Griffin fretted that Percival might actually break Leopold in two, so she quickly wheeled his chair away from the scene.
Percival glanced in the direction the pair had escaped.
“Fine,” he thought, “Someday I'll show 'em some old-school roughhousing!”
"Mr. Wolf, any luck running into Kenneth?" Vivienne strolled up and asked.
Suddenly inspired, she considered creating a new fragrance, a companion to the "Old Man" scent—calling it "Old Ruffian".
Percival nodded. "Yeah, he looked pretty down, not even watching where he was going."
"Ah, to be young again." Karen chuckled.
After a brief discussion outside the ward about Dracon and Gillian's situation, the group was about to head out for a meal when Karen's cell phone rang.
It was Willa Perez.
Ever since Karen had returned to the Perez family, Willa had been conspicuously absent.
Karen had tried to reach out a few times, but Willa's obsession ran deep; she wanted to track down F-Poison before returning to the Perez family.
Karen respected that. Willa had her own path to follow.
The unexpected message from Willa now piqued Karen's curiosity.
The text contained a photo of a university gate abroad.
That very university was where Flynn had studied overseas—the same place F-Poison had once been.
Karen took a deep breath. "Willa's on to F-Poison's trail. Hopefully, she digs up some leads."
In Scepter Country, Willa stared at the university's gate and strode through with determination.
The campus was alive with the vigor of youth.
Every student, regardless of gender, wore bright smiles as if nourished by honey.
Willa, clad in a black leather jacket, walked across the field, her attire clashing with the sundresses and t-shirts around her.
Thankfully, the freedom of college fashion spared her any undue attention.
Only a few whistle-blowing guys, intrigued by Willa's cool demeanor, hesitated to approach.
She walked on, ignoring all the signals around her, and headed straight for a war memorial.
There, a monument stood in memory of a shooting that had occurred years before.
Engraved with names from around the world, the monument bore inscriptions in multiple languages, followed by the victims' names.
Even after all this time, fresh flowers still lay at the base, a silent tribute to the lost.
Willa scanned the names and found the one that was both familiar and foreign to her.
Elliot, also known as Five-Poisons.
Such a blatantly provocative nickname, yet it had lain hidden here for so long, commemorated and mourned.
Shameless!
Willa's gaze hardened as she studied the name, her eyes betraying scorn, anger, and a complex web of emotions.
She couldn't understand how someone so full of venom could be her progenitor.
Who was her mother?
What was the purpose behind her birth?
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