Chapter 1023

Cole and Wilder were lounging in the office, finally getting the lowdown on this tech company. Wilder shook his head in disbelief.

"Dominic really blew through the Baldwin family's resources and cash. No wonder Uncle doesn't think much of him, and Grandpa doesn't even want to mention his name."

Cole's lips twitched slightly at that.

"Dad, what do you think?" Wilder asked.

Cole replied, "Well, Wilder, it looks like you've got a real knack for business. If you steer this company in the right direction, your grandpa might just hand over a few more for you to manage. Keep it up."

With that, Cole stood up.

"Dad, where are you going? This company is both of ours; you can't just drop it all on me."

Cole gave him a reassuring yet firm reminder. "Everything I've got will be yours someday, right? Get to know the ropes, draft up a business plan, and I'll check it out when I get back."

Ignoring Wilder's calls, Cole walked out of the office without a backward glance. Wilder leaned back in his chair, feeling overwhelmed.

...

Meanwhile, Josefina left home to meet up with Percy. The stuff they brought back from the field still needed some work, so Josefina decided to jump in herself.

Percy and three professors were knee-deep in work. After a while, when he saw Josefina all suited up, Percy felt he had to be straight with her.

"We've hit a few snags with our testing."

Josefina stepped forward. "Let me take a look."

Josefina dove into the experiment, starting from scratch. Percy and the professors kept quiet, not wanting to break Josefina's concentration. They didn't even dare move, worried Josefina might notice and boot them out.

Josefina's focus was intense, and by the time she wrapped up the experiment, the four of them were left speechless.

Was it really done?

Done?

Finished??

The professors whispered among themselves.

"She's amazing."

"Do you know her? I've never seen her around the lab."

"Isn't it obvious? They probably brought in a medical whiz because they think we can't hack it."

The three exchanged glances, nodding in agreement. Even Percy couldn't help but admire her; Josefina was like a legend to him.

Josefina reviewed the experimental data and compared it with the samples they had. Percy knew the drill, but first, he gently ushered the professors out.

"Professors, you've done a great job. You can take a break now. I'll get in touch if we need more help."

They understood the need for discretion in their field and didn't want to mess with someone as influential as Josefina.

...

Josefina and Percy moved outside, took a seat, and sipped on some water while comparing their findings.

Percy spoke up, "There really is a link

between them. The disappearing

marks are traces left by the insects.

When they die, they dissolve into a puddle Without prior knowledge of them, we wouldn't have spotted the marks."

Percy looked at Josefina, once again amazed by her exceptional abilities.

"My mentor came to take Logan

back, but Logan wouldn't budge. So,

he went to the Appalachians to dig up some info for me. Once we know fore, we cant cook up a game plan to deal with these insects."

Percy added, "I'll handle the next steps. Shay's body had insects too. They're using them to manipulate people. Anyone around you whos affected by these insects is probably an insider."

Josefina nodded slightly, "You're right. We need to whip up the reagent ASAP."

Standing up, Josefina instructed, "Repeat the extraction process I just showed you."

"Alright, I'll try to have a batch ready for testing by today."

"Thanks for all your hard work," Josefina said as she left the lab.

...

Josefina made another stop at the tech company.

When Albert saw her, he quickly shared some news.

"Dominic's company got taken over. Word is, it's someone from the Baldwin family."

Josefina immediately knew it was Cole.

"Boss, should we keep going with our plans?" Albert asked.