"Oh shoot, I''m gonna bete! I''ll catch up with youter. Don''t worry about the kids, I''ve got it covered!"

Blossom called over her shoulder to Elysia, then waved at Tarquin before hurrying into the preschool.

Elysia let out a deep breath, finally pulling herself back to the present.

The next few days went by smoothly.

The kids were busy with school, while yton and Pam were up to their ears in renovating the new house.

Tarquin was mmed at work, and Elysia threw herself into studying holistic medicine.

A few dayster, thanks to Benjamin''s hard work, Victor managed to crack the cure for the virus ahead of schedule.

The entire medicalmunity cheered-it was a huge breakthrough. No one suspected Elysia or Tracey had anything to do with it.

It was the best possible oue. Exactly what they''d been hoping for.

After dropping the kids off at school, Elysia came home, ready to dive back into her research. But then her phone rang-a call from an unfamiliar number.

She answered, only to hear Zane''s voice on the other end.

Her first instinct was to hang up, but Zane was faster. "Elysia, please don''t hang up. Just let me say what I have to say. If you hang up, I''ll keep calling until you''re sick of it."

Elysia frowned. "What do you want?"

"A lot... There''s so much I want to say to you."

Zane''s voice was low and a little broken, heavy with regret.

"I never thought we''d end up like this. I thought if we just toughed it out for a few years, I''d make enough money to give you the life you deserved. I never imagined..."

"Elysia, I was so close! Just a little more and I would''ve made it! But then Tarquin ruined everything. He ruined it all!"

"He''s destroyed me "

As soon as he mentioned Tarquin''s name, Zane''s words became jagged, forced through clenched teeth.

He''d mapped out a dozen backup ns for himself, and Tarquin had snuffed out every single one.

Tarquin had been ruthless-no mercy, not even a sliver of hope left.

With the cure for the virus hitting the

market, Zane''s whole

scheme antidote-ha

spreading the virus and

then selling the

That big payoff was the reason he''d signed that insane bet agreement with Alpha Thorne in the first ce.

Now, with the deal dead, there was no way he could bring in billions in just three months.

Which meant he was doomed to lose the bet.

And that meant he''d have to hand over Central Pharmaceuticals, thepany

he''d poured his soul into for years, straight to Alpha.

On top of that, he owed Alpha a massive payout.

But he didn''t have the money-not even close.

And losing Central Pharmaceuticals meant he no longer had the leverage to run his human trafficking ring. Thunder, his dangerous assocrate, would turn on him in a heartbeat.  s

He''d nned to survive off the shadywork he''d built over the medku

years But Tarquin had tean

with the police and wiped out every single operation.  s

Now, Thunder wanted his head. The cops wanted him locked up. And when the three months were up, Alpha would unleash the hounds and hunt him down.

And Tarquin... Tarquin was certainly lying in wait, ready to pounce at the first sign of him.

He was worse off than a rat in an alley.

At least a rat could hide in a sewer. Zane had nowhere left to run.

No country was safe-he had enemies everywhere.

And it was all Tarquin''s fault.

"Elysia, you think Tarquin''s some great guy, but he''s more ruthless than anyone

I''ve ever met. No one''s as cold-blooded as him!"

"He''s left me with nothing-not a single way out!"

"He didn''t just destroy my life and my happiness. He destroyed yours, too!"

"I spent years nning, scheming, doing everything I could-all for you! All for your happiness! I..."