Chapter 199

“Mr. Lambert, since you said you were busy, I thought I’d drop by. This must be Dr. Grant, right? I’m Josef Bayer,” Josef introduced himself as he entered.

Iris and Leo locked eyes for a few seconds.

She greeted him confidently, “Yes, that’s me. Mr. Bayer, you’re here for the ZS serum, aren’t you? As it happens, Mr. Lambert and I have been discussing this matter these past few days.”

“Oh! So, can this serum be given to my father first?” Josef asked.

Iris nodded with certainty. “Of course,” she replied.

“That’s great,” Josef said with a smile.

“But you need to understand, once your father gets this serum, I might not be able to perform the surgery on him,” Iris said.

She looked at Josef with genuine apology, a hint of regret in her eyes.

Leo looked completely at ease, as if everything was under his control, waiting for Josef to ask more.

To their surprise, Josef agreed without hesitation. “Alright, I understand. Where’s the serum? I’ll take it back with me now.”

Leo’s smug look froze on his face. Thinking Josef hadn’t heard him clearly, he repeated, “Josef, are you sure about this? Iris said that once your father gets the serum, she won’t be able to perform the surgery.”

Josef nodded firmly. “Yes, I know. Thanks for your concern, Mr. Lambert.”

Leo’s face darkened, a hint of ferocity in his eyes. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Josef, do you really not care about your father’s leg? If he gets the surgery, he could walk again. You…”

“Mr. Lambert, this is between us. I’m just here for the serum today,” Josef cut in, his tone unwavering.

Josef was clearly losing his patience.

It wasn’t that Josef doubted Leo, but Leo kept stalling when it came to the ZS 2.5 serum. The serum was nearly impossible to get, worth 12 million dollars, and you couldn’t even buy it through official channels.

Sienna had given them such a huge gift and brought all sorts of business deals their way. They just couldn’t let her down.

The constant delays in giving his father the serum had already left Josef feeling uneasy. If he’d just given his dad the shot right away, they wouldn’t be stuck in this situation.

Josef’s sudden change of attitude left Leo momentarily stunned, at a loss for what to say or do.

Iris spoke with composure. “It’s alright. Since this is their decision, we can’t interfere. Did you say the serum is in your lab? Just give it to Mr. Bayer.”

Leo glanced at Josef, putting on a show of reluctance. “Iris, I’m only thinking of Calvin. I’ve bothered you so much, and you finally managed to reschedule a patient so you could operate on him first. Now… well… What a shame.”

Iris smiled faintly, seemingly unfazed.

“It’s alright, Mr. Lambert,” she said.

Josef felt Leo was meddling a bit too much. Sure, he said it was all for his father’s good, but at the end of the day, he was just a doctor. Yet he acted like he had the final say without really considering what the patient wanted.

Leo walked into the lab and brought out a box, handing it to Josef.

Josef opened the box and frowned in confusion. “Mr. Lambert, why does this look different from the last batch of serum?”

Leo’s heart jumped. He hadn’t expected Josef to catch that. Under Iris’s steady gaze, he forced himself to calm down and, a bit gruffly, patted Josef.

“You little brat, I just brought it over for testing. What, you think I’d try to fool you? I’ve been friends with your dad for years, and I watched you grow up. Why would I ever do anything to hurt you?”

Whatever doubts Josef still had, he decided to let them go for now after hearing that.