Chapter 157: The Nobel Prize in Medicine?
[Rose’s P.O.V.]
As I expected, after my argument with Alonso, I could not sleep well the entire night. It frustrated me that no matter what kind of excuses or arguments I came up with to counter him in my head, I had to admit that what he said made some sense. Moreover, his words might have been insensitive to a mother, or mother-to-be, since it wasn’t his child but I knew his heart was in the right place.
Even as Charlotte tried to comfort me, I could tell that she was leaning towards Alonso’s side. Still, despite it all, I was still unhappy.
Not even Susanna was on my side.
“Rose, my dear, although I fully understand your feelings, I think what Alonso said makes sense.”
“Why aren’t you even willing to give it a try? Even Dr. Bason suggested that I go for more tests!”
“Well, Alonso is your predecessor, a Werewolf of Chaos, and has lived far longer than you and I. So I think his arguments are pretty credible. You should believe him.”
“When did age become a weapon to suppress people’s opinions? Oh, I forgot. Alonso has always been like this.”
“If you knew that he was once nominated for a Nobel Prize in Medicine, perhaps you wouldn’t have said that.”
My eyes widened. I knew about the Nobel Prize. Edward had once told me about it. It was a prestigious award given only to those who had played a significant role in the historical development of human society.
“Although it’s only a nomination, it’s very impressive. If you want, I can show you the pictures taken when he attended the ceremony.”
“Well, if that’s true, how could he suggest that I abort my child?!”
“You know he has a sharp tongue. He would never let you do that if there was a better way.”
“What better way?” asked I.
“If my memory serves me well, he can speak the languages of more than 30 countries fluently; he has a black card with the top banks of all developed countries; his photo is hung on the gold-inlaid exhibition wall of the Dubai royal family; and he has made a huge contribution to the end of the black plague in Europe during the13th century. He keeps countless honors and assets in a few banks in Switzerland though the ones he holds dear to him are kept closer at hand.”
“These things mean nothing to me,” said I.
“Yes, my dear, you are too young to comprehend all of these. How about this? You’re now able to live comfortably in this apartment despite the heat and humidity outside, all thanks to the air conditioning.”
“So?”
“That’s because, in the early 19th century, someone developed a polar-simulated air-conditioning unit for military aircraft testing. It was the first prototype developed with Alonso. But the latter didn’t bother to claim credits for him, letting his partner take it all to later became known as the father of air-conditioning.”
“Well, that sounds like a great biography. I thought his greatest achievement was killing Cain. So that’s why you followed him willingly?”
I couldn’t help being sarcastic because I knew Susanna was being biased. Anyone could tell that she was talking about her lover with admiration just by the look on her face.
“Not quite. He has achieved many great things in life, but what truly captured my heart about him was his charisma as well as his pure and kind heart. I had known him as Harvey Dunham back then. And even if I never thought about becoming his lover, I always knew that I wanted to always be there for him. To me, he was a gift from God.”
While I did not share Susanna’s admiration for Alonso, I acknowledged how her feelings have affected her relationship with him.
But to be honest, it was hard for me to imagine a werewolf living that long in this world. Despite his achievements, I couldn’t imagine the loneliness and despair he must have felt all this while. When I first learned that I was a Werewolf of Chaos, I blamed it for everything, thinking that it had brought me many unexpected disasters.
Perhaps I should have thought more calmly and rationally about Alonso’s advice. His life experience was incomparable to mine. And deep down inside me, I knew that he had my best interest at heart. In a way, he was also my family.
I also knew that I would not want to be immortal like him. I did not want to have to watch my mate and children die before me or to meet new people only to watch them pass too, going through a neverending cycle of beginnings and endings.
Dr. Bason had said that I had to go through induced labor due to the size of my child. This meant that my due date was not too far away. I could simply hope that Alonso would fulfill his promise to have my child born safely and grow up healthily.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel