The Ex and Her Riches

Nico belatedly looked up, only to find a pair of bloodstained hands with slender fingers tightly gripping his wrist.

Maverick had woken up.

That was not all. He had also recovered most of his strength after receiving the 023 antidote injection earlier.

He lay on the chaise lounge and turned his head to look at Nico. A faint smile curled on his bloodstained lips as he chuckled and said, “I’m not going down so easily, so pull yourself together.”

“Boss!” Nico’s eyes flashed with shock and delight, but then he continued to cry, “You scared me to death! I really thought you were gone!”

Swain, who was considerably younger than Nico, had been scared witless, too.

At that moment, the two men burst into tears in front of Maverick, completely dispensing with their image. After a while, they started laughing with relief as tears continued to stream down their faces, making for a rather comical sight.

Maverick gently patted Nico’s shoulder, comforting him, “I was just exhausted. The S404 RNA virus caused my heart and pulse to go into temporary cessation, but I heard everything you said.”

“Then why didn’t you answer me?” Nico was furious and angrily pounded on Maverick’s arm.

Stupid boss! He made me cry like a baby! I completely humiliated myself!

Maverick furrowed his brows and let out a pained grunt.

“Sorry, sorry, I shouldn’t have hit you!” Nico looked distressed. To punish himself, he hit his own right arm with his left fist.

Maverick sat up and said, “All right, tell me what’s the deal with this suppressant.”

Nico wiped the tears from his face and turned to look at Swain.

Swain nodded, sniffed, and reported earnestly, “Professor Yancey was shocked to learn that you were infected with the S404 RNA virus. This suppressant cannot cure the disease, but it can temporarily inhibit the virus, thereby allowing the body to recover for a short period of time. The effects of the medication can last up to a week at most…”

One week. Maverick considered this. That means I can stay in Fairlake for another seven days at most.

Nico chimed in, “Boss, you must go back for treatment this time. Professor Yancey has already started working on the antidote, and they need you to return for blood tests. Don’t you want to recover and have a long and happy future with Ms. Shalders?”

Maverick pursed his lips and made no reply.

He had promised Gwendolyn to disappear from her world after a year, and she still had evidence of this in her phone. To stay by her side forever was no easy endeavor, and it required some forethought.

on this and remembered the plan Swain

someone tugging on his clothes. He snapped out of his reverie and saw

you

medicine from any hospital dispensary. Professor Yancey has provided a healing

That makes sense.

removed his dark suit jacket, then proceeded to shrug off his blouse to reveal his

between the defining lines of his muscular

though it had been three days since the viral infection. At this point, the wound had already festered, and the surrounding

as Nico could not help inhaling

a basin of hot water from the bathroom. Then, using a towel, he first wiped the bloodstains off Maverick’s back, then used tweezers to remove the rotting

cold sweat, his veins bulging

of sympathy for the man and remembered the tranquilizer gun they had brought with them. “Boss, should I give you a sedative?

is working. I

to grit his teeth and apply

not remain idle, either, and seized the opportunity to clean up the bloodstains on the

eye, he caught a glimpse of several figures

proper look this time. Then, his eyes widened as he hastily cried, “Ms. Shalders is back! Ezra and Justin are with

Maverick frowned. “So soon?”

glanced out the window again. “She came back here on foot! I don’t see

to speed up in applying the ointment while Swain quickly

just about to step through the iron gates of the

gasped dramatically as he remembered something. “Oh, no! The bodyguards are still lying in the garden! There’s no way we can

ran all the way back from Bay Hill, her anxiety

Maverick ever since he rescued her

that they were divorced, it was best for them to be estranged in the future. She would

she

into the garden, only to stumble upon

Justin

the villa been

examine the scene, and through his keen observation, he noticed that all

all knocked out by tranquilizers,”

lure them out of their hiding spots,

of them to the living room first. Find a way to wake them up, then ask them what happened,” Gwendolyn said

that, she quickly entered the villa, headed up to the second floor, and pushed

of the bed. He was wearing only

his eyes widened in surprise. He quickly fastened the last two buttons at his collar and asked, “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be

breath. She was a little worn