Chapter 1081
Maja found herself locked in a room void of windows, with only a skylight revealing a slice of the azure
sky above.
She had no clue whether she was in the city's heart or tucked away somewhere in the suburbs.
She didn’t know how long she had been unconscious, only that she woke up in that room.
It was only after the fact that she thought about the snake she had unleashed on Ian and the terror that
came with the realization.
The venom of the snake was potent, deadly even. She didn't know how Ian was faring or what Patric's
intentions were.
"Open the door! Open the door!"
She pounded on the only door in the room, but there was still no response two hours later.
Finally, exhausted, she slumped onto the floor. Soon, footsteps echoed from outside.
The door swung open, and Patric stepped in.
The only clock in the room hung on the wall, indicating it was nine in the evening.
Patric eyed her sitting on the floor, hugging her knees and a grimace on her lips.
He knelt down, gripping her chin, inspecting her from side to side.
Maja tried to push his hand away, unable to comprehend how the gentle Patric she remembered had
turned into this.
She wondered about his relationship with Grandpa Holden.
Everything that happened the night before could not have been orchestrated by Patric alone. Holden
was a key player.
She didn't want to suspect Holden, but he was the one who had given her the box with the venomous
snake.
Closing her eyes, her head aching from all the thinking, she still couldn't figure out what role Grandpa
Holden played.
Just as she pondered, the image of his disbelief when the snake bit him searing her mind.
Maja felt only agony, an overwhelming torment.
Now, with her chin in his grip, she looked at Patric with revulsion.
Patric simply raised an eyebrow, his hand tracing her features.
"Maja."
He called her name, his tone seemingly tender.
Maja grimaced in disgust.
"Get lost!"
She shoved him away, but he didn't move. Instead, he drew her closer, studying her face intently.
"I had a dream about you, quite strange."
"Stop disgusting me."
Maja's face was placid, her eyelashes lowered, refusing to look at him.
Patric let her go, slowly got up, and left the room without hesitation.
Once the door shut behind him, he was met with the voice of Eric in his head.
"You'll regret treating her like this."
Eric had wanted to prevent the previous night's events but was powerless, as Patric had control over
his body.
He had tried to convince Patric, but Patric didn't listen.
Patric's fist slammed against the wall, his face grim.
"Why would I regret it, Eric? I'm helping you. Last time, I used her to retrieve the chip. I found that
threatening you with her was quite effective. Now, if you help me with this experiment, I'll return her.
She can live happily ever after with your little brother. How does that sound?"
Eric remained silent.
Patric walked downstairs and took a swig from the bottle of bourbon on the table.
"Once you decide to help me with the experiment, I'll let her go. As you can see, I have no moral
compass. I'm capable of anything. Last time, I made her suffer, didn't I? She still thinks we slept
together. There's already tension between her and Ian, and now I've turned her into a public enemy.
Eric, I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve."
He swirled the glass of liquor in his slender fingers, his legs crossed and resting on the coffee table. Hisnovelbin
eyes sparkled with mischief, enhancing the allure of his face.
"Patric, as I've said before, I can't experiment on myself. The only ones capable of conducting the
experiment solo are under strict surveillance by the government. You just refuse to believe me."
"You've been involved in research since your teens; there's no reason you can't do it. This body has to
be mine, Eric. You have to disappear."
Eric fell silent, realizing that reasoning with Patric was futile.