Nathaniel jumped to his feet. "What?" he exclaid, shocked. "How?"
"I just got the update," replied Ian. "I’ve already assigned soone to track him down. Now, I’m heading to the police station."
"I’m on my way." Nathaniel started walking toward the door, ending the call and shoving the phone back into his pocket.
"What is going on?" Liam asked from behind, causing Nathaniel to halt montarily. "Where are you leaving in a hurry?"
Nathaniel glanced back at him over his shoulder. "Jaxon escaped. I need to go."
With that, he dashed out the door.
"Jaxon?" Liam frowned as he muttered the na.
On the other end, Riya stord into Zachary’s house, fuming, her chest heaving.
Zachary was talking on the phone when he noticed her coming. "Keep updated." Having said that, he disconnected the call and turned to her.
The fury radiated from every inch of her body. He pulled his eyebrows as he stepped toward her.
"What is it? Why is your face so red?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Are you mad that Liam has broken up with you?"
Riya snapped her head toward him, montarily taken aback. She thought he wouldn’t know what had happened at the restaurant. But Zachary had already found out about it.
’His n are everywhere,’ she thought, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
"I thought you would be happy," Zachary scoffed, taking his seat on the sofa. "Finally, you are free from that unwanted relationship. Why are you angry?"
"Are you mocking ?" she bristled. "He actually had the nerve to break up with because of Zara. That woman was obviously trying to seduce him. They said it was just a business dinner, but she dressed as if it were a date. Her intentions were clear. And Liam—the idiot—fell right into her trap. He embarrassed in front of everyone and tossed away our engagent ring, completely disregarding the family ties."
She pulled on his sleeve, pouting like a spoiled child. "Zachary, you need to teach him a lesson," she whined. "He publicly humiliated your wife. He has grown bold because he thinks you are backing him. Put him in his place. Make sure he knows not to ss with you or your wife."
Zachary snorted, pulling his hand away. "Why would I do that?" he muttered. "Liam did nothing wrong. He did exactly what I wanted. He didn’t hesitate to go against Nathaniel and severed the years-long bond between the two families."
His lips quirked into a sardonic smile. "I’ve been trying for ages to make Rowan betray the Grants, but he was useless — couldn’t get anything done. Liam, however, accomplished in a few days what his father couldn’t. He is exactly the partner I needed — soone who can completely destroy Nathaniel."
Riya couldn’t believe what he had said. "You are praising him!" she muttered in a daze. "He humiliated . Do you hear ?"
Zachary’s patience snapped. "Now I am certain you actually fell in love with Liam. Were you planning to marry him?"
Riya shuddered under his sharp glare. She hadn’t thought he would say sothing like this.
"He ended the partnership with the Grants," Zachary continued fiercely. "He stood up to Nathaniel for her. With soone like him at my side, I can finish Nathaniel off. Why would I turn on an ally like that?"
His expression was full of contempt. "Don’t ddle with my business. Understood?" He lowered his head and claid her lips fiercely as if punishing her.
Riya froze montarily at the brutality of the kiss, but her body started heating up soon. Slowly, she lted into his kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.
After a breathless kiss, he pulled back, rubbing his thumb over her cheek. "Stop ssing with Zara," he said softly, but with a hint of warning in his tone. "She is not your enemy. Don’t even think about hurting her. Or you will regret it."
Riya tightened her fists so tightly that her knuckles hurt, fury and humiliation mingling. ’You actually threatened ,’ she muttered to herself. ’Liam and Zara matter more to you than your wife. I won’t forget this. I don’t need your help. I’ll handle them myself.’
But she wouldn’t let him know it.
"I’ll listen to you," she said. "Nathaniel has already divorced her. As long as Zara stays away from Nathaniel and my matters, I won’t touch her. I said those things because I felt humiliated. But now I get it. I won’t do anything that will ruin your plan. But what about the antidote?"
She changed the subject quickly. "In a few hours, the forty-eight-hour ti fra will be over. Nathaniel might be desperate to get the antidote. What is your plan to make him surrender?"
