Chapter 730 The Omen at the Ceremony
The tragedy of Nora and Morgan was real, and so was their antisocial nature. Misplaced sympathy would only invite disaster.
Letting Nora and Paul destroy each other was a way to clear two dangers at once. Now, with all the loose ends tied, the air seemed momentarily lighter.
Wyatt broke the silence. “How about we talk cooperation?”
Yunice shot him a sidelong glance. She had no wish to be tangled up with him any more than necessary. Even with the hospital reopening, she preferred to turn to the Crawford family and Quinton when she needed support.
But Wyatt leaned forward with a smile. “Every hospital needs biopharmaceuticals. You know only Wellinges Pharma holds the rights. What if I authorize them to you?”
“I have other drugs to use,” Yunice said calmly.
“None with my reputation or brand power. Yours are generics. Some might even call them counterfeits.” He held up two fingers. “What if I give them to you at twenty percent of the usual cost?”
Yunice gave him a sharp look. “I’m not a beggar. I’ll pay what everyone else pays.”
“You’re my ex-wife. That earns you a family discount.” He turned to the windshield, as if settling the matter himself. “Done deal.”
Yunice said nothing, but quietly messaged her lawyer to draft an agreement with Wyatt.
“Since it’s settled,” he pressed, “why not swing by my company now and sign it? Before you change your mind.”
She smiled thinly. “All right.”
If she was going to make her fortune in Silverburgh, she wasn’t about to push money away.
At Wellinges Pharma’s headquarters, Wyatt returned with a contract prepared by his legal team. The price listed was indeed only a fifth of what others paid.
But Yunice was faster–before he could present it, she dropped her own contract onto the desk. “Sign this one.”
He skimmed it. The price was the same as everyone else’s.
He chuckled. “First time stepping into this kind of deal and you’re already turning down free money? You’ll need every penny before long. Why waste it all on me?”
Clicking her pen open, Yunice replied, “If I ever end up penniless, won’t that just give you another chance?” She pushed the pen across the table.
Wyatt looked at her like she’d bested him yet again, then signed his name.
Yunice took the contract without another word and left. From behind, Wyatt called out, “At the opening, I’ll be there to celebrate.”
The opening of Saunders Hospital arrived without drums and fireworks, but with a solemn ritual led by a priest who circled the grounds.
Hospitals bore the weight of human life–birth, death, joy, grief. Newborns greeted with tears of happiness, elders departing amid tears of sorrow. A place where cries marked both arrival and farewell.
It was the most sacred of spaces.
Yunice stood in prayer. Her phone buzzed in her bag, and she stepped aside, leaving Victor at the main seat.
The call was from Gill. Yunice had already noticed her absence earlier, sent two messages, but received no reply.
“Miss…” Gill’s voice crackled through. “My car broke down. I called a mechanic, but I’ll be late. Don’t wait on me.”
“Are you hurt?” Yunice asked sharply.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Before the reassurance could settle, the line filled with a harsh screeching noise–and went dead.
Yunice tried again. No answer.
A chill slid through her. Something was wrong.
Keeping her expression smooth, she leaned to Victor and whispered, “Gill’s had a minor accident. She’s not picking up. I’m going to check.”
Victor frowned. “The ceremony’s still underway. You can’t just disappear. Where is she? I’ll go.”
“If it were far, I’d trouble you. But it’s just at the intersection ahead. I’ll be quicker myself.”
Gill was her own person–sending anyone else felt wrong.
Victor glanced toward the chanting lamas on stage. “At the intersection? I’ll come with you. It won’t take long.”
The prayers continued, a low drone that would last for minutes yet.
As they slipped away, a dancer troupe burst into the courtyard, drums pounding, filling the hospital gates with noisy festivity.