Inside the office...
Zara’s mind was foggy, and her sight blurred. The dense smoke burned her throat, making every breath painful. Still, she forced herself toward the door, grabbed the knob, and twisted—but it wouldn’t open.
"Help..." she rasped, pounding weakly on the door. "Soone... open it..." But no one ca.
Her voice had turned raw, her strength draining fast. A violent cough shook her body, and she slumped to the floor, barely clinging to consciousness.
’Is this how it ends?’
In her previous life, Riya had murdered her. And now, once again, she was on the brink of death because of the sa woman. The realization twisted her heart with regret.
’What a waste,’ she thought bitterly. ’Even with a second chance, I couldn’t punish Riya... I couldn’t avenge myself or my child.’
Just when she accepted her fate, the door burst open. A tall silhouette rushed in, and through the haze, she recognized the figure bending down and sweeping her into protective arms.
"Nathaniel..." she breathed faintly.
"I’m taking you to the hospital."
Those were the last words she heard before darkness overtook her.
Holding her tightly, he sprinted out of the burning building, only to be blocked by Roberto.
"What now?" Nathaniel snapped, frustration sharp in his voice. "She needs dical help."
"You can’t step into the light yet," Roberto warned. "You must stay hidden underground."
"But Zara..." Nathaniel’s gaze dropped to the unconscious woman in his arms. He had only ant to catch a glimpse of her from afar. He hadn’t imagined this disaster. Thank God he had been there in ti; a few minutes later, and the fire would have taken her life.
The siren wailed in the distance.
"The firefighters have arrived," Roberto said. "They’ll take care of her. Co on. We need to move if you want any chance of defeating our enemies."
Nathaniel gently set Zara down, his chest tightening. "I’m sorry, sweetheart," he murmured. "Endure it for now. I’ll explain everything later."
With visible reluctance, he forced himself to step away and walk off.
"There. Soone is on the ground," one of the team mbers shouted. "It might be Zara."
"Where?" Bree asked urgently. She spotted the figure lying on the ground and rushed over. When she recognized the face, her breath hitched. "Zara... Oh my God! Sobody, help..."
She lifted Zara into her arms, panic threading through her voice. "Please—help get her to the hospital."
The team assisted her, carrying Zara to the car. Bree imdiately sped away, heading straight for the hospital.
From inside a car parked at a distance, Nathaniel watched every mont unfold. His entire being scread to follow them, to make sure Zara was safe. But there were matters he needed to settle first.
"Find out how this fire started," he ordered coldly. "I want every person responsible punished."
"It’ll be done," Roberto assured him. "But we need to leave now before our enemies track us."
Nathaniel gave a curt nod, and Roberto drove them away.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Riya pressed a cotton ball to the cut on her cheek, flinching as the antiseptic stung. "That Zara has gone completely insane," she muttered. "She was really trying to ruin my face."
The very thought made her shiver. "Thank God the fire started at the perfect mont," she exhaled in relief. If it hadn’t, Zara would’ve dragged her straight to the police.
"She thinks she has won," Riya sneered. "Poor fool doesn’t even know who her real friends or enemies are. She trusts Liam, but she has forgotten he already severed ties with Nathaniel and sided with his rival. Hah."
A cold laugh slipped from her. "Everything unfolded right in front of her, yet she rembers nothing. And now, the man she trusted is the one who burned down her precious company and crushed her dream career. That alone makes quite satisfied."
But when her gaze fell on the faint scar on her cheek, her smile vanished. Rage surged again at the reminder of Zara’s attempt to destroy her looks.
"You really thought you could defeat by damaging my face? But your plan backfired. Tell , how will you recover now? You have no one left. No Nathaniel. No Liam. And there is soone out there eager to finish you off—Jaxon."
Her lips curled into a cruel smile. "He’ll end your little ga soon enough."
While Riya was savoring her imagined victory, her phone buzzed repeatedly, the screen lighting up with new notifications. She tossed the used cotton ball into the bin and picked up the device.
The mont the video began, her joy vanished like fog in sunlight. The footage clearly showed her shoving Gracie down the stairs.
