Could it be that he was destined to die? Even if he survived the K Virus, was he destined to never escape?


    "How much time do I have left?" Sterling''s voice was chillingly calm. The other party found it a bit odd, but responded nheless.


    "Two hours. From what I know, once the police receive the arrest warrant, they''lle for you..."


    "I''ll give you the three vis I own in the capital, in return for a favor from you."


    The other party initially wanted to refuse. After all, he had already returned his favor by leaking such information to him. However, the thought of the value of the three vis in the capital made him unable to resist the temptation.


    He stated inly, "If it''s too difficult... I''m afraid I might not be able to fulfill it with my current ranking."


    "It''s not difficult." Suddenly, Sterling revealed a smile, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. The terrifying gloom that had once dominated his face vanished in an instant.


    "All I need from you is to dy the arrest warrant a bit, preferably until after eight tonight."


    "You''re thinking of escaping?" his friend guessed.


    Sterling chuckled lightly. "Yeah... I want to escape." But there was nowhere to escape to.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Meanwhile, Calista was resting at noon. The warm sunlight filtered in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting her in anguid elegance reminiscent of a graceful cat.


    After making some calls to a few political figures, Kallum sought her out, ready to share some good news.


    "Darling, I''ming!"


    Despite the intense pain coursing through his body, he tenderly embraced Calista as he climbed into bed, pulling her into his arms. Only then did he let out a satisfied sigh. If one could overlook the bead of cold sweat trickling down his forehead, the scene would truly be picturesque.


    He felt an increasing inability to control his body, a sensation that filled him with fear, yet also a chilling calmness. If one day he were to wake up and find himself paralyzed, he might not even be surprised. Feeling a bit ufortable, Calista turned around, positioning her back toward Kallum.


    He was easy to please and held her from behind, enveloping herpletely within his embrace, as though their lives were intertwined.


    "Callie, is there any ce in particr you''d like to visit?" he asked, worried that he might be confined to a wheelchair in the future. If he had the chance, he wanted to take her out while he was still able to walk. Calista, annoyed by his antics, finally grumbled in response, "Besides research, I''m not going anywhere!"


    She was a research fanatic, a fact well known to Kallum. She seemed tock the usual pleasures of a neen-year-old girl, leading a monotonous life. Yet, it was this very monotony that allowed her to constantly be by his side. Without her, he was certain he wouldn''t have been able to maintain his optimism and hope over the past year.


    He fell silent for a moment, then spoke again with a burst of enthusiasm. "By the way, after today, you won''t see Sterling anymore. There will be no third oue other than him rotting in jail or dying. Are you happy about that?"


    Atst, Calista opened her eyes.


    "Oh? It''s quite a pity that I couldn''t kill him with my own hands. But this kind of ending... it''s not bad either. It saves us from any furtherplications," Calista said.


    Just then, her phone rang. She furrowed her brows, reached for it, and pressed the answer button.


    "What''s wrong?" The number belonged to Benedict. She wondered why he was calling.


    "Calista..." To her surprise, the voice on the other end was Sterling''s. His tone was calm, almost eerily so.


    "Sterling?"


    Calista instantly sat up.


    "Did you kidnap my father?"


    "Heheh..." Sterling chuckled softly. "I sincerely invited you to the banquet, but you didn''t show up. Left with no choice, I had to resort to this."


    "What do you want?" Calista''s face turned icy, her star-like eyes sparking with a chilling light, creating an unweing aura.


    "What do I want from you... I want you to attend the party. To be honest, I knew I''d be taken away by the police today. So, before that happens, I want to have onest moment of glory." Kallum and Calista exchanged a nce before she replied, "What if I don''te?"


    Sterling''s voice remained remarkablyposed. "If you don''te, I''ll take someone down with me before I die. Even though he seems innocent and oblivious to everything, pitifully naive." "Enough," Calista frowned. "I can go, but how do I ensure my father''s safety?"


    "Don''t worry," he assured. "The moment you show up, I''ll set Benedict free in front of everyone. However you''ll have to bring some people along. The people of Horington are really timid; none of them dare toe here because they''re afraid of the Fairchild family.


    It truly saddens me."


    Calista arched an eyebrow. "So, you''re saying that only if I call the guests over will you release my father? I''m sorry, but I can''t do that. What if something happens to them if I send them over?"


    Sterling was incredibly persuasive.


    "All right, here''s the deal," he


    proposed. "Just bring along Kallum As long as he shows up, I''m sure those petty people will flock to my banquet like bees to honey. Let''s settle on this then-six in the


    evening, no excuses for not showing


    up."


    With that, he hung up the phone.


    ????


    Calista stared at her phone for a long while, deep in thought. "I can''t help but find Sterling''s actions peculiar. Knowing he is to be arrested today, why would he still insist on hosting a banquet? Could it be that he''s given up on life, hoping to strike me down before his end?"


    Kallum snorted. "You''d better not go. I''ll send someone to save your father. He''ll be fine."