The next day, I found Ethan Rivers waiting for me in the hallway. His eyes were full of triumph.
"Brother, what good is your talent? The final opportunity is still mine. No matter how hard you try, it's useless. As long as I want something, Mom and Dad, even Sophia, will hand it to me. You've never enjoyed this treatment, have you?"
Ethan spoke, then suddenly laughed with malice that sent chills down one's spine. "I wonder, after my surgery is done, if you'll still have a chance to watch me on stage."
That look made it clear. He knew everything. He knew it all.
I stared at him coldly, only saying one thing. "Even if you get on stage, with your level of skill, you'll only be a joke."
Ethan's expression immediately darkened. There was no one around. His face showed no pretense. He laughed coldly. "If you have time to worry about me, worry about your good friend instead. I heard he's in trouble right now."
My expression changed. "What do you mean?"
Ethan pretended to be innocent. "You don't know yet? Your good friend Kyle Chen came right in front of me and mocked me. I just told Dad one sentence, that I didn't like him. Dad probably sent someone to deal with him already. Though it's a bit troublesome to handle — but you know Dad's methods. Casually pinned some tax evasion charge on him. He won't get out without spending ten or twenty years in prison."
I couldn't stand it anymore and slapped him. "Are you insane? If there's a problem, come at me. Why go after my friend?"
Ethan laughed casually. "Who told you to care about him? Now you don't have anything left for me to target. So I can only make things difficult for him. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. You're the one who harmed your good friend. What does it have to do with me?"
Ethan smiled with an innocent look. But behind it was cruelty that chilled to the bone.
I raised my hand, but this time, before I could strike, I was shoved hard away.
Sophia ran over angrily, shielding Ethan behind her. "What are you doing?" She looked at me furiously, her eyes full of rage. "What did Ethan do to you? You want to hit him again?"
In an instant, Ethan coughed incessantly. "Sophia, it's not his fault. I said something careless and made him angry. It's okay if he hits me to vent. I don't feel pain."
Ethan suddenly pretended to have difficulty breathing, looking uncomfortable as if about to die.
Sophia's expression grew even uglier. "Jackson, have you lost your mind? Why would you hit Ethan? You're agitating him like this."
But I had no mind to pay attention to her at all. Right now, I had only one thought. To call Kyle first, to warn him to be careful.
However, the moment I took out my phone, Sophia knocked it out of my hand. "Do you have any conscience? At a time like this, you're thinking about playing on your phone. Ethan's condition can't handle stimulation."
The phone fell to the ground. The screen shattered instantly. I picked it up and checked. It was completely broken. It wouldn't turn on anymore.
Sophia didn't care about her own actions. She grabbed my hand, shouting, "Ethan's condition has worsened. We have to start the surgery immediately."
Only then did I notice Ethan was clutching his chest, gasping for breath. He made himself look very distressed, gripping Sophia's clothes tightly, but his eyes looked at me with triumphant provocation. One look, and you could tell it was fake.
I shook off her hand, preparing to go to the nurse's station to make a call. But people Sophia called held me down. I had no chance to resist.
"You want to back out? No need to wait any longer. The surgery has to happen now."
I was dragged toward the operating room. I had no strength to resist. I could only beg Sophia. "I'm not backing out. Just let me make one phone call first. I have something urgent."
Sophia didn't listen at all. Just assumed I was stalling for time.
I was helplessly pressed onto the operating table. Several people tied me down. Tears of anxiety fell. I kept begging Sophia. "I'm begging you. Just let me make one phone call. Just one call, please."
Sophia's face remained cold. "Administer anesthesia."
Cold liquid was injected into my body. I knew I was out of chances. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Everything before my eyes grew darker and darker.
In the final second before losing consciousness, I looked at the woman before me, tears streaming from the corners of my eyes. "Sophia Caldwell, I hate you."
In the darkness, the system's cold voice echoed in my head.
Unfortunately, favorability insufficient. Host has failed the mission for the third time. The body in this scenario is about to die. According to the host's wishes, we have selected a new conquest target for you. Searching for the appropriate moment to be reborn.
Then, on the heart monitor, a cold alarm sounded.
The nurse's voice rang out. "Dr. Caldwell. Heart extraction successful."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Only Sophia's hands suddenly trembled. An enormous sense of panic engulfed her. She instinctively looked at the person on the operating table. My expression was peaceful, lying there calmly without a breath.
She had personally removed my heart.
Sophia suddenly felt disoriented, until someone beside her pushed her. "Dr. Caldwell, shouldn't we transplant it to the patient now?"
Only then did she react. Right. Ethan Rivers can be saved. Isn't this what she always wanted?