Chapter 1179

"Carter, have you completely lost it?" Hattie exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Calix looked baffled. What's she going on about now?

"Don't try to deny it," Hattie pressed on. "How could you give that powder to your sister for testing? Couldn't you have found someone else with the right expertise? Don't you know about your sister's health issues? What if the powder turns out to be toxic and harms her?"

Calix sighed. When she puts it like that, it does sound like a boneheaded move on

his part.

"Mom, I..."

"Don't 'Mom' me. I can't believe you're my son. Why aren't you more considerate of your sister?"

Calix was dumbfounded. What had he done that was so unforgivable?

Oliver jumped in, trying to diffuse the tension. "Mom, I've already talked to him. Please, calm down. If you get all worked up, Josie will be worried."

Hattie sighed, "Carter, look at Oliver. He's so caring and thoughtful. Such a good son."

Calix felt a pang of frustration. Great, now he's the ungrateful one.

"Mom, you are my real mom."

Hattie shot back, "If I weren't, I'd have thrown you out by now. No more dangerous tasks for your sister, understand?"

Calix plopped down on the couch, fully aware of the gravity of the situation. He had no idea a packet of powder could cause such a ruckus.

Just then, Josefina walked in. "Mom, don't be too hard on Calix. The powder isn't that harmful. I wore special protective gear. If there were any real danger, I wouldn't have taken the job. Calix checked with me first; he really does care."

Josefina's defense touched Calix deeply. She really had his back!

"It's a good thing Calix brought it to me, or we wouldn't have discovered the powder's secret," Josefina added.

Everyone turned to her, eager to know what the mysterious powder was all about.

She explained, "The powder harms the user's body. The alertness it provides comes at a cost."

Calix chimed in, "Tristan said he had it checked at the hospital, and they found nothing. That's why he asked me to get your help."

Calix admired his sister more than ever. She was truly remarkable!

"Tristan might be under

surveillance," Calix continued. "His test results could've been tampered with Luckily, he knows me, and t have a sister like you. Otherwise, he'd be in the dark."

Josefina advised, "Calix, tell Tristan to watch who his dad's been hanging out with Not just his dad, but his mom and the rest of the family should be cautious too."

"I'll call him and arrange to meet tomorrow. Talking over the phone isn't safe; someone could be listening in," Calix agreed.

Hattie looked at him with pride. "Carter, you've grown up. You're thinking things through."

"Mom, I'm older than my sister. If I don't have my act together, how

I protect her?" Calix replied with a

mix of humor and exaspan

's

Hattie teased, "You think you can outdo your sister in thoroughness?"

Calix just shook his head. There's no winning this conversation.

He turned and walked away, feeling a bit dejected. Who did he ever upset?

...

On a dark, moonless night, a hidden entrance lay behind a large tree.

Two figures slipped through, descending step by step into a secret laboratory.