Chapter 1468

"So, in your eyes, your cousin is just another lab rat?" Austin questioned.

Rhea retorted instantly, "It's an honor for her to be my lab rat! Without her father's influence, she'd be nothing compared to me!"

Though disdainful, Austin detected a hint of jealousy in her words. Rhea seemed intensely envious of her cousin, her resentment palpable. Her tone, unlike her usual flippancy, was strained, almost gritted. She hates Anastasia!

"Are you jealous of your cousin?" Austin asked, a new idea forming.

"Jealous?!" Rhea's voice rose an octave. She stomped back into the basement, seizing his collar. "I'm smarter, more beautiful, have a better figure, and am more capable than her. I'm better in every aspect, a hundred times better at that! Why would I be jealous? Have you lost your mind?!"

"It's because…" Austin trailed off. Rhea's furious reaction confirmed his suspicion. "It's because she comes from a better family, isn't it?"

He recalled Anastasia's father was a Secretary, yet he'd visited Rhea's seemingly comfortable home. He couldn't fathom Rhea's jealousy, yet her reaction was undeniable. Moreover, she wouldn't have poisoned her cousin for over a decade if she weren't.

"Hah!" Rhea sneered, releasing Austin. "Her mother died young, and her father's always busy. Tasia was at my house nearly every day growing up. How is that a better family? You don't know anything! You're a scammer, a charlatan selling miracle cures!" She added sarcastically, "There's no point explaining to you. You clearly don't understand real medicine!"

"I'm a liar, and you're crazy—two peas in a pod. But I know my limits. Humans aren't rats. We practice medicine to help, not harm," Austin countered. Rhea turned and left without looking back, slamming the door.

Silence descended. Austin felt deathly ill, the confrontation draining his energy. A metallic taste flooded his throat, like rust. He vomited, but nothing came up. He likely had only a day or two left without water; maybe not even that. No one knew he was gone, no one cared.

He reflected on his life, the delusion of superiority and respect he'd harbored. No one would even notice his death. He searched his pockets again, finding nothing. His phone was gone, escape impossible. He regretted not bringing snacks.

He took out the vial, remembering the excitement of its creation, the eagerness to share it with Thompson. His accomplishment seemed childish compared to the others' actions; insignificant.

Then there was Lily, his longtime rival. He'd strived to surpass her, yet she hadn't even noticed. He'd been a fool. Was that why Lily withdrew, why she wanted to destroy the lab data? And here he was, basking in restoring it, planning to gloat to Lily, to finally triumph. The thought was absurd.