why don\u2019t we ask Kev?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A sharp pain stung Madeleine\u2019s heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It seemed this was the only way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As night fell, Madeleine stood outside the nursery with a glass\u00a0<\/p>\n
of warm milk, hesitating for a long time to go inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The milk in her hands was starting to cool by the time she\u00a0<\/p>\n
finally gathered the courage to knock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKev, it\u2019s Mommy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As soon as she spoke, she heard the little guy\u2019s eager footsteps\u00a0<\/p>\n
from inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin tiptoed to open the door, and his eyes curved into a smile when he saw Madeleine, looking very happy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 126\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy, are you here to read me a story?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine patted his little head, and they went inside together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After her meeting during the day, Bradley had come to pick up\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kev for a full check\u2013up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to the pathology report, there were no drug residues\u00a0<\/p>\n
in Kev\u2019s system.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley said this was normal. Children have a fast metabolism, and if the person controlled the dosage, it would basically be undetectable a few hours after being taken.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHere, drink your milk and have a little chat with Mommy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin nodded, sat at the small table, and took a few sips of milk, holding the glass with both hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 127\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 127\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash 126 Vivian Hayes, the PR director, quickly swiped on her tablet,\u00a0 pulling […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-heart-surgeons-last-patient-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29423\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}