James turned on his heel and left the room, leaving Nichole alone. As he exited, he made sure to lock the door behind him.


    Downstairs, Marian was rummaging through the storage room on the ground floor. She picked up a strange silver mask and an unremarkable ck suit, examining them with a puzzled expression-she could hardly remember these being part of James'' wardrobe.


    Just then, James descended the stairs and caught Marian in the act of tossing the items out. Frowning, he stepped forward, retrieved the silver mask and ck suit, and remarked, "These are mine. From now on, don''t touch anything in the storage room without my permission."


    "... Yes, sir," Marian replied, somewhat taken aback.


    "And by the way, we don''t need a housekeeper anymore. I want you to go back to the family home and take care of my grandmother. She''s getting older and deserves to spend her days infort. Unless I say otherwise, she should stay put at home."


    "But sir, that means you''ll be the only one here. What about the daily cleaning and upkeep?"


    "I''ll handle it myself. Just follow my instructions."


    "... Yes, sir," Marian said, a hint of reluctance in her voice. She finished her tasks, changed out of her uniform, and left the Burke Estate.


    James nced down at the silver mask in his hands before cing it and the unremarkable suit back in the storage room.


    "Sophie, I can''t walk this path with you, but Logan will be there to help you," James thought to himself as he closed the storage room door.


    Back at the Aldridge Estate, Gordon


    was consulting with a team of experts about Sophie''s condition. The technical jargon made her head spin, so Colby simplified it for her, "With thetest antagonists and your own willpower, you might pull through. But since this is a new drug from the Mintons, there''s no prior sess story to lean on."


    One of the experts chimed in, "We also can''t predict whether quitting this drug will cause neurological damage, or how severe it might be."


    Sophie asked, "So, if someone can quit without significant neurological damage, there''s a chance for me?"


    "Exactly," the expert confirmed. "Our antagonist is specifically designed to counter this drug, but it can only block it. The real challenge is up to your willpower, Ms. Sophie." "Alright, I get it," Sophie said, a steely resolve in her voice.


    Having already gone through withdrawal twice, Sophie knew all too well the excruciating pain it entailed-a torment few could endure. The path ahead seemed daunting...


    "No matter what, I''ll always be by your side. I won''t let anything happen to you," Colby whispered, trying tofort her.


    He had been working tirelessly in theb, studying the Mintons''test concoction. If he could create a targeted treatment, he could ease Sophie''s suffering during her withdrawal. "I''ll be with you, always," Colby reaffirmed. His words brought Sophie a measure of peace.


    Gordon, observing Colby and Sophie


    holding hands, smiled softly. "Sophie was only injected once, so the damage to her nerves should be minimal. We''re all here to support yout, and we''ll find a solution in time." N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Jenna, unable to contain her anger, added, "That scumbag Odie got off easy with his house in mes! If you ask me, we should dere war on the Minton family! There''s no way Odie can mess with us on our own turthere in Devonport!"