Zachary quirked his lips into a satisfying smile. "I already have a plan. You will know about it soon."
Riya grinned, running her fingers down his throat and toying with a button of his shirt. "So, what will you do after you get the company? Are you going to give him the antidote?"
"What do you think? Shall I save Gracie and let her expose the truth you are trying to hide so desperately?"
She pouted, hitting his chest playfully. "That’s not what I an. But I want to know your plan. I wonder if you really have the antidote."
"Suspecting ?"
Riya shrugged. "It’s not suspicion. It’s curiosity. Last ti, I mistook my period cramps as a deadly effect of the poison. What if soone really poisoned soday? What if so enemy of yours uses it on you soday? I want to know if there is any antidote that can save our lives."
"Hm, so you are testing ." He arched a brow, amusent flickering in his eyes. "Fine. Let prove it to you."
He stood up and extended a hand toward her.
Riya’s eyes sparkled with eagerness. She slipped her hand into his and rose to her feet.
"Co with ." He guided her into the study.
Her curiosity sharpened as she watched him enter the password for the locker. She silently morized the sequence of numbers while pretending not to pay attention.
Once the locker clicked open, he took out two identical-looking vials and held them up for her to see.
"One is the poison, the other is the antidote," he explained.
Riya frowned slightly. "But they look the sa. How do you tell them apart?"
He smirked. "I’ve already marked them."
He turned the vials over, revealing the markings at the bottom—one had a green tick, while the other bore a red cross.
"The one with the red cross is the poison," he said, eting her eyes. "And the green one is the antidote." His voice deepened. "Only you know where I keep them. Don’t break that trust."
Riya understood the underlying warning, but she put on a charming smile. "I may slip up sotis, but I’m loyal to you. I would never betray your trust." She wrapped her arms around him, a crafty grin tugging at her lips.
Zachary embraced her, though his expression darkened slightly as his gaze drifted toward the hidden cara in the corner of the room.
’Don’t disappoint ,’ he thought.
Patting her head, he said in a asured tone, "I’ll arrange a eting with Nathaniel. He’ll either bow to ... or lose his parents."
"I can’t wait to watch you take over everything the Grants own," she replied eagerly.
Once he did, she planned to make him hand all of it over to her—just as he had once forced Nathaniel to do. With that kind of wealth and power, she could make the world kneel before her... and claim Nathaniel for herself.
"As long as you stay loyal, I’ll make you the queen of my empire," he promised before lifting her into his arms and carrying her out of the study, heading straight for the bedroom.
~~~~~~~~~~
Just before dawn, Zara’s phone blasted from the nightstand, jolting her awake. She groaned softly, rubbing her eyes. "Who is calling at this hour...?"
Still half-asleep, she grabbed the phone and squinted at the display. An unfamiliar number flashed on the screen.
"Hello? Who is this?" she answered in a hoarse voice.
"Madam... I’m so sorry. I had no choice but to lie." A woman’s shaky sob filtered through the speaker.
Zara recognized the voice instantly. It was the nurse—the one who had turned against her at the last mont and changed her testimony.
"I was forced to," the woman cried. "They held my mother and brother hostage. They said they would kill them. To save them, I had to bla you. Please... forgive ."
"What’s the use of saying this now?" Zara sighed, disappointnt weighing her voice. "Because of that lie, the real culprit is still free. Innocent people are suffering. I have no proof left against Riya—and even if I did, nobody would believe ."
She rembered how Nathaniel had blindly taken Riya’s side. Nothing had changed. Just like before, her truth ant nothing.
"I know I betrayed you," the nurse sobbed harder. "I understand completely if you don’t trust . But I still want to help Mrs. Grant. She’s in danger. You must save her."
Zara wanted to save Gracie. But without the antidote, she didn’t know how.
"Do you know the na of the drug?" Zara asked quickly. "Or anything about the antidote?"
"No," the woman replied shakily. "I couldn’t get it tested. But I do know that Mrs. Grant will wake up soon. And when she does, they’ll give her a second dose. And it will be fatal. She may never wake up."
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