Lucas quickly realized it too. Aurora had just woken up and was probably feeling self-conscious, so he loosened his hold. But even after letting go, he still kept a firm grip on her hand. Aurora glanced at their intertwined fingers but said nothing. She understood that Lucas was clearly feeling unsettled, and truthfully, so was she.

After spending so long inside her memories, she found it hard to be apart from him now, especially after learning he was the boy who saved her life all those years ago. The way she looked at him had completely changed—she couldn’t bear to be separated. In fact, the more she looked at him, the more she felt drawn in. Before, her feelings had been warm but uncertain. Today, they were unmistakably real.

Lucas held her hand tightly, then looked at Julian, still writhing on the floor, and said in a low voice, “Aurora, what was he trying to do? Did he hurt you?” His tone had dropped several notches, thick with menace. The air around him practically buzzed with danger. Even Julian, lying on the floor, couldn’t hide his fear—his body trembled visibly.

“Lucas, what the hell is your problem? I haven’t done anything! How can you just assume the worst about me?” Julian shouted louder, desperation rising.

Tessa stood off to the side, watching with growing irritation. There he went again, shouting empty denials. If you were innocent, then act like it and make a proper defense. What was the point of all this screaming? Besides, both the syringe and the man were right here—it was practically a case of being caught red-handed. And even now, he still wanted to deny it? Tessa wanted nothing more than to disappear. But one glance at the hospital room, now tightly guarded, made it clear that escaping wasn’t an option. And with Lucas here, she knew he would never let her leave. Letting out a quiet sigh, she had no choice but to stay and brace herself.

Lucas listened to Julian’s protests, finding them almost laughable. He bent down, picked up the syringe from the floor, and held it up. “Then explain this,” he said coolly.

Chapter 774

Julian’s eyes widened in panic. He lunged forward, trying to snatch it back, but Lucas kicked him hard to the ground. Seeing that, Tessa closed her eyes. She knew then that this pawn was officially useless. Time to find someone else. Now that Aurora was awake, Tessa’s future didn’t look so bright either.

Given Grace’s and that old shareholders’ temperaments, they’d definitely put Aurora back in power. That was exactly why Tessa hadn’t wanted her to wake up because the moment she did, everything would be over. Forget the manager title, she might not even be able to keep her footing in the company. It was all up in the air now.

Julian stared at the syringe, stammering, unable to form a coherent sentence. Truth was, he didn’t even know how to begin explaining.

The foreign doctor, quick to read the room, stepped forward and said, “Sir, please hand that over. We’ll run a test on the substance immediately.”

Lucas gave a short nod, about to pass it to him, but Julian suddenly reacted with intense panic. “No! I object!”

Everyone in the room exchanged looks. Julian’s reaction wasn’t just suspicious—it was downright absurd.

Chapter 775

Everyone could see who held the upper hand now. Julian’s opinion didn’t matter anymore. In fact, no one even cared what he had to say. It was almost laughable.

The foreign doctor, speaking with calm authority, said, “Sir, you are inside our hospital. In this case, we are fully within our rights to investigate.”

Julian’s panic deepened. “This is your turf—who’s to say you won’t tamper with it? What—"

At that, Tessa raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t expected Julian to suddenly grow a brain under pressure. He was clever enough to shift the narrative. And truthfully, he wasn’t entirely wrong. They were on the hospital’s turf. If the staff wanted to twist things, there was nothing anyone could do. Not to mention, if they had ulterior motives, there’d be no way to know.

The foreign doctor’s expression tightened, clearly offended. “Sir, you’re welcome to question our methods, but don’t question our integrity. We work in partnership with law enforcement. The police send—” Jason was fuming.

Their hospital was being defiled. How dare this man throw such accusations around? He would not allow it. If this nonsense spread, how was he supposed to continue saving lives? How was the hospital supposed to keep its doors open? Was this man seriously trying to ruin their reputation on a whim? Thinking that, the foreign doctor’s expression darkened. Even the department head who came with him looked visibly uneasy.

Tessa sensed something was off, but didn’t know what to say. After all, this was someone else’s turf, and right now, she was under suspicion. Julian had already been exposed. If she got dragged down with him, even the chance to turn the tables would vanish.