"Speaking of the Thornton family," Lindsey said. "Their connections to the Naysmith family and the Wheelers go back many years. A few years ago, Jack and Yvonne's grandfather, Martin Wheeler, was attacked, and it was only because of Ferdinand's help that he survived. As a result, the Wheelers owed Ferdinand a favor. From then on, whenever Ferdinand has asked the Wheelers for information, they've agreed."
She paused and looked at Alex. "You struck Ferdinand at Birchwood House," she said. "Why did he hardly respond? He clearly hated you, but he didn't fight back. Do you know why?"
"No. Why?" Alex asked, curious.
"Ferdinand is the most powerful fighter in the Thornton family," Lindsey said. "His skills are superb, much better than his younger brother, Ash. He could have conquered the world, but when it came to you, he simply swallowed his anger. It doesn't make sense. But he had obtained information about you from the Wheeler family, and he was afraid of you. He knew all the people that you had defeated, and he must have known that he was no match for you."
She thought back to Alex's fight with Tyson at the Hudson River and smiled.
"Ferdinand is still in the game," she said. "There are still schemes in place, but once you see through them, he would rather play it safe than make a mistake with you. As for Riley, I'm not so sure. I didn't expect Riley to be so close to the Wheelers that he could control someone like Jack."
She frowned. "But I do know that Riley once tried to control the older generation of the Wheeler family, but he failed. So, he's likely to turn to the younger generation and fully support anyone he can, until he controls them and, therefore, the information channel. And if Riley supports Jack, then Jack is bound to make a huge profit. Not only will he obtain more resources and contacts, but he'll also bring obvious benefits to his family."
Now it was Alex's turn to frown.
"As time goes by," Lindsey continued. "Jack will have more and more power, and his position in the Wheeler family will rise. The better he performs, the better his chances of becoming the new head of the family. I don't have all the details, but Martin Wheeler now attaches great importance to Jack, while at the same time seeing him as a significant cause for concern. There are a few reasons for that."
Alex raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything. Lindsey seemed to be on a roll, and he didn't want to throw her off her stride when she had so much to share.
"Martin's an information expert, right?" she asked. "So, how could he not know how Jack started his career? How could he not understand Riley's intentions? Obviously, Martin doesn't want his family to be controlled by the Naysmiths, or the Wheelers will be besieged by other families who wouldn't allow them to maintain their neutrality. He's not going to give up everything the family has built up just to satisfy someone else."
She spread her hands. "That's why I think Martin's been pandering to Jack instead of using him. But Jack's become increasingly aggressive, and he's started making trouble everywhere, so maybe Martin has seen him for who he really is. In the past six months, Jack's been on a much tighter leash." She paused and then continued. "I don't know if all my analysis of Martin is correct, but there are enough clues to suggest that he wants Yvonne to take care of the Wheeler family's affairs. Which means that he has deliberately abandoned Jack, who must be angry. If it hadn't been for Martin's support, then I'm afraid Jack would have been at war with Yvonne a long time ago."
She shrugged. "When you went to the Wheeler's house to fight Jack, Yvonne would have been thrilled. With Jack injured and isolated, it's Yvonne who has benefited. I'm sure Riley is the one to watch out for, though."
Her analysis was thorough, to say the least, but Alex's face was a picture of calm understanding. He said, "Riley has always had a problem with me, especially when I cooperated with Maryann. Jack, Yvonne, or Riley. It's no big deal."
Riley looked smart, but he wasn't. He thought too highly of himself. If he had really studied Alex's history, then he would probably understand that Alex wasn't someone to provoke.
"I knew you wouldn't be fazed by all this," Lindsey said, smiling at him.
She was impressed by his attitude. "Actually," she said. "I think I have a good plan to defeat Yvonne. We should support her to become the head of the Wheeler family, and then we'd be more powerful in Baltimore."
Alex would never have expected Lindsey to come up with an idea like that. "You've changed," he said with a bitter smile. "You were so sweet and innocent, but now you're sitting here and plotting strategies with me."
Lindsey blinked up at him. "I'm not the naïve woman I once was, but I still can't resist you."
"What are you talking about?" Alex asked.
"You've always been around to save me," she said, biting her lip. "And that means I'm not afraid of anything. I was born into a rich family, and I have met all kinds of outstanding men. But, having been out in the world, I know the value of a sense of security and sureness. Especially when you keep showing the world what you can do. No woman in the world could resist." She looked at him, her expression soft. "It's a magnetic attraction, Alex,"
She had finally spoken of her long-hidden feelings, but Alex's face remained expressionless, as if he hadn't heard a word she had said.
She sighed. "Yvonne is certainly going to be interested in you," she said. "She'll throw herself into your arms in the same way that all women do, and then you can get the Wheelers on your side."
"I don't care about the Wheelers," Alex said. "And when have I ever tried to solve a problem with seduction?" He frowned. "No matter how powerful Riley is, it's not worth lowering myself to those kinds of tricks. Besides, they're nothing to me. Not even worth mentioning."
Lindsey laughed. "I'm kidding," she said. "Even if you were willing to go and seduce her, I wouldn't let you. I couldn't bear to."
Lindsey had never spoken so openly to Alex before. She had once again revealed her feelings for him, but yet again, he simply ignored her.
He did think that the change in her character was a little odd, but he didn't worry too much about what might have caused it.
"All right," he said. "No more talk of seduction. It's boring."
"Fine," Lindsey said. "But you have to tell me how I can help. What are you going to do about Riley?"
"This has been a long, drawn-out battle," Alex said. "After all, this is Baltimore, where the strength of the Naysmith family is concentrated. We need to strike quickly or it could go on forever."
"How are you going to do it?" she asked. "If you don't control Riley, then you'll always struggle in Baltimore."
"Don't worry," Alex said. "I've already got a solution. I really don't like the guy, so I'm not going to have a problem taking him down. And why do I have to do it one step at a time? That's boring. I'm going to strike fast and destroy him."
Lindsey opened her mouth but couldn't find the right words. She was really worried. What is he planning? she wondered.
Alex smiled and said, "Now, I need you to do two things for me."
"What?" she asked.
Alex got up, found a box, and then opened it gently. Inside was the shareholder card of Baltimore General Hospital and a secret recipe that he had recently written.
"First," he said, "you need to get your security staff and help me take over the hospital as soon as possible. Second, I need you to go to Fidelity Pharmaceuticals in Washington, D.C., and negotiate with Reginald and David. I want to see if they're willing to set up a subsidiary company to help me produce the medicine on this secret recipe."
"David is always talking about you," Lindsey said. "You're the person he admires most in the whole world. Rest assured that Fidelity Pharmaceuticals will help you with anything you need."
"Well, once the negotiations are over," Alex said, "you'll be responsible for discussing with the Drake Family on my behalf, so that Reginald can start full production. We will need to produce as much as we possibly can."
"What medicine is this?" she asked tentatively.
"Just something I've been working on," Alex said evasively.
After seeing Lindsey off, she called less than five minutes later and said that Reginald was fully on board and that he would do everything according to Alex's instructions.
Then Alex returned to work to help diagnose the last few patients, so that the eight doctors could go home and rest.
While he was working, a strange phone call kept coming in. Alex had no time to answer, but the caller refused to give up. They kept calling, which made Alex nervous.
The mystery caller seemed to be trying to force him to answer, but he knew it couldn't be an emergency at home. He always made sure to have everyone's numbers on his phone.
He had a feeling that it wasn't just a cold call, but someone trying to contact him deliberately. If he was right, then it was the unfortunate person from the Demon sect who had been chosen as a hostage.