"Got it, Mr. Fenton."

As soon as the assistant finished speaking, Lance's phone buzzed.

It was a text from Freya.

"Regarding your health condition, you can go to Culinary Crown Court Medical Center and ask for Miss Fisher. She might have some answers."

Culinary Crown Court.

Miss Fisher?

Lance had heard about Culinary Crown Court. They had been popping up everywhere lately, with Miss Fisher running the show.

He suddenly changed his mind and said to his assistant, "Let's not go back to Cloudstone for now and head to Culinary Crown Court Medical Center," he told his assistant.

If Freya recommended it, it must be trustworthy.

His health had been getting worse lately, and he couldn't put it off any longer.

…

When Freya showed up, Xavier and Sean were already there. Patrick had joined them too.

Their worried expression made Freya feeling a bit anxious.

"Where's Bradley?"

She couldn't spot him and asked worriedly.

"Down in the basement and his condition is not so good!" Xavier explained. "We've cleared the toxins from Mitch, but Bradley's body has a peculiar reaction that reject the antidote. He unexpectedly lost control and harmed someone. We had to lock him up out of necessity."

Freya's face immediately went pale.

Rejecting the antidote?

So, the antidote was not working for Bradley? That was not good news.

She panicked.

"I gotta go check on him."

She turned to leave but ended up bumping right into the door, giving herself a little cut on the forehead.

"It's better not to visit him right now," Patrick suggested. "The situation with Mr. Bradley is pretty rough. I'm worried that he doesn't recognize you and might end up hurting you."

"He won't," Freya insisted. "Even when he's not himself, he'll still know who I am. He must be feeling so helpless right now and needs me by his side. As his wife, I can't be cowardly abandon him to suffer alone."

Freya's eyes filled with tears and she clenched her fists quietly.

Xavier hesitated a bit, but eventually sighed helplessly.

"Fine, I'll take you down there, but keep your distance, okay?"

The three of them headed to the basement.

Once Freya stepped in, she spotted Gabriel, surrounded by a bunch of people.

There were loads of bodyguards, some with multiple injuries. Even Gabriel had a few bruises on his face.

Xavier explained that Bradley had gone berserk earlier and ended up hurting a bunch of these men.

Those standing in front of him appeared to have minor injuries. Two of them were badly hurt and had been taken to the medical room for treatment, while Sean was currently trying to save them.

"Xavier, why do you let Freya down here?"

Gabriel's expression soured, his tone icy.

"I decided to come on my own. Don't blame Dr. Jackson."

"Freya, you should head back. Bradley's not exactly in a great mood right now, and I'm worried he might lash out," Xavier added.

He had gone mad three times already, from earlier till now.

Each time, he kept yelling and even hurting himself at times.

Gabriel struggled hard to keep him in check but got hurt in the process.

"I have to get in!"

Freya's voice was firm

"Sorry, Freya, Mr. Bradley said you can't. He doesn't want you to see him like this. Please don't make it hard for me," Xavier pleaded.

"Then at least tell me what is his current situation?"

Freya's heart raced with worry.

She couldn't see what was happening and Xavier wouldn't spill the beans. It left her feeling super uneasy.

"He's been given something to calm him down," Xavier finally revealed.

Just then, a loud roar echoed from inside.

Panicked, Freya tried to rush in, but Gabriel stopped her.

"Freya, you can't go in!".

"You can't control him, only I can!" She yelled urgently, her eyes going red.

"Freya, he's currently in a manic state, not recognizing anyone. Even if he has memories of you, he's medicated and completely out of control. Going in now won't do any good and might even put your life in danger."

Gabriel stated firmly.

Being the leader of the Sigelac, he had witnessed life and death countless times, seeing through everything a long time ago, developing a heart as cold as ice.

In this situation, he showed no mercy at all.

Freya squeezed her fists tightly, disregarding his attempts to hold her back, determined to push her way in.

How could she just stand by and watch while her husband suffered?

"Please, just a quick peek, then I'm out," she begged.

The door was locked from the outside and she couldn't open it at all.

Also, the whole door was made of cast iron, making it impossible to see any movement inside.

Freya's face twisted up, her heart squeezing to hear those howls.

"Sorry, Freya, but it's too risky."

Gabriel apologized, but got back to his usual cold self, standing firm.

Inside, her man roared with pain and desperation.

Each scream felt like a punch to her gut.

He was Bradley, high and mighty, a business tycoon.

But now, he was trapped like a caged beast.

She had been hoping for the antidote, only to find it causing him such intense suffering.

Tears streamed down her face.

She stared at that iron door, picturing her man inside, wild-eyed and howling.

She understood that not allowing her to enter was his decision.

He didn't want her to witness the hideous and ugly side of him.

However, she didn't want to stay outside.

She'd rather face the danger, even if it meant being torn apart by him. Just to stay with him and share the pain together.

Being alone was too lonely.

She had been fighting alone for years, she knew how lonely it could get.

Tears kept streaming down, no matter what.

Each tear felt like a shattered pearl.

Freya leaned on the iron gate, voice breaking, "Bradley, can you hear me? If you can, please calm down."

"Don't worry, I'm right outside. Whatever comes, we'll tackle it together. You're not alone, you got me."

Freya's voice went hoarse and she eventually just slumped on the ground.

She healed his headaches, assuming their future life would be easy from then on.

But then Juliet showed up, and she found out about Solterra, his messed-up past, and her feelings for him went from love to pity.

Despite his loyalty and honesty, he got stabbed in the back, shot up with drugs.

Now he was stuck behind those iron gates, looking like some wild beast, and she was stuck outside, feeling totally useless.

Freya sobbed hard, hating herself for not being skilled enough to cure his illness.

If she had those skills, she wouldn't be feeling so helpless or had to see him in pain like this.

Behind those big iron gates, Bradley was chained up, his hands and feet all bound.

The ground was a mess of blood from him hurting himself, his fancy black shirt all crumpled up, and his once-handsome face was now covered in dirt.

His eyes were bloodshot, filled with hostility, emanating a fierce aura all over his body.