Desmond walked straight into the cell. The closer he got, the stronger the strange odor coming off Julian became. It was overwhelming and nauseating. And with the peak of summer in full swing, the stench inside the holding cell was unbearable. He nearly gagged on the spot. But remembering the task Laicas had given him, he clenched his teeth and pushed through. After all, not just anyone earned the right to stay by Lucas’ side. Even this kind of thing was a test of qualification. Desmond exhaled slowly, focused only on getting this over with as quickly as possible–there couldn’t be any mistakes.

He crouched down and saw that Julian’s eyes were completely unfocused, staring off into nothing. He was clutching something tightly in his arms, refusing to let it go. When Desmond reached out to touch it, Julian jerked back violently, making it clear he wasn’t going to allow anyone near it.

Hector, watching from the side, shook his head. “Mr. Watson, I’d let it go if I were you. We’ve tried everything; he refuses to let that thing out of his arms. Whatever he’s doing, that thing goes with him.”

Hearing that only made Desmond more curious. What on earth was he holding? He cautiously asked, “Julian, what is that you’re holding?”

“Just wait… all of you… you’ll see…” But Julian’s eyes stayed vacant, unresponsive, like he hadn’t heard a word Desmond said. He was completely lost in his own world. Seeing this, Desmond felt a bit helpless. How had someone so composed ended up like this? And what was even more baffling–there hadn’t been any signs beforehand.

The more he thought about it, the stranger it all seemed. And now, Desmond’s curiosity about whatever Julian was holding had only grown stronger. He tried prying Julian’s arms apart, but it was useless.

Seeing how persistent Desmond was, Hector didn’t say anything more. There were times they offered advice, just to fulfill their duty. But most people like this never actually listened, so explaining things often felt pointless. Some people had to hit the wall themselves before they’d learn. That was just human nature; only after slamming into the wall did they finally accept reality.

Desmond was still figuring out what to do when footsteps sounded behind him. “You remember you came to Millford with Tessa Walton, right?”

At those words, Julian stopped repeating the same line. His eyes slowly started to focus, his gaze sharpening just slightly. “Tessa…?”

Suddenly, Julian stood up, catching everyone off guard. But Lucas remained calm, as if he’d predicted that exact reaction.

Desmond couldn’t help blurting out, “Mr. Carter, why’d you come in? This place is filthy…”

Lucas raised his hand slightly, signaling for him to stop. He’d been through far worse–filth was the least of his concerns. What mattered now was getting to the bottom of Julian’s condition until they understood the full picture; without knowing how that drug came to be there, there would be no clarity. And Tessa was still in the hospital. If Julian collapsed like this, Tessa would walk away clean. The most important piece was still out there. There was no way Lucas was going to let her off so easily.