Chapter 674: System Institute
Something about her felt strangely familiar.
He frowned slightly. ’Why does she remind me of someone?’
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t figure it out. Just as he was about to speak, Jules suddenly smiled and spun around.
"How do I look?"
Lucas looked at her carefully before smiling. "Beautiful."
The moment those words left his mouth, Jules’ expression visibly dimmed. She lowered her head before asking softly,
"Which version do you like more?"
She looked back at him. "The current me... or the previous me?"
Lucas blinked. Thinking that it was merely another one of her pregnancy mood swings, he walked over with a gentle smile. "I like every version of you."
His voice was warm. "Today’s you. Yesterday’s you. And tomorrow’s you."
He spread his arms, intending to hug her. However, Jules suddenly pushed him away. "Don’t."
Without another word, she turned around and walked straight into the bedroom before closing the door behind her.
Lucas remained standing there with a confused expression. Scratching the back of his head, he muttered, "What’s gotten into her now?"
He genuinely had no idea what was happening. That evening, Jules walked out of the bedroom once again.
This time, she was wearing a pure white dress. The elegant gown flowed gently around her body, giving her a quiet and graceful appearance.
Lucas frowned almost immediately. He knew Jules better than anyone. She loved vibrant colors. Those lively colors perfectly matched her cheerful personality.
But this pure white dress, it felt completely out of place. For some reason, it made her look distant and subdued. It simply didn’t suit her.
Jules looked at him expectantly. "How do I look?"
This time, Lucas assumed she genuinely wanted his honest opinion. So he answered truthfully. "Honestly... I don’t think this style suits you."
Jules blinked. A faint light appeared in her eyes. "Really?"
She tilted her head. "Why?"
Lucas pointed at her dress. "Because you’re naturally bright and cheerful."
He smiled warmly. "You always love showing your personality through colorful clothes."
He looked at the white gown once more. "This color makes you look... dull. If possible, don’t wear white all the time. It hides the real you."
Hearing those words, Jules fell silent. A mischievous smile slowly spread across her lips. "You don’t like girls dressed like this?"
Lucas looked utterly confused. "What? What do you mean?"
He couldn’t understand where this conversation was heading. However, the smile on Jules’ face gradually disappeared.
Instead, she quietly walked over and sat down on the sofa. Her shoulders slowly slumped. Seeing the sudden change in her mood, Lucas became concerned.
Walking over, he cautiously asked, "What happened?"
Jules lowered her gaze. After remaining silent for a long moment, she finally spoke. "Lucas..."
She gently rested both hands on her stomach. "Do you think... I’ve become troublesome over the past three days?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Lucas immediately shook his head. "No."
Jules rolled her eyes before crossing her arms. "There’s no need to hide it."
She looked directly into Lucas’ eyes. "Just tell me the truth."
Lucas let out a long sigh, his shoulders drooping slightly as though he had finally surrendered. After several seconds of silence, he nodded.
"Truthfully... it has indeed been a little troublesome."
The moment those words left his mouth, Jules felt her heart sink. It was as though a heavy stone had been dropped into her chest.
She lowered her gaze, unable to hide the disappointment that flashed across her face. However, before she could say anything, Lucas continued.
"But... I understand that you’re becoming a mother."
He slowly sat beside her. "Of course your body is changing."
A warm smile appeared on his face. "You’ll become more sensitive."
He gently held her hand. "You’ll become pickier."
His thumb softly rubbed against the back of her hand. "You’ll throw little tantrums from time to time."
He chuckled softly. "And that’s perfectly okay."
Looking straight into her eyes, he continued, "I understand all of it."
His voice carried unwavering sincerity. "I’ll make sure you never feel like you’re walking through this journey alone."
Jules’ nose instantly turned sour. The guilt she had been suppressing finally overwhelmed her. Without another second of hesitation, she lowered her head.
"Lucas..." Her voice trembled. "...there’s something I need to tell you."
Taking a deep breath, she confessed everything. She told him about calling Adeline. She told him about pretending that Adeline was waiting in their apartment.
She told him about the second test. She even admitted to deliberately dressing differently just to observe his reactions.
