Chapter 1295

Alexander adored children, so the playroom, a combination of two rooms, was exceptionally spacious. He covered half the floor in play mats, carpeting the remainder. This eased his mind when his children played there.

Once inside, Alexander set Galen down to let him play. Unexpectedly, the little boy immediately turned and ran toward Lily. "Mommy! Hug, hug!" He outstretched his tiny arms, a gesture Lily found impossible to refuse.

"No!" Alexander intervened, blocking them. "You're still pregnant. You can't lift him."

The little boy, however, didn't understand. He only knew his father was preventing a hug. Instantly, Galen pouted and declared aggrievedly, "Daddy, bad!" In his eyes, his father was a supervillain.

Lily raised an eyebrow and glared at Alexander. Simultaneously, Galen began to wail. This combination proved too much for Alexander.

"Look what you did! Why can't you talk nicely to the child?" Lily helplessly pushed Alexander aside, scooping Galen into her arms and sitting down. "Don't cry, sweetheart. Daddy is just worried that Mommy might be tired. Mommy has a baby in her tummy, so I can't carry you, but I still love you very much!"

Galen nodded, tears still welling in his eyes, seemingly understanding.

Alexander sighed and rubbed his temples. Even after all he'd endured, he always yielded to his son. He wasn't sure how to continue their conversation from the car. Lily, sensing his helplessness, casually tossed a toy ball. "Go play with your ball." Surprisingly, the ball captivated the little boy, and he chased after it. Alexander was speechless.

"You said Mike saw you today?" Lily turned, getting straight to the point.

Alexander, still watching his son, nodded. "Mike said he plans to develop here for the next two years. He's very optimistic about the project and asked why I pulled out."

"And what did you say?"

"I told him the prospects don't look good."

"Did he believe you?"

Alexander shook his head. "No."

That made sense. Why would Mike believe a few words from someone else? They couldn't tell him the project was suspect; he probably wouldn't believe them anyway.

Lily mused, "Why is he so obsessed? I always thought it was market misunderstanding. Now that he's involved, I'm sure he knows something. Maybe he genuinely thinks it's promising." Alexander also didn't fully understand Mike's motives.

Globally, the world faced an economic crisis. Everyone sought to dominate emerging industries. Pharmaceuticals and energy were booming. However, this project wasn't traditional medical research.

Medicinal herbs held little global significance. With added fragrances, most saw it as a gimmick rather than something practically significant. After Lily's explanation, Alexander understood the experiment's true purpose and potential outcome.