But she stepped closer, her actions growing bolder. "Alice, you should really take care of yourself. If you overwork and drop dead, Mr. Collins will be mine."

My fingers paused briefly on the keyboard.

Before I could respond, Giovanni’s face darkened with rare anger. "Dr. Lopez, watch your mouth. My wife doesn’t appreciate jokes like that."

Jealousy flared in Lianna’s eyes. She tried to push further, but Giovanni shoved her out of the room.

Watching this performance, I found it laughable.

Was Giovanni putting on a show for me? Or had he lied so much that he started believing it himself?

Not long after, Giovanni’s phone began vibrating incessantly.

The familiar ding of a new message echoed.

I watched him type a reply, then delete it, retype, and delete it again. After several attempts, he finally spoke up.

"Honey, there’s an urgent meeting I need to attend."

"When I get back, let’s go out for dinner tonight."

I looked up at him, and he immediately averted his gaze.

Calmly, I replied, "Alright."

In truth, I had already seen the message from Lianna.

[Giovanni, you better come see me now.]

[Afraid to show up? Fine, I’ll go find Alice myself. Let’s see if you’re ready for everything to blow up.]

As I watched his hurried retreating figure, I shook my head lightly.

I glanced at my watch. It was time to prepare for tonight’s surgery.

—

Two hours later, I would be lying on Lianna’s operating table, allowing her to extract my blood.

What she didn’t know was that I was here to capture the prey.

I changed into surgical attire and laid down in the medical pod.

Jaden, disguised as a medical assistant, leaned in close, speaking in a low voice, "There’s still time for me to swap you out. You don’t have to use yourself as bait."

I met his gaze, speaking firmly. "The police already have substantial evidence against the criminals, but the buyer network isn’t fully mapped out yet. And there’s no direct proof linking Lianna to the surgeries."

"This mission could save many lives. Don't worry. I’ll ensure my own safety."

Jaden frowned, worry evident on his face. "This operation is critical. You’re risking everything to break this case open."

"If anything goes wrong, just bite down on the alarm trigger in your tooth. I’ll step in immediately."

I nodded in acknowledgment.

The medical pod opened, and I was slowly wheeled out.

Lianna, dressed in her lab coat, stood waiting. To my surprise, Giovanni was there too.