Everyone froze. Anastasia, embarrassed, rose and looked at her father, her eyes brimming with tears, only to meet his indifferent gaze. Cameron remained silent. Resentfully, Anastasia bit her lip and fled.

Maria's heart ached at the sight. "Ron..." she began.

"Ignore her," Cameron replied, turning and entering the room. His apparent lack of concern for Anastasia perplexed Maria.

While happy with the unexpectedly positive outcome, Maria was unsettled by the sudden shift. She couldn't understand what had happened. Even if Cameron had changed his mind, this coldness toward Anastasia was uncharacteristic. However, fearing he might reverse his decision, she remained silent.

Later, in the car, Maria asked Rhea, "What did you say to your uncle? He's a different person."

Rhea retrieved a plastic bag from the back, depositing her mask and gloves inside before discarding it. "Something to do with the lab," she replied casually.

Fabian, equally curious, added, "What about it? I could never convince Cameron, but his daughter changed him with a few words!" He'd never seen this side of Cameron before—gentler around Rhea than he'd ever been with anyone. He admitted, "If I'd known it was this easy, I would have let her speak for me sooner."

"If I say I can't tell you, will you slap me again?" Rhea retorted, gesturing to her swollen cheek.

Fabian fell silent.

Maria intervened, "Exactly! Why hit our daughter? Look at her face! If this leaves a scar, I'll never let you hear the end of it!"

"The swelling will go down," Fabian grumbled. "Besides, I was worried Cameron was serious, and Ree had to be stubborn. Speaking of which, what happened to that miracle doctor who disappeared from your lab?"

"No idea," Rhea said indifferently. "I heard he worked overtime, doing experiments. Then one day, he just didn't go home. His parents called the police."

"Why was Tasia insisting he's a fake?" Maria asked.

"How would I know?" Rhea waved impatiently. "I'm not friends with him!"

Maria, seeing Rhea's demeanor, glanced at her husband and remained silent, content with the favorable outcome.

Lily opened a lid, releasing a cloud of steam and the scent of herbs. Greg, unaccustomed to the aroma, covered his nose while tending their abundant vegetable garden. Lily then poured some medicine into a small bowl and entered the house.