All color drained from her face. The phone slipped from her hand, clattering onto the floor. Her entire body trembled.
’How is this possible?’ her mind scread. ’Who managed to capture this?’
She had chosen that spot precisely because there were no caras, so no one could see her bribing the waitress. Where had this video co from? Had soone been watching her that night? Who could it be?
Her thoughts spiraled.
She had believed that as long as Gracie remained silent, her secret would be safe. But soone else clearly knew what she had done at the party.
Then her phone began ringing.
Riya jumped from the stool in shock. Terror flickered in her eyes as she stared at the screen, an unknown number blinking. She hesitated to answer the call, but she couldn’t ignore it either.
With shaking fingers, she finally picked up.
"Hello?" she whispered.
"Did you watch the video?" a deep, smooth male voice asked. It was unfamiliar—calm, controlled, unhurried.
Riya’s pulse spiked. "Who are you?"
"The one who knows your secrets," the man replied.
Riya felt her blood turn to ice. She could sense imdiately that this man was dangerous—soone who could destroy her with a single reveal.
"What do you want?" she asked, her voice barely steady.
On the other end, Nathaniel smirked. He had used an AI voice modulator to change his voice, and it worked perfectly—Riya had no idea who she was speaking to. And now, desperate to protect her secret, she was already bending.
"Smart woman," he drawled. "You don’t waste ti with nonsense. Working with you won’t be exhausting."
"Who said I’m working with you?" Riya snapped. "You threaten with this video and expect to cooperate? Absolutely not."
"Miss Riya," Nathaniel said, his tone hardening, "this isn’t a negotiation. I’m not giving you a choice. Work with , or be exposed."
Her stomach dropped. Being exposed was what she feared the most.
"No," she cried out quickly. "Don’t do anything... please. I’ll cooperate."
"Good." Nathaniel leaned back in his chair. "Now you are being reasonable. If you want to keep your secret, you’ll get sothing I need—Zachary’s confidential information."
"What?" Riya gasped. "Zachary’s secret information?" This man must be Zachary’s enemy, she realized. "What kind of secrets?"
"Everything," Nathaniel replied. "Whatever he keeps in his laptop—his upcoming projects, future plans."
"That’s not simple," Riya protested. "He keeps that laptop with him all the ti. How am I supposed to access it?"
"If you can’t," he said coldly, "forget about protecting your secret. Do it, or you are finished. You have twenty-four hours."
"Twenty-four hours?" Riya echoed in shock. "How am I supposed to manage that in such a short ti?"
Nathaniel’s jaw tightened. He rembered all too well how he had once been forced to race against ti when Riya claid his mother had only forty-eight hours left without the antidote. He had panicked, fought desperately. Luckily, he had arranged the best dical team to protect his mother.
And now, the mont he placed Riya in a similar situation, she imdiately began complaining.
"I’m not a patient man," Nathaniel growled, irritation flashing through his voice. "Do it, or forget it."
"Wait, wait," Riya cried out, terrified he might hang up. "I can offer you sothing else. Maybe I can’t get into his laptop, but I have another option."
When Zachary opened his locker to show her the poison and the antidote, Riya noticed several files inside. She was certain those docunts were confidential and significant.
"He keeps so secret papers in his locker," she said quickly. "Those might help you."
Nathaniel looked toward Roberto, who gave a small nod, signaling him to accept the offer.
"Fine," Nathaniel said carefully. "Bring them to . But listen—one mistake, and you will regret it for the rest of your life."
"No, no... I can do it," Riya insisted.
"I’ll contact you in twenty-four hours."
With that, Nathaniel disconnected the call. Then he turned to Roberto, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. "Did I make the right choice? Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed. I should have held firm to the original plan."
"Our goal is to ruin Riya," Roberto explained. "Whether she gets caught trying to steal from his laptop or from his locker, it doesn’t matter. Zachary won’t spare her either way. And since your sudden disappearance already wrecked his plans, he is furious. If he catches Riya stealing sothing confidential right now, he’ll explode, and she won’t live through it."
Reassured by his words, Nathaniel felt so of the tension drain away. "I hope this works."
"It will," Roberto replied with certainty.
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