The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 563

Manley and Travis spent a good while trading barbs with Weston, their voices rising and falling in the cramped hospital hallway.

Suddenly, both father and son seemed to recall something important, and their gazes shifted to Citrine.

Travis looked at her, concern etched deep into his features. “Citrine, I heard from the director—you haven’t slept a wink these past few days, working around the clock to develop a cure. You’ve barely touched your meals.”

Manley’s voice was thick with worry. “You should get some rest, Citrine. We can handle things here.”

With their words hanging in the air, Weston and Raymond finally noticed the exhaustion shadowing Citrine’s face—the dark circles beneath her eyes, the bloodshot whites. Her cheeks had grown hollower, her jawline too sharp, making her look far younger and yet terribly worn down.

She must have run herself ragged these last few days.

Raymond and Weston both felt a sting in their eyes as they watched her, hearts aching at the sight of her drawn, tired face.

After some gentle cajoling, they finally convinced Citrine to go get some much-needed rest.

She could barely keep her eyes open as she trudged back to her suite, and the moment she hit the bed, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

It was the most restful—and the longest—sleep she’d had in ages. Citrine didn’t wake for a full twenty-four hours.

When she finally opened her eyes, her first thought was to check on Raymond and Weston.

By then, both men had already taken the experimental medication the research team had worked tirelessly to produce. Combined with Citrine’s earlier efforts—lowering their fevers, disinfecting, and administering antiviral drugs at the onset of their illness—they were already beginning to recover. They looked far more alert, a hint of color returning to their faces.

The research center was bursting at the seams. Beds were full, and patients with milder cases of the flu were given medicine and sent home. In the past two days, many had started to recover.

At this point, Crestwood Medical Research Center had become the only institution in the country capable of treating victims of this outbreak.