chapter1180

Lydia nodded, her voice calm. "Alright, Blake. I've got something to handle first, so I might be a little late getting back."

Blake didn't sound worried at all. "No rush. Actually, the later the better for us."

"Okay," Lydia replied, then ended the call.

Right away, Juna fixed her with a hurt look. "Lydia, what are you sneaking around about? Are you hiding something from us?"

Lincoln glanced over his shoulder from the driver's seat. "Yeah, what's this fun stuff you're up to without inviting us?"

Lydia let out a sigh. "Trust me, it's not fun."

Juna wasn't convinced. "So what is it, then? What are you and Blake doing tonight?"

Since Juna was practically family and Lincoln was already involved, Lydia decided there was no point in keeping it secret.

"We're planning to check up on my grandfather tonight."

She'd already examined Mr. Norwood's wrist and hadn't found a barcode. With her sharp eyes, she could tell there was no fake skin either. That made her think the barcode must be in a different spot on every generation of clones. Plus, her grandfather was basically brand new, which probably made him even more cautious than the older ones. If she and Blake wanted answers, they'd have to be extra careful.

After she'd spoken to Blake before, he'd arranged for someone to quietly slip something into the old man's tea, just enough to help him sleep deeply and naturally. And since Blake was back from his business trip today, it was the perfect night for the two of them to sneak into the old man's room and check things out properly.

Juna's gasp nearly made the car jump. Lincoln looked just as shocked, his hands gripping the wheel a little tighter.

Whoever was behind all this wasn't messing around. Even Mr. Norwood had become a target.

"Lydia, how did you even notice something was off with your grandfather?" Juna asked.

Lydia thought for a moment. "Ever since he came back after twisting his ankle, he's just..... different. The whole clone thing is serious. We can't afford to be careless."

The mood in the car grew heavy. None of them had expected things in the Capital to get this dark. Lydia was lucky to have caught it early If She hadn't, more horrible stuff might have happened.

When they reached the old Bland family house, they parked the car somewhere out

of sight, then climbed over the wall into the yard.

Beatrice was already asleep, but Lydia still took precautions and did a little

something extra to make sure she'd stay that way.

Krista had spent every night hoping Lydia would come back. Sometimes she worried she'd imagined the whole thing, but the pills Lydia left behind were proof it was real. Even more amazing, Krista had started to feel a bit of strength return to h her

body.

She could prop herself up on the edge of her bed now, which felt like a miracle. Life was coming back to her, and the feeling was both incredible and emotional.

She'd spent days and nights longing for this moment, so when Lydia finally walked in, Krista's whole face lit up.

"You're here, she said, her voice shaky with excitement. She pushed herself upright, clinging to the bed for support, her eyes shining as she watched Lydia and Juna.

Lydia smiled. How are you feeling?"

Krista couldn't hide her joy. "The medicine you gave me is amazing. I can sit up on my own now. If I keep improving, I think I might even be able to stand soon."

Lydia nodded, clearly pleased. "That's great. This is the antidote. Take one pill every day, preferably at night. It works best then." She handed Krista a small green porcelain bottle.

"There are thirty pills in here, enough for a month. Once you finish them, your body should be mostly recovered. After that, you'll just need to take good care of yourself: J? give you another acupuncture session today. We need to flush out the rest of the toxins."