By the time she finished speaking, the room had fallen completely silent.
Lucas didn’t say a single word. His silence only made Jules even more nervous. ’He’s angry... He has to be angry.’
Just as she thought he was about to scold her, Lucas slowly reached out and gently held her hand instead.
Jules looked up at him in surprise. Lucas let out another quiet sigh. "Jules..."
His voice was unusually calm. "I don’t blame you."
Those simple words made Jules freeze. She blinked repeatedly.
Almost instinctively, she asked, "You’re... not angry?"
Lucas smiled faintly. "I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t upset at all. But I understand why you did it. After everything I’ve done recently..."
He laughed bitterly. "...if our positions were reversed, I’d probably feel just as disturbed as you."
His gaze gradually softened. "So I don’t expect you to understand everything immediately. But I want you to remember one thing."
Jules quietly looked into his eyes. Lucas smiled. "For me, there is no one more important than you."
His voice carried absolute certainty. "Of course, my family is precious to me."
He nodded slightly. "But besides them... you are the most important person in my life."
Jules could no longer hold back her emotions. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks.
Without another word, she threw herself into Lucas’ embrace. Her body trembled slightly as she wrapped both arms tightly around his waist.
"Lucas, that’s all I wanted to hear."
After calming herself for a moment, she shyly scratched her cheek. Her ears had already turned bright red from embarrassment.
"Actually, calling Adeline that day and confessing today, it was all part of a plan."
Lucas blinked. Jules hurriedly continued, "Adeline doesn’t have any feelings for you either."
Lucas immediately nodded. "I know."
He smiled as he gently stroked her hair. After learning the truth behind everything, the last trace of worry inside his heart finally disappeared.
Now... he no longer had to fear that Jules would continue misunderstanding him.
The two of them quietly embraced each other for a long time.
Sometimes, a hug alone was enough to heal countless misunderstandings.
..................................
Meanwhile, Mary’s brain surgery had been completed successfully.
The tiny chip hidden inside her brain had finally been removed.
When Mary woke up from the anesthesia, she blinked several times before subconsciously touching the back of her head.
Oddly enough, she didn’t feel any different. She even frowned slightly.
’Was there really a tumor inside my head? Or was this entire surgery unnecessary?
The doctors carefully explained the situation to her. After hearing the long explanation, Mary’s face darkened.
She became so irritated that she wanted nothing more than to leave the hospital immediately.
If Adam hadn’t repeatedly insisted that she stay for observation overnight, she would have already walked out of the hospital.
In the end, she reluctantly agreed. Meanwhile, Aurora carefully examined every one of Mary’s medical reports.
To her surprise, Mary’s blood tests were completely normal. Every organ function was healthy.
Every biochemical marker fell within the normal range. Compared to the countless abnormalities Aurora had expected, the reports were almost perfect.
There was only one problem. The tiny chip had been attached dangerously close to one of Mary’s cranial nerves.
According to the doctors’ analysis, prolonged stimulation of that nerve could subtly influence emotional responses.
Whenever Mary subconsciously felt that someone was taking her children away from her, whether it was emotionally, or physically, the chip would continuously stimulate that nerve.
It would amplify her possessiveness. It would magnify her insecurity. It would slowly distort her judgment.
Even something as simple as her children becoming emotionally closer to another person, or paying more attention to someone else, could unconsciously trigger hostility inside her.
The further Aurora read into the report, the colder her expression became.
Instead of acting recklessly, she decided to seek Spencer’s advice first.
After listening to Aurora explain everything, Spencer remained silent for a while before speaking calmly. "Don’t do anything rash."
His voice was steady.
"I’ve already investigated the institute. My people have infiltrated almost every level of that organization."
Aurora immediately became serious. Spencer continued,
"Its real name is the System Institute. It’s an extremely strange organization. For years, they’ve been secretly targeting homeless people and vulnerable individuals."
Aurora frowned. Spencer continued, "The government already knows about their existence."
His voice gradually became colder. "But because the institute provides them with certain benefits, so they’ve chosen to ignore everything."