A Replacement Bride

Chapter 266

After a moment of hesitation, Joaquin asked quietly, "Is there… another way to save her?"

Katherine pursed her lips before letting out a barely audible sigh.

"Death is inevitable. We can't escape the cycle of life and death. It is only a matter of time. Grandma's health has been declining over the years, but I have been using my skills to prolong her life. Her time has now come and I have been expecting it. However, it still hurts me to accept that she's dying."

Katherine's words implied that no skills were possible to save Jennifer from the jaws of death.

The realization put a weight on Joaquin and his heart sank. Feeling at a loss for words, he put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it in a comforting manner.

Even though he met Jennifer not long ago, this was the first time he felt the happiness of having a family after spending some time with her.

Compared to the Levisays who were related to him by blood, Jennifer was more like family to him.

Therefore, when he heard the truth, a pang of sadness welled up inside him.

As Katherine tucked Jennifer's hand under the blanket, a hint of reluctance emerged in her eyes.

"Although Grandma's days are numbered, I'll still look into ways to prolong her life as much as possible, so she can feel less pain. I know she hasn't been happy all these years because she worries about many people and matters. I only hope that she can spend the remainder of her life happily. I want to make it worthwhile for her. It's the least I can do for her."

Joaquin nodded and comforted her in a soothing voice, "Don't worry. Grandma will understand your kind gesture. We'll stay by her side until the very last moment of her life."

As the two spoke quietly, someone knocked on the door all of a sudden.

He patted her shoulder lightly before turning around and answering the door.

It turned out that it was Jeremy who was standing outside the ward, along with another unexpected guest—Marcus.

Joaquin raised his brows in surprise. "Why are you here, Marcus?"

Before the other man could answer, Jeremy chimed in to explain with a bitter look on his face.

"Mr. Levisay, I keep explaining to him that you and Katherine aren't seeing guests at the moment. However, he tried to make a break anyway, saying that he came here with urgent news. He won't listen to me, so I have no choice but to bring him in to see you."

Joaquin squinted at Jeremy but didn't accuse him of negligence.

Meanwhile, an impatient Marcus poked his head into the ward and scanned the surroundings with a desperate look on his face.

"Mr. Levisay, is Miss Cornell here?"

Joaquin avoided the question and countered, "What is it? I'm afraid she's not available to meet you, but you can tell me what happened. It's the same."

Considering Katherine wasn't in a good mood at the moment, Joaquin wanted to keep other troubling matters at bay for her.

However, Marcus frowned at the words and looked as if he was facing a dilemma.

"Mr. Levisay, I have no idea what happened earlier and I don't mean to disturb her, but there's something important going on right now. I have to see her." This content is © NôvelDrama.Org.

An idea occurred to Joaquin as he noticed the urgency in Marcus' tone. "Is it about the man-faced curse?"

Marcus pursed his lips into a tight line and nodded firmly. "Yes."

"Didn't Kathy save the senior officials' lives back then? The curse in their bodies has been cleared as well, so what is it now?"

"Even though the officials are out of a critical condition, things are different in the Fraser Family."

"The Fraser Family?" Joaquin knitted his brows at that.

At that moment, Katherine walked over to them after the commotion at the door caught her attention and the fragments of their conversation reached her.

She wasn't surprised to see Marcus, so she asked quietly, "What's wrong?"

"There you are, Miss Cornell!" Marcus' face brightened at her presence as if she was his savior.

"Miss Cornell, I guess you didn't hear about it, but the man-faced curse has affected the whole Fraser Family and the situation is out of control. I don't mean to bother you, but there's nothing I can do to help them. Please come with me and save them!"

Katherine's expression turned serious at his words.

She recalled her plan of visiting the Fraser Family to check on their condition.

However, since the five officials were poisoned at the same time, she immediately made a trip to Kyoland. After the problem was settled, the business with the Fraser Family had slipped her mind.

Katherine then did some simple calculations. Every person who had close contact with Zak in the family would have been infected by the curse. As the disease was transmitted from person to person, she affirmed no one in the household was spared from the curse.

"Have you started to limit their access?" she immediately asked. She was worried that the Frasers' contact with the outside world would result in the man-faced curse becoming widespread.

Marcus nodded at that. "I have. After you told me the curse was infectious, I have since asked my men to take control of the situation. None of them are allowed to go out. We send the food and drinks to them from the entrance. The person in charge of the food delivery is also forbidden to have physical contact with them."

"You're doing the right thing." Relief flooded Katherine when she heard that and she nodded.

Her reaction gave Marcus hope of her agreeing to go with him. Checking the time on his watch, he suggested, "Miss Cornell, it's an urgent matter, so we have to go now. There's a private jet waiting. I'll fill you in about the situation of the Fraser Family once we get on the jet."

To his surprise, Katherine shook her head with a calm expression.

"I'm not going with you, but I'll tell you the method to relieve their symptoms. Find somebody else to save them."

"What?" Marcus wasn't expecting a rejection. His shocked expression sank into a bitter one as realization dawned.

"But Miss Cornell, you're the best doctor who can even bring a dying patient back to life. There's nobody who has more expertise than you. Besides, the 'somebody' won't possibly know the method to tackle the man-faced curse. Miss Cornell, you should really come with me."

However, Katherine rejected it again without the slightest hint of hesitation.

"I'm not going. I'll send the method to your phone later. You can go now."

With that, she returned to the ward without a backward glance. Sitting beside the bed, she fixed her gaze on Jennifer, who was still asleep.

Jennifer was in a bad condition at the moment, so Katherine couldn't just walk away as she pleased.

No matter what happened, she would stay by Jennifer's side for as long as she possibly could.

She didn't share her thoughts with anyone, but Joaquin understood the situation. Thus, he stopped Marcus in his tracks. Disinterest coated his expression when he muttered, "You should go. Kathy isn't going to change her mind. Besides, she isn't responsible for the Frasers' well-being nor has any obligation to save them. She isn't some superhuman but a normal person like us, so she doesn't have the time to tend to your request. She has something else to do."

With that, Joaquin gave Jeremy a look and gestured for him to send Marcus away.