Laurel didn't know if she should feel bad for Chris. Who doesn't know about the situation of the Lennox family?
Her brows furrowed slightly, even though Chris had a frail health, he was known to be ruthless in the business world. So why was he saying nothing to defend himself?
"I've heard a lot of you, Mrs. Wayne." Chris's lips tugged up faintly.
Laurel stared at Chris before turning to her sister. Her expression was one of surprise, in her past life the events were the same except for Chris's words.
Chris from the past never uttered a word to her, so why was he talking to her now? Does that mean things would be different from what she knew?
"Oh, I…see." Laurel drawled, unsure of what to see.
Camile glanced at Chris, then she pouted, sitting beside him. She held his arm. "Chris, look, they are talking to you in such a manner. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have insisted that you come with me."
Laurel rolled her eyes inwardly. Her sister really deserved an acting award.
She didn't comfort Camile, or confront Jade and Felicia. Instead, her gaze returned to Chris.
His posture was straight despite his frailty, his fingers rested loosely on his knees. Up close, Laurel could see clearly the faint tremor in his hand, the unnatural pallor beneath his flawless skin, the slight tightness around his lips as he breathed.
'So it's already this bad…'
Ling Xuan's voice slid lazily through her thoughts. "Interesting. He won't last long at this rate."
Laurel ignored her and spoke calmly.
"Mr. Lennox," she said, her voice cutting cleanly through the murmurs, "how long have you been experiencing chest tightness?"
Everyone stopped whatever they were doing or saying, wondering what Laurel was up to now.
Chris lifted his gaze to her slowly. His eyes were sharp and scrutinizing.
"Excuse me?" Camile blinked, clearly caught off guard.
Laurel ignored Camile. "I'm asking you," she continued, "because your breathing pattern changed three times in the last minute, you are having difficulty breathing."
Jade scoffed. "What nonsense are you…"
Chris raised his hand, and the room fell into silence instantly.
"Three years," he answered, watching Laurel closely. "It worsened six months ago."
Laurel nodded, as if that confirmed her suspicion. "And the medicine you are currently on, does it make your hands numb?"
Chris paused for a few seconds, his fingers curled slightly. "…Yes."
Camile's face stiffened. "Sister, what are you talking about? I know you are attending one of the best medical universities but Chris has the best doctors in the capital."
"I'm sure he does," Laurel replied mildly. "That doesn't mean I can't help him."
The atmosphere became slightly tense. For some reason, Camile didn't like the fact that Laurel was getting involved with Chris's health.
Chris studied her for a long moment before a faint smile curved his lips, his dull eyes sparkled with intrigue.
"You seem very confident, Mrs. Wayne, I'm not someone you can play with… You won't even realize when you get burned," he said weakly like a hum.
Laurel met his gaze. "Confidence comes from experience, and I won't be getting burned anytime soon."
Laurel wouldn't have been this confident if she were only depending on her knowledge from school. In the apocalypse before her rebirth, she had been a huge help during the chaos because of her medical skills, although the experience came from hundreds of failed experiments and treatments.
Chris, after giving some thought, stood up. "Camile," he said calmly, slipping his arm free from her grasp, "I'd like to speak with your sister privately."
Camile froze. "W-what? Chris…"
"It won't take long." His tone was gentle but it left no room for any argument.
His gaze lazily swept across the Waynes who had been speaking ill of him. Jade and Felicia felt a bolt of fear rush up their spine.
Laurel turned slightly, already moving towards the side corridor. "If you don't mind."
Chris followed after her.
Behind them, the room buzzed with disbelief.
…
As they stepped out of sight Ling Xuan hummed skeptically. "Miss Good Samaritan, don't tell me you just want to help him without getting anything in return. Take a look at our situation, we haven't started stockpiling yet, or whatever it's called. We need money and weapons. If he can't provide these things, we don't waste our precious time on useless things."
"You know you can keep quiet if you can't say one nice thing," Laurel muttered under her breath.
"Excuse me?" Chris said in a mildly surprised tone.
"My bad, I wasn't referring to you," Laurel said with a small smile as she gestured to have a seat.
After they sat down. "So Mrs. Wayne, can you treat my illness?" Chris asked without batting an eye.
"I can't promise you full recovery yet, but I can surely extend your life span to a year… for now," Laurel replied calmly.
Deep down she thought to herself, Ling Xuan was right, she needed to start stockpiling now, and she didn't have any money… her eyes wandered to Chris.
The Lennoxs were considered the number one in the business world, he was the perfect support she needed. If she could treat him, charging him wouldn't be wrong.
"Hmmm… I'll accept the condition for now. At least it is better than nothing." Chris said thoughtfully.
"But it's going to cost you," Laurel added.
"How much?"
"I need to develop special drugs for you, and that requires a plot of land with a warehouse, where I can develop the medicine without disturbance. The funds must be sent to me as I would choose the site myself.
And you have to ensure that funds are available for any future adaptation of the drugs. The most important of it all, you must not tell anyone of our deal." Laurel said decisively.