A Replacement Bride

Chapter 172

There was a gloomy look on Katherine's face. She copied the blood analysis report into her phone and then turned on her computer before clicking frantically on the icon of a red spider. In the application, she found the name of one of her friends and sent the report over.

She furiously hammered out a message that read, "Do me a favor. First, find out what kind of poison this is. Then, I'll send you a blood sample."

Her memories of Noah's biological father were hazy. She just remembered the pungent metallic stench on him in the dark.

What she remembered most was the heat of his body as he pressed against her. There were no other memories of him.

For the next five years, that one night became a nightmare that she wished she could forget.

She wouldn't have thought of doing a blood test if it weren't because Noah always had a weak constitution. Nevertheless, she was worried because Noah's health recently showed signs of deterioration.

"What's this?" The person that Katherine had messaged was known only as Q. His avatar was a plain black square.

He read through the contents of Katherine's message and was instantly intrigued. He typed back a reply. "This is interesting. When will I get this blood sample? Judging from the data, there are probably toxins that destroy the growth of hematopoietic stem cells, causing hematopoietic anemia. They might also cause some clotting disorders. I haven't seen this poison before."

"I'll send it to you soon. Give me an address," she replied after giving his words a long thought.

"Very well." Then, the man known as Q sent her a phone number and an address.

Katherine was surprised. She hadn't expected him to reside in Kyoland.

She had known Q for almost two years. He had a reputation on the Red Web as an expert on poisons. He could crack almost any poison that came to his hands.

They had met by chance and quickly became friends.

The address he sent her was the address of Kyoland University. Katherine lapsed into deep thought as her eyes fell on the string of phone numbers he had sent. Then, she shook her head.

Could Q be Keith? No, his research has nothing to do with poisons at all. So it can't be him.

Katherine wrote down the address and placed a courier order. Then, she packed the rest of the blood samples carefully and waited to send the stuff over.

Meanwhile, at Kyoland University, Keith strolled out of his lab. He was trying hard to suppress his excitement.

An older professor saw the excitement on Keith's face and couldn't help but ask, "What's going on, Keith? Have you made a breakthrough?"

"Oh, Professor, I had some unexpected news. A friend of mine sent me some blood analysis data. I saw some problems from that data set that helped me figure out why we hit a wall in our research. It's the blood composition. Professor, I have a hunch. Give me another half month, and I'll definitely be able to get the results we need!" Keith was brimming with excitement.

"That's great news! I was right about you. By the way, the National Research Institute has been asking me whether I want to release anyone. They want to recruit you as a senior researcher. Although I want to keep you by my side, I suggest you attend the institute. It'll be good for your career. That place is full of talented people, and you'll be able to learn many things. Unfortunately, I have nothing more to teach you now," The professor said all this with a heavy heart.

He had been with Keith for most of his academic journey.

When Keith entered the University of Bora, he was only thirteen. At that time, nobody thought highly of him. They thought he was too young and that he was one of those rich brats who just wanted to get a certificate without much interest in his studies.

It was a testament to Keith's own perseverance and effort that he was a respected researcher today. Now, even the institute was scrambling to snatch him up.

The old professor was overcome with emotion.

However, Keith shook his head and rejected, "I'm not in a hurry to go anywhere else. I'll think about it when this experiment is done and the results are in. Besides, I want to go back home. My sister got married a while ago, and I didn't even make it back in time. I want to visit her and tell her this good news."

The old professor bit his lip. He knew that Keith was a stubborn child. If he didn't want to go at this time, there was no point in pushing the matter.

Keith hadn't slept for several days. Now that the rush of excitement had abated, he suddenly yawned loudly.

Then, waving goodbye to the old professor, he trudged back to his dorm and drifted off to sleep.

Katherine watched the express courier drive off with the blood sample.

As she stepped back into the house, she bumped into Tiara. Her inquisitive sister-in-law asked, "Where did you come from? What were you doing outside?"

Tiara always had a packed schedule. So it was actually rare to see her during the day.

"Going out?" Katherine answered with a question of her own.

"Yeah, I'm meeting a friend. Why don't you come with me? You must be pretty bored at home. Besides, my brother just went out. So why don't you join me?" Tiara enthusiastically grabbed Katherine's arm.

Katherine wanted to refuse her, but she couldn't resist Tiara's persuasion. Finally, she gave in to Tiara's invitation and nodded her head.

When the two arrived at the neighborhood entrance, a yellow Porsche was parked there. The visitor couldn't help but freeze when he saw Tiara come out with another woman by her side.

He left the car and hurried to open the door for Tiara. But, then, he asked, "Who's this? Is she your friend? I've never seen her before."

Tiara rolled her eyes. "This is my sister-in-law. Don't you dare try anything with her! You're way out of her league."

The man chortled. "How dare you think I'll flirt with anyone else. Don't you know how I feel about you?"

He shot Katherine a wary look.

Katherine ignored him. She hadn't slept well last night, so she was drowsy.

Once in the car, she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes.

Tiara wisely chose not to disturb her. Instead, she started talking jovially with the man.

From snippets of their conversation, Katherine learned that the man was called Ryder. He was the son of the Flynn Family. He had been pursuing Tiara for some time, but Tiara hadn't agreed to date him yet. Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.

Slowly, Katherine drifted off to sleep. Finally, after some time, she heard Tiara's call. "We're here. This new club is quite fun. I heard there are some really cool performances at night."

Blinking, Katherine glanced at the club. She frowned at the words glowing at the entrance. One look at the name was all she needed to guess that Aberama made it

Once she got out of the car, she stepped into the club with Tiara by her side.

Ryder lingered behind. Coldly watching both their retreating backs, his lips curved into a sinister smirk before he followed them in.