MTLNOVEL Chapter 534: Traces of the same drug.
Arwen didn't think she would be late. But a few things at the company took longer than expected, and she ended up leaving later than planned.
When she arrived back home, she thought she was late and Aiden would be waiting for her. But to her surprise, he wasn't there yet.
She checked the time, and it was already past his usual schedule.
Still, she didn't think much of it. Perhaps something had come up on his end too, just like her. He might be running a bit late.
Not minding it much, she went to get freshened up, and a while later, she stepped into the kitchen to see if she could prepare something for him before he arrived.
She kept herself busy, prepping a few dishes for dinner, setting the table, and making sure everything was just right.
But even after everything was done, there was still no sign of him.
She waited a little longer. When the clock finally ticked past their usual dinner time, she gave in and picked up her phone to call him.
The line connected almost immediately.
"Hello," came his voice through the speaker.
And Arwen pressed her lips together and asked softly, "What's wrong? Have you still not left work?"
"I am caught up with something, Moon," Aiden replied. His voice was gentle but strained. "It might take a while. You go ahead —eat and rest."
She had expected that, and while she wasn't surprised, a small frown formed between her brows.
"And what about your dinner? Planning to skip it?" she asked.
"No," he replied. "I will ask Emyr to get me something."
"Are you sure?" she asked, not believing he would do it.
"I am sure," Aiden hummed. "You have yours and sleep early. Don't wait up for me."
"Okay then. Have it well," she said, her voice softer now. "I will wait for you to come home."
"It will take time, Moon," he said, and she could almost picture the furrow between his brows. "I would be late. Don't wait for me and sleep early."
But Arwen smiled faintly and shook her head. "Take your time, husband. I will wait for you —like your wife, I am."
With that, she didn't say more and hung up the call.
Setting the phone aside, her gaze fell on the neatly arranged table full of warm dishes. She sighed softly.
If it had been before, she wouldn't have minded having dinner alone. Loneliness had once been a familiar companion.
But after she married Aiden …
There hadn't been a single evening when she had eaten alone. No matter how busy he was, he always made time for dinner —their small shared ritual, their quiet moment of togetherness.
He truly spoiled her in that way.
Which made tonight feel different. Strange, even.
And it made her think —what could be important enough to make him break their ritual?
She sat down at the table but barely touched her food. Her mind drifted to think of him.
Was work becoming hectic for him?
She knew there was a lot on his plate. But he always seemed to be managing it all with ease.
It never felt like it was too much for him.
She made a mental note to ask him when he returned.
If there was anything she could do to help, she would … rather happily.
With that, she looked back at the dishes and slowly began eating alone.
————
In the meantime, after Aiden hung up the call, his gaze shifted back to Jason, who understood his look at once.
Nodding to him, he said, "I will give a call and check." His hand reached out to take the phone receiver from his desk and dialled up to check the progress.
When he kept it back, he said, "It's almost done. They will be sending it here soon."
Aiden nodded, and the heavy silence once again returned.
Jason went back to look at his computer screen.
Not long after, a knock at his office door came. His expression turned serious, knowing exactly what had arrived.
His gaze flicked to Aiden before he permitted the person to enter.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a nurse stepped in with an envelope in her hand.
She walked straight to Jason's desk, a little stiffly, and handed him the envelope. "Doctor Zeynp has asked me to bring this to you, Dr. Clark," she said politely.
Jason glanced at the envelope before taking it from her. "Thank you."
"You can go first," he added, motioning her back toward the door.
The nurse gave a small nod, but as she turned to leave, her steps faltered under the weight of Aiden's piercing gaze. It wasn't at her, but it was so cold and intense that it felt like it was holding something darker.
"Leave!" Jason repeated more firmly, frowning when he saw the nurse frozen in place.
As if jolted out of her daze, the nurse quickly turned and hurried out of the office, nearly tripping in her haste.
Once she was gone, Jason turned to his friend.
"You scared her, Aiden. And if you look like this, you will even scare Arwen. Ease up, please."
Aiden didn't respond to the remark. His voice was low and rough when he finally spoke. "Open the report and tell me what it says."
Jason gave him a long look, then nodded solemnly and opened the envelope. He pulled out the papers inside, flipping through the first few pages until his eyes found what he was looking for.
His shoulders tensed as he read.
Aiden noticed it, and the temperature of the room dropped several degrees. His fists clenched as he asked, "What is it?"
Jason looked up from the papers and exhaled slowly. "There was indeed something wrong with that chocolate," he said, taking a small pause before continuing further to detail, "The report states that it contains the traces of the same drug, Oblivion-X, that we had found in Arwen's blood."