Hayden Crawford lifted his gaze, looking at Felix Knight. Official source is NoveIꜰire.net
Felix Knight, clad in black, walked over with a fierce stride, carrying the chill from outside. "Where is Hailey Young?"
Both Hayden and Felix, tall and imposing, stood in the airport hall, instantly becoming the most eye-catching sight as all eyes focused on them.
Hayden looked at Felix, and in their silent confrontation, sparks flew. Soon, Hayden slowly curved his thin lips into a shallow arc. "Hailey Young has left, and I have obtained the formula for ’Youth in a Flicker’."
Felix looked toward the floor-to-ceiling window. In the blue sky, a plane quickly disappeared from view. He furrowed his brows, then withdrew his gaze, looking at the formula in Hayden’s hand. "Hayden Crawford, I heard Julian Rathborne has imprisoned both my grandfather and Annette?"
Hayden narrowed his deep, narrow eyes slightly. "Yes."
"Oh." Felix revealed a sinister smile, "Then you all better release my grandfather and Annette right now, because the crucial ingredient in this formula is within Annette. Without Annette, Serena cannot survive."
What?
Hayden’s eyes darkened swiftly, like ink spreading across water, forming two dangerous little storms.
So, the key ingredient for the antidote to ’Youth in a Flicker’ was indeed Anabelle Rathborne.
"Hayden Crawford, you thought my grandfather would scheme for so many years without any backup plan? You’ve underestimated him." After speaking, Felix left with his people.
...
Prison.
Old Man Knight informed Anabelle Rathborne about the key ingredient. She was shocked and her mouth gaped open. "Grandfather, you said the crucial ingredient is within me?"
Old Man Knight smiled, "Yes, the key ingredient for ’Youth in a Flicker’ was nurtured with your blood. To save Serena, you are the key."
Anabelle remembered how every now and then, her grandfather would prick her finger with a needle to extract a drop of blood. She had asked him why he needed her blood, and he had mysteriously replied, "Annette, this is the best gift your grandfather can give you."
Now Anabelle understood that her fate and Serena’s had been intertwined all along, and only she could save Serena.
This is wonderful!
Anabelle felt like she had discovered an oasis in a desert, her entire being rejuvenated. "Grandfather, what should I do now?"
"Soon, Hayden Crawford will come looking for you, Annette. Now, Serena’s life is in your hands, and you can have anything you want." Old Man Knight chuckled.
Anabelle was so happy she could jump; did this mean she was free to do whatever she wanted?
This was simply a pass to do as she pleased.
At this moment, Yvonne Knight frowned with worry. "Dad, Serena’s heritage has been exposed, and Julian Rathborne won’t sit idly by. Jude Crawford hasn’t acted either, but he’s been monitoring everything from the shadows. Plus, with Hayden Crawford, we’re essentially declaring war against three powerful figures in the City of Aethelgard. Isn’t this like hitting a stone with an egg, overestimating ourselves? I’m afraid we’ll be destroyed before we even succeed."
Yvonne’s reminder made Anabelle suddenly feel a chill down her spine. Her father, Marcus Kingsley, could make the Knight family disappear from Aethelgard overnight; making her disappear was as simple as snapping his fingers.
And with the legendary father-son duo of the Crawford family in the business world, they were not to be provoked.
Old Man Knight sat calmly, "The Knight family is beyond the point of return. Marcus Kingsley has always been true to his word, and Aethelgard no longer has the Knight family. But we have somewhere better to go."
"Where, Grandfather?" Anabelle curiously asked.
Yvonne looked at Old Man Knight, knowing he was about to reveal something important. He had been acting very unusual lately, likely related to someone he had been in contact with.
Yvonne had a gut feeling that this person was definitely not benevolent, but rather evil.
Old Man Knight looked at Anabelle, "Annette, do you know who your biological father is?"
Anabelle froze. Biological father?
She had never considered this question. She only wanted to be Marcus Kingsley’s daughter, the eldest miss of the world’s richest Rathborne family—a status with the utmost prestige and honor. Could there be an identity more powerful than this?
If her biological father was an ordinary person, she didn’t want to know who he was, nor did she want to hear about him.
Anabelle always believed she had noble blood flowing in her veins, even now.
Seeing Anabelle’s disdain and contempt for her biological father written all over her face, Old Man Knight laughed, "Annette, your biological father is a remarkable figure from The State of Westria."
The State of Westria?
Anabelle knew about The State of Westria; it was a neighboring nation, very prosperous.
"Grandfather, what does my biological father do in The State of Westria? Is he a businessman?" Anabelle asked.
Old Man Knight’s eyes shone brightly as he looked at Anabelle, bursting into laughter, "A businessman? Annette, you’ve underestimated your biological father. He is the King of Westria, and you are Westria’s Grand Princess!"
What?
Anabelle gasped, standing up in shock, staring at Old Man Knight with her mind completely blown.
Her... her biological father is the King of Westria?
She... she is the Grand Princess?
Oh my God!
Even Yvonne was stunned. All these years, she had never known who the man she spent a night with was. Back then, to marry Marcus Kingsley and use her womb to climb the ranks, Yvonne followed her father Old Man Knight’s arrangement and slept with a man. That man was entirely arranged by Old Man Knight, and that night she stayed in bed waiting for the man’s arrival without turning on the light.
It was just that one night, and she became pregnant.
Yvonne’s heart was all about Marcus Kingsley, so she paid no attention to that man and never asked about him.
How could she have imagined that man was the King of Westria?
Why would a king sleep with her, a minor woman?
Yvonne’s horrified gaze fell on Old Man Knight’s face, realizing she had never truly understood her father. Has he been hiding many things from her?
Her father, Old Man Knight, was once the first disciple under Seraphina Linden’s tutelage, and he knew too many secrets.
"Dad, is Annette’s father truly the King of Westria? We’ve only met once..."
Old Man Knight interrupted Yvonne, "No, you met more than once. You forgot, after marrying Marcus Kingsley and becoming Mrs. Rathborne, you spent many nights alone. One year, you got drunk at a bar, and in a night of chaos, it was actually the King of Westria who shared your bed. He came back and put a real green hat on Marcus Kingsley."