Chapter 498: Chapter 498

323 words

<html><head></head><body>The glass door of the laboratory slid shut with a whisper. Sebastian Valdemar stood frozen in the corridor, his fingertips trembling imperceptibly. Now he understood why Evelyn Roland had been so adamant about keeping Melanie Linton's family away from the project. An invisible weight crushed his chest, making each breath a struggle. His phone burned against his palm. Without hesitation, he dialed the familiar number. On the terrace of Château Blanc, Evelyn's phone vibrated against the glass coffee table. "Evelyn? Where are you?" Sebastian's voice carried an urgency she'd never heard before. "The winery." Her reply was clipped, almost icy. "Wait for me."  His Adam's apple bobbed as a thousand words condensed into those two. When the call ended, the master and apprentice exchanged puzzled glances across the wine barrels. The elevator doors hadn't fully opened in the underground parking garage when camera flashes erupted like a thunderstorm. "Mr. Valdemar! Care to comment on the wrongful death lawsuit against the Starlight Initiative?" "Is it true Melanie Linton became vegetative after jumping from a building?"  "Is Valdemar Group sacrificing patients for stock gains?" Reporters swarmed like sharks scenting blood, microphones jabbing toward Sebastian's face. "Did Miss Roland really refuse to save a life?" Sebastian froze mid-step. When he turned, the glacial look in his eyes dropped the temperature of the entire garage.  "Chill Media?" His slender finger tapped the reporter's press badge, his tone deceptively light. "Last March, your fabricated story about that college student's suicide." "May, your malicious editing drove an influencer to take her own life." With each word, the reporter's face grew paler.  "Shall I continue recounting your journalistic achievements?" Sebastian's gaze swept across the crowd. Representatives from several major outlets began edging backward. "News Express and your fake medicine advertisements." "Buzz Entertainment's predatory student loan schemes." The shutter clicks faded, replaced by nervous gulps. Standing at the center of the spotlight, Sebastian's lips curved into a smile devoid of warmth.  </body></html>