Chapter 1322:
Conrad’s expression turned venomous, veins bulging as he clenched his fists.
“How long is he going to string us along? We’re gambling everything—and we might end up with nothing!” Conrad’s voice was tight with anger and worry.
Terence’s jaw tightened. “Do you think I don’t know that? But we have no leverage. Until the company stabilizes, we follow his orders.”
Conrad’s eyes burned with hatred. “Davina! That scheming woman! If not for her, we wouldn’t be in this mess. When I get my hands on her, I’ll make her regret ever crossing us!”
Terence waved impatiently. “Enough. We need to hurry back and tell your mother. We must find a way to trick Katy into going to Darian.”
At the Murray estate, tension filled the air like an invisible noose tightening around their throats.
Nelly clutched the armrest, her voice hoarse. “You mean… we have to hand Katy over to Darian in two days?”
Exhaustion clung to her like a shadow. Ever since the mysterious poison invaded their bodies, she had been spiraling through sleepless nights. Every remedy had failed.
The torment returned with nightfall, and the fear of darkness had taken root deep in her bones.
Terence’s expression remained icy. “If we don’t send her, Darian won’t invest a single cent. Once he withdraws his interest, our company will be finished. No one will help us.”
Conrad stepped forward anxiously. “Mom, we wouldn’t be doing this if we had a choice. Katy is our only leverage right now. If the Murray family goes down, we’ll be cut off from everything.”
Terence tightened his grip around Nelly’s hand, his tone unwavering. “Think about it—if the Murray name collapses, what future does Conrad have? Do you want to see him go from a rich heir to someone who can’t even afford a roof over his head?”
Nelly’s breath caught. The image struck straight at her heart. “No,” she whispered, then straightened with sudden determination. “We can’t allow the Murray family to fall. Tell me the plan. Whatever you need me to do to get Katy to Darian, I’ll do it.”
𝕃𝖆𝙩𝓮𝑠𝖙 с𝗁𝓪𝗉𝓉𝗲𝗋𝗌 g𝙖𝗅𝖓𝗈𝑣𝓮𝖑𝘀․ⅽ𝓸𝙢
Her voice was steady now, stripped of hesitation. The three of them exchanged a look of grim resolve. Their decision was made.
Katy had been silent in her room, but her mind was razor sharp. A tiny listening device, carefully hidden earlier, transmitted every word from the living room straight into her ear. Every sentence her family uttered was a knife twisting deeper into her heart.
Tears slid down her cheeks, but her eyes brimmed not with sorrow, but with a cold, unmasked hatred.
She had fought desperately for the antidote and nearly escaped this fate. She had even gotten her hands on it—only to be ambushed.
Terence and Conrad had forcibly taken it from her. In the end, it was the two of them who swallowed the antidote, freeing themselves completely. The poison remained in her and Nelly’s bodies, tormenting them every night.
Under the dim light, Katy’s face appeared ghostly. Her cheeks were sunken, dark shadows etched beneath her eyes.
The relentless nightly agony, combined with the betrayal of the people she had once called family, had carved something terrifying into her soul.
No wonder Davina had pitied her. She was nothing but a bargaining chip—an expendable tool for the benefit of others. If Davina had not intervened before, Katy would have been the first one pushed into the flames.
A slow, chilling smile curved her lips.
They wanted to sacrifice her? Then she would show them just how wrong they were.
Late at night, Terence stirred in his sleep, a strange chill crawling over his skin. His instincts screamed.
His eyes snapped open. The rough bite of restraints dug into his wrists and ankles. A thick cloth was jammed into his mouth, stifling all sound into a choked silence. Pure terror surged through him, an icy flood drowning his thoughts. The presence in the dark room felt heavy and final, like death itself looming over his paralyzed form.
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