Madeleine just remembered. Oh, right, she was here on a\u00a0<\/p>\n
mission today.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her mom, the matchmaker, would definitely be asking about it\u00a0<\/p>\n
later.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t it work out?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine pushed aside the plant and peeked over again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey look like they\u2019re getting along just fine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Charlotte left, Isabella and Bradley continued talking as if\u00a0<\/p>\n
nothing had happened. Isabella would grin from time to time,\u00a0<\/p>\n
showing her canine teeth as she smiled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And looking at Bradley across from her, he also looked relaxed, as if he hadn\u2019t been affected by Charlotte\u2019s appearance at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cListen carefully to what they\u2019re talking about.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine perked up her ears, trying hard to catch their\u00a0<\/p>\n
conversation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 175\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSpeaking of which, my professor had a really interesting case\u00a0<\/p>\n
last week. A rare alkaloid was found in the deceased\u2019s stomach\u00a0<\/p>\n
contents, but the toxicology screen didn\u2019t show any\u00a0<\/p>\n
corresponding toxin.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley frowned. \u201cAlkaloid structures are unstable. It might\u00a0<\/p>\n
have degraded during metabolism. When you did the pathology\u00a0<\/p>\n
slides, did you find any crystal deposits in the liver?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did!\u00a0<\/p>\n
The liver sinusoids were full of needle\u2013like crystals, like it was\u00a0<\/p>\n
snowing. But my professor said it was preservative residue\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley chuckled. \u201cWhat a coincidence. I heard from a\u00a0<\/p>\n
colleague in internal medicine that the ER admitted a patient\u00a0<\/p>\n
the day before yesterday. Their urine test showed similar\u00a0<\/p>\n
crystals, and it turned out they\u2019d taken some kind of diet pill\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine pulled back, a speechless look on her face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of normal person talks about this stuff on a blind\u00a0<\/p>\n
date?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca had an I\u2013told\u2013you\u2013so look on her face and chuckled. \u201cWhen those two talk about human bodies and corpses, they\u00a0<\/p>\n
get more excited than anyone. There\u2019s absolutely no desire for\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 175\u00a0<\/p>\n
the opposite sex in their eyes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTrue.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine sighed. \u201cThen I\u2019ll just tell my mom they didn\u2019t hit it\u00a0<\/p>\n
off.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t. If you say that now, your auntie might just try even\u00a0<\/p>\n
harder, believe it or not.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine stared at Rebecca for a moment, then a knowing\u00a0<\/p>\n
smile spread across her face. \u201cI knew it, Rebecca! You\u2019ve\u00a0<\/p>\n
definitely suffered through blind dates before!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked like she was about to roll her eyes into the back\u00a0<\/p>\n
of her head again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hitting me right where it hurts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think everyone\u2019s as lucky as you, finding true love so early\u00a0<\/p>\n
and avoiding all this trouble.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even though it was a complaining tone, why did it sound so\u00a0<\/p>\n
sweet to Madeleine?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She lowered her head with a shy smile, her little dimples\u00a0<\/p>\n
appearing, and the sight made even Rebecca\u2019s heart soften.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 175\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before, she thought Roderick must have been crazy to fall for\u00a0<\/p>\n
her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, she felt that Roderick, that lucky guy, had really lucked\u00a0<\/p>\n
out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After dinner, Bradley and Isabella made plans to go see the\u00a0<\/p>\n
mummy museum.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStill following them, Reporter Madeleine?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca asked Madeleine, tilting her chin up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNope, not following.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat, scared of mummies?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine pouted. \u201cWhat\u2019s there to be scared of? I have other\u00a0<\/p>\n
things to do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her time was precious now. Of course she didn\u2019t go out just to\u00a0<\/p>\n
watch the drama unfold and get some gossip.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine turned her phone around and showed it to Rebecca.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca, do you know Hengrong International Plaza?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, it\u2019s the best value for an office building. It\u2019s close to\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 175\u00a0<\/p>\n
downtown, and the price is a lot lower than downtown.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After saying that, Rebecca seemed to figure something out and\u00a0<\/p>\n
looked up at Madeleine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRoderick told me you were starting a business. Are you looking\u00a0<\/p>\n
to rent a place now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine grinned and nodded. \u201cI\u2019ve looked at a bunch of\u00a0<\/p>\n
places, and Heng Rong is the best fit. They still have two floors\u00a0<\/p>\n
available to lease.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca thought it was odd. \u201cRoderick is in real estate himself. He could just give you a plot of land to build an office building.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why bother spending money to rent?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not the same.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine shook her head. \u201cThat\u2019s Roderick\u2019s. What\u2019s mine is\u00a0<\/p>\n
mine, and what\u2019s his is his.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Something snapped in Rebecca\u2019s mind, and she blurted out\u00a0<\/p>\n
without thinking, \u201cAre you worried about dividing assets if you\u00a0<\/p>\n
get divorced?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 175\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine got worked up and glared at her, annoyed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you even my best friend anymore? How could you jinx us\u00a0<\/p>\n
into getting a divorce!\u00a0<\/p>\n
?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust kidding, just kidding.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca gave a rare, placating smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just teasing you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She really had just said it off the cuff; she\u2019d guessed what\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine meant as soon as she said it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course she supported her starting her own business.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m planning to go check out Heng Rong this afternoon. Are\u00a0<\/p>\n
you free to come with me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis afternoon\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca glanced at her phone. \u201cI have something at three- thirty. I can stay with you until three.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, then you can head back first. I\u2019ll have the driver come pick me up after I\u2019m done.\u201d\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 175 Madeleine just remembered. Oh, right, she was here on a\u00a0 mission […]<\/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-29472","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\/29472","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=29472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29472\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}