Dorian agreed without hesitation. He thumped his chest and declared, "Absolutely! I've quit my job and made a resolution! Besides, Vivienne, you're also in Rivenwood."
Dorian flashed a charmingly ingratiating smile. "With your help, our perfume company is bound to establish a foothold in Rivenwood!"
Vivienne responded coolly, without directly addressing him.
She could afford to give him anything, whether it was money or the perfume formula.
But that didn't mean ‘this Dorian’ here could handle it.
After dinner, Vivienne took Thaddeus to the guest room, while Dorian and Cordelia retreated to their own quarters.
The guest room was filled with children's toys and picture books, and the bedding was freshly changed.
Vivienne led him to the desk and patted his head gently. "You'll stay here for now. Don't worry about anything else, okay?"
Thaddeus, his eyes still red from crying, bit his lip and nervously asked from the chair, "Sis, will I go back to my aunt and cousins?"
His cautious demeanor broke Vivienne's heart.
"No." Vivienne hugged him closer and murmured soothingly into his ear. "I won't let you go back."
Thaddeus finally relaxed.
He clung to Vivienne and, with his childish and soft voice, asked, "Sis, can I stay with you from now on?"
"Yes." Vivienne responded as gently as she could.
"You're so nice, sis." Thaddeus finally managed a smile. But it quickly faded as his little face scrunched up. "Only you haven't changed; everyone else has. Dad and Mom don’t love me anymore.”
Vivienne’s hand froze on his head, and a flicker of darkness passed through her eyes. Then, she smiled and reassured him. "Don't be afraid. Your parents haven't changed. They still love you. They're just sick, and their temperaments have become different. I'll cure them."
Thaddeus asked, not fully understanding what she meant. "Can you really cure them, sis?"
Vivienne nodded. "I can. Have you forgotten that I'm a doctor?"
"No, I remember that you're a great doctor." Thaddeus looked at her in awe.
"So, trust me when I say I'll cure your parents, okay?"
"Okay."
After settling Thaddeus, Vivienne received a phone call from the research institute.
"Vivienne, there's some matter that requires your attention. When can you come over?"
Vivienne established this institute. They specialized in the research of antidotes for potions.
Although the staff was small in number, each one was an elite scientist with a reputation that was highly respected in the industry.
Vivienne glanced at the time and quickly replied, "I'll be right there."
She hung up and hurriedly left, taking a cab straight to the institute.
Half an hour later, she arrived at the institute. The researchers handed her the newly developed antidote. "Vivienne, this is the new antidote. Please take a look."
Vivienne put on some sterile clothes, took the antidote into the lab, and began to test it herself.
She skillfully used the tools and chemicals on the table to neutralize the antidote.
When the drugs interacted, they turned a mysterious, deep purple.
The potency was still not enough.
Vivienne furrowed her brows, removed her safety goggles, and exited the lab.
"Vivienne, how is it?" The head of the institute quickly greeted her and anxiously asked for some feedback.
"The potency is far from my standards." Vivienne handed him the report she had just written as she looked around at the ongoing experiments in the institute. "I gave you the cobra grass, so no matter what, you need to develop the antidote I want."
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