A Second Chance at Forever

Chapter 1481
The Laurence family was up in arms, and it was Veronica who lit the fuse. She stormed into Yates’ office with the fury of a
hurricane, her voice echoing through the chambers like a gavel of justice. “You owe us an apology, Yates. You’ve crossed a line
with Bernard’s chip implant, and my family won’t stand for it,” she declared.
With Blake gone, Veronica had taken the reins of the old family estate, and she wasn’t about to let Yates off the hook easily. After
discovering the invasive procedure Yates had performed on her brother, she rallied her brothers and set out for North Funland,
where Yates resided.
Yates had the means to quell the Laurence family’s wrath, but he chose to stay silent, knowing he was in the wrong. So, he took
their verbal lashings without a word of protest. Once they had made their presence felt at the Sharp family estate, Veronica laid
down her terms, “I won’t demand a life for a life right now, Yates. What I want is for you to find a way to remove that chip from my
brother’s brain, no matter what it takes... or else.”
Her threat hung in the air, unspoken but clear as day, and Yates understood all too well. “I know an old surgeon, Dr. Moore,
who’s quite skilled in neurosurgery. Let me bring him to assess Bernard’s condition before we make any promises, okay?”
Veronica, arms crossed and back against the sofa, lifted her icy chin and replied coolly, “That chip is your doing, Yates. If your
‘old surgeon’ can’t remove it and heal my brother, then you better be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice as atonement.”
In other words, it was a promise or bust for the Laurences. United in their determination, they left Yates contemplating his own
family’s future, and finally, with a heavy heart, he agreed.
Yates, now with Dr. Moore in tow, returned stateside, putting off a visit to his granddaughter Eleanor to attend to Bernard’s urgent
situation first.
Bernard was a shell of a man, broken and spiritless, as doctors poked and prodded without eliciting even a twitch. He seemed to
have lost all will to live, he seemed bereft of purpose.
After examining Bernard’s condition, Dr. Moore shook his head at Yates in a silent signal of defeat.
Yates glanced at Veronica, “Miss Laurence, let me see my granddaughter and leave some last words for her. Then, I’ll return to
fulfill my debt to you.”

Veronica and her brothers were stunned. They’d expected Yates, with his medical connections, to do the impossible. To them,
Bernard’s life mattered more than anything, and they realized Eleanor had married into a family that valued life as much as the
Sharps did.
Leaning on his cane, Yates approached Veronica with a look of regret. “The chip in Bernard’s brain isn’t just a small hindrance;
it’s a lethal virus I developed, never intended for someone like him, Eleanor’s husband.”
Veronica’s face flushed with anger. “Bernard is Eleanor’s husband, your granddaughter’s partner, and you’ve created something
that could kill him? You’re heartless!”
Yates accepted his fate. “It was my team who implanted it, and for that, I am deeply sorry. Let me speak to Eleanor, and then... I
will make amends.”
With eyes blazing, Veronica wanted to lash out at Yates but restrained herself, considering his relationship with Eleanor. She
turned her back on Yates, signaling her reluctant consent. Yates, understanding her gesture, left the room to find Eleanor.
In Eleanor’s hospital room, she awoke to the sight of Hailey feeding a baby with a bottle. Confused, Eleanor furrowed her brow,
“Hailey, whose child is that?”
Relieved at Eleanor’s awakening, Hailey responded, “This is your child, Eleanor... It’s because of this little one that you’ve been
unconscious for so long...”
Eleanor’s gaze shifted from Hailey to the chubby-cheeked infant. “Are you telling me... I risked my life to bring him into the
world?”
Her disbelief was evident. She loved Garett, but not to the extent of sacrificing her life. Now, it seemed, she had loved Bernard
enough to bear his child at great peril to herself.
Hailey sighed, seeing Eleanor’s incredulity. “Eleanor, it’s because of this baby that you suffered amnesia and forgot all about
Bernard.”
In the end, it all traced back to Blake’s scheme. If only he had spoken sooner, two people so in love could have had a simpler
life. Now, one was grappling with memory loss, and the other was facing death.