Chapter 1191

"How long until the entire process is successful?" Corvus Thorne's expression shifted, his voice sharp with demand.

He had held this girl captive for nearly a week, and the research progress had been terrifyingly fast.

Given her brilliance, she might actually deliver the results he wanted in no time.

"One week."

Juniper Payne tossed her fork back onto her plate, blinking at him with supreme confidence. "Just give me a week, and I'll finish the genetic modification research you've been agonizing over for more than a decade."

Corvus stared at the young woman in silence, his emotions a tangled mess. "What are your conditions?" he asked, his voice dropping to a gravelly rasp.

"Wow."

Juniper's eyelashes fluttered as a faint smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. Her tone dripped with mock excitement. "You actually learned how to anticipate me."

"Spit it out!"

He glared at her, completely out of patience. "And lose that tone. I am your elder."

"Make me!"

Juniper crossed her legs, casually swinging her foot with an air of complete indifference. "If you don't like it, you can get the hell out!"

"Specter!"

Dr. Nadia Norwood, standing nearby, furrowed her brows and voiced her displeasure.

Juniper didn't miss a beat. "You can get out too!"

Nadia was speechless.

"Your conditions!" Corvus took a deep breath, pressing the issue.

"A twenty-day supply of the antidote."

"Twenty days?" He sneered, his tone turning icy. "Why not just ask for the formula?"

"If I asked, would you give it to me?"

"No!" Corvus denied flatly.

Juniper gave him a deadpan look, making a show of getting up to leave.

What a moron.

"Wait."

Seeing her move, Corvus immediately stood up. "Do one more thing for me, and I'll agree to the twenty days of medication."

Juniper raised an eyebrow.

Out in the backyard garden.

Juniper stood with her hands cuffed in front of her, surrounded by a swarm of bodyguards.

Every single one of them had their eyes glued to her, terrified she might sprout wings and fly away.

"What is this?"

She glanced around lazily, realizing they were in a massive, meticulously maintained garden. It was filled with a chaotic assortment of flowers she couldn't even name, all in full, vibrant bloom.

"Water the flowers." Corvus had changed into more casual clothes and held out a watering can to her.

Juniper didn't take it. She looked at him like he had lost his mind. "You short on gardeners, old man?"

She was a prisoner.

But even as a prisoner, she had principles.

"Don't you want the antidote?" Corvus's face darkened as he spoke with agonizing slowness. "Because I'd be perfectly happy to let Silas Blackwood drop dead."

"You really are shameless."

Juniper cursed under her breath. Annoyed, she snatched the watering can and aggressively shoved it into the nearest flowerbed as if taking out her frustrations. Within moments, the beautiful blooms in front of her were a mangled mess.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Corvus's eyes turned lethal. He grabbed her arm, jerking her aside, and carefully tried to prop up the crushed stems. He glared at her venomously. "If one more flower loses a petal, Silas loses a pill."

"Tsk."

Juniper's red lips curled into a cold sneer. "Threatening people is literally the only skill you have."

Despite her sharp tongue, she obediently softened her grip on the watering can.

She had no choice. Her poor dad needed those meds.

"Your mother meticulously cultivated all of these," Corvus said, his back to her as he gently sprinkled water over the petals.

"?"

Juniper's hand twitched, nearly drowning a small sapling.

"To be precise, we cultivated them together. At the mention of Theia Sommers, a rare genuine smile touched Corvus's face. "If she could see them now, she'd be thrilled."

"?"

Juniper rolled her eyes, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "If these were planted on

your grave, I'm sure my mom would be even more thrilled."

Corvus was utterly speechless.