Julian’s vision suddenly went completely white. The surrounding sounds, the footsteps, the police sirens outside the gates, the screaming of the servants, all gradually receded into the distance, leaving only a prolonged, agonizing ringing in his ears. The swelling sensation in his chest suddenly morphed into a hand tightly strangling his heart, making it utterly impossible for him to breathe.

Who was he? Who was that soulless child inside the glass incubator? Was the soul of a crown prince from another world truly residing in this body, or was this very body using shattered fragments of memory to deceive him?

"Jules!"

The anxiety-filled call tore through the white fog in Julian’s mind. The moment his body collapsed, a sturdy arm wrapped tightly around his waist just in time, while another large, warm hand held the back of his neck, pressing his head against a familiar, solid chest.

Ethan’s face also paled slightly at this moment. Looking at Julian’s bloodless, paper-white complexion and his vacant eyes, the man grew increasingly anxious. He knew that the very photograph Julian had just held caused this state. Even though Ethan had not clearly seen what the picture depicted, he decisively used the tip of his shoe to kick the photograph aside, completely removing it from Julian’s line of sight.

"Look at me! Julian, look into my eyes!"

Julian heard his voice as if it were echoing from some distant realm. He clung tightly to the hem of the man’s shirt, his fingertips turning white from exerting too much force. His lips trembled, unconsciously repeating the words he had just read like a madman: "Must not remember... they said I must not remember..."

Ethan’s eyes darkened profoundly. He did not utter a single superfluous word, decisively sliding his arm under the back of his knees to lift Julian up into a princess carry.

Ethan simply carried him down the stairs. In the living room, Richard Sterling was currently being interrogated by the investigators, while Edward Sterling and Aaron Sterling stood there with faces full of anxiety and fear. Seeing Julian being carried down by Ethan, the two of them were completely stunned. However, they did not dare to say anything; partly because the inspectors were present, and partly because Ethan’s aura was exceedingly terrifying.

For a brief moment, Aaron Sterling thought to himself, could it be that his mother had invited Julian up to her room and done something to him?

Aaron Sterling suddenly did not know whether he should be happy or sad. The place was swarming with inspectors, so if his mother had done something, her charges would be elevated even higher. Nevertheless, Aaron truly hoped that Julian would just die and be done with it.

He despised this person.

If initially, Aaron Sterling’s hatred for Julian was solely because he suddenly appeared, snatching away Aaron’s identity as the legitimate child. Then ever since the day Julian married Ethan, that feeling of hatred had gradually transformed into an utter loathing embedded deep within his bones.

There was no longer a reason.

It was simply a profound abhorrence to the point of wishing Julian could just die.

Ethan’s gaze swept over the Sterling family crowd. The sheer contempt and murderous intent within it forced even the heavily experienced investigators to unconsciously step aside and make way. He did not bother to stop, did not bother to explain, just arrogantly carrying his precious treasure away from the place that he should have prevented Julian from ever stepping foot into from the very beginning.

The Rolls-Royce glided through the night of St. Lawrence. Outside, a light drizzle began to fall, the damp cold seeping through the car windows, yet the atmosphere inside the cabin was unusually suffocating.

Julian rested his head against Ethan’s shoulder, his entire body curled up in his arms like a wounded little beast. He had yet to recover his senses, his eyes still staring blankly into the indefinite void ahead. Ethan did not ask what Catherine Sterling had said, nor did he press for details regarding the photograph. He merely quietly grasped his freezing hand, using his own warm palm to gently rub each of his finger joints, as if wanting to use his temperature to warm that trembling soul.

A long while later, Julian finally opened his mouth with a hoarse voice, yet his very first question made Ethan’s heart completely clench: "What if... what if I truly am the monster that they created? What if the Julian that you love is nothing more than a successful experimental product, a thing devoid of a past, devoid of a real soul?"

The car passed by a streetlamp, the light flashing across Ethan’s angular face, highlighting his sharp and resolute features. He did not hesitate in the slightest, gripping his hand tighter, his deep and steady voice ringing out: "Then they should rightfully be afraid of you."

Julian paused, lifting his eyes to look at him.

"Regardless of who you are, whether or not you truly lived the life you told me about before, the person currently lying in my arms right now is real." Ethan leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss against his forehead, his breath deeply laced with masculine pheromones completely enveloping him: "If you are a monster, I will be the one who nurtures the monster. If this entire world treats you as an experiment, I will completely destroy that laboratory for you. Do not be afraid, I am here."

Julian did not say anything, but actively nestled deeper into his embrace, wrapping his arms around his waist. Ethan’s possessiveness sometimes made people feel utterly suffocated, but at this very moment, it became the sole lifesaver keeping Julian from drowning within the pitch-black ocean of memories.

Upon arriving at the Caldwell family villa, an atmosphere of battle immediately engulfed the surroundings. Helen Lloyd, Kieran Talbot, and the most elite technical team were already standing by in the underground workspace.

Ethan handed the photograph (which he had ordered someone to go back and retrieve) over to Helen Lloyd.

"Scan this at the highest possible resolution, and restore every single detail you can."

The large screen projected the image of the child inside the glass incubator. Kieran Talbot wore white-rimmed glasses, narrowing his eyes as he analyzed: "The logo on these machines belongs to a biomedical technology corporation that went bankrupt more than a decade ago; I know of this corporation. During those years, they developed at an incredibly phenomenal pace, and Felix Tate once investigated several branches related to CORE, where the documents also mentioned this very biomedical group."

This consequently meant that this biomedical corporation was once the backstage supporter of CORE, or perhaps it was intentionally established by CORE to serve as a mere front.