Chapter 689
After hearing him out, Sienna’s expression remained entirely unmoved, her eyes chillingly calm.
It wasn’t that she didn’t understand the stakes.
She had already made her choice and was never one to fear the impending fallout.
She looked at Jarred, her voice devoid of any warmth. “Don’t trouble yourself.
If Silas dares to lie on that bed, he has absolute certainty he can keep me safe.
I know my own risks. I don’t need you worrying on my behalf p>
Jarred’s chest tightened, his Adam’s apple bobbing slowly.
His greatest fear had never been that her experiment would fail.
It was that she absolutely refused to leave herself a way out, completely rejecting any protection he offered.
Jarred forced down the suffocating helplessness, his voice remaining detached.
“I just refuse to watch you do everything in your power to save a life, only to end up drowning in the consequences of someone else’s nobility p>
“I’m not going to repeat myself.” Sienna didn’t want to waste another breath. Her gaze turned freezing as she bluntly ordered him out.
“The lab requires absolute silence. Your presence here is distracting me p>
A flash of bitter reluctance crossed Jarred’s eyes.
But he didn’t dare disobey her, terrified of pushing her away completely.
He took a half-step back, yet stubbornly refused to leave. His tone carried a faint, almost desperate edge of pleading.
“I won’t speak. I’ll just stand here. If you really can’t stand the sight of me, I can go stand on the balcony p>
True to his word, he turned toward the balcony.
He didn’t beg for her warmth; he only begged to remain by her side.
So that if anything went wrong, he would be the first to shield her from the incoming storm.
Sienna watched his stubborn frame, her lips pressing into a thin line.
Right at that moment, someone knocked on the lab door again.
Luna opened it to find Marcus standing outside.
“He’s right. If anything unpredictable happens to Silas, having an extra witness gives us more leverage against the Drakens.
With Jarred and me present, the Draken family will have to show some restraint p>
Marcus walked in slowly, clearly having overheard their entire conversation.
His sharp, aristocratic features were unusually grave, though his lips still bore that sickly pallor.
Sienna looked at his refined face and subconsciously frowned.
One was difficult enough to deal with, and now there were two.
The residual toxins in Silas’s body were still under observation, and the next round of trials couldn’t be delayed for a second
Sienna simply didn’t have the time to argue with them.
She withdrew her gaze, refusing to look at them any longer, and said Goldly. suit yourselves. But not a single word, and do not disturb me.
Given permission, the rigid tension in Jarred’s shoulders finally broke.
Marcus also smiled faintly. “Deal p>
With that, he walked over and took a seat on the sofa.
Jarred remained exactly where he was, as silent and immovable as a shadow.
But his gaze never left Sienna for a fraction of a second, tracking her every move.
The room instantly descended back into silence.
Luna watched the bizarre scene unfold in disbelief.
Thea’s eyes flashed with quiet understanding.
The ‘balcony’ of the lab was less of a balcony and more of a storage closet, crammed full of equipment.
Forget standing comfortably; just finding a place to put your feet was a challenge.
Yet Jarred accepted it without a single complaint.
Even with nowhere to properly rest his foot, he stood there like a statue, refusing to make a sound.
Because of the extreme toll the trials took on his body, Silas needed time.
Sienna didn’t dare aggressively ramp up the dosage.
She had to let him rest for a few days to flush the remaining toxins out of his system before initiating the second trial.
The next phase was scheduled for a week later.
When Silas finally woke up, the cloudy haze in his eyes had mostly faded.
Sienna stood by the bed, gripping her clipboard.
Seeing him fully open his eyes and checking his pupils’ reaction to the light, the anxiety that had tortured her all night finally began to ease.