"I know, I know," Edward said, preening at the praise. "The beauty of it is that he'll have no choice but to agree. What's he going to do, walk away and lose everything?""He's already proven he's too weak to fight us," Emilia agreed, her voice dripping with contempt. "The great Keith Cross, reduced to begging us for mercy. It's almost too perfect!""The man thought he could steal from our family and get away with it," Edward snarled, his temporary good mood darkening. "He thought he could divorce you and just walk away like we meant nothing!""Well, now he's learning his lesson the hard way," Emilia said with vicious satisfaction. "And the best part is, we desperately need that money."Edward nodded gravely. "Our business has been crumbling ever since that mysterious buyer took over most of our shares. We need Keith's money to get back on our feet.""Exactly!" Emilia exclaimed. "We can use his funds to rebuild everything we've lost. It's like he's paying us back for all the damage he

Emilia's smile returned, but it was sharp and cutting. "Oh, that's another little surprise we have for you, Keith. Laurent isn't at the hospital."Keith frowned. "What do you mean?""He's here," Edward said smugly. "Right here in the mansion. We had him transferred yesterday.""The transfusion is going to happen right here, in our home," Emilia added with obvious satisfaction. "Isn't that convenient?"Keith felt a cold chill run down his spine. Linda was monitoring the hospital, waiting for his signal. If the transfusion was happening here instead..."Is there a problem?" Edward asked, noticing Keith's hesitation.Keith forced his expression to remain neutral. "No problem. I just assumed we'd be at the hospital.""Well, you assumed wrong," Emilia said curtly. "This is our house, our rules, our terms. Don't like it? There's the door."Keith knew he couldn't back out now. The plan was already in motion, and he'd taken Linda's potion. "It's fine. Let's just do this.""That's more like it

The transfusion had been running smoothly for about fifteen minutes when Keith noticed Laurent's fingers beginning to twitch. It was subtle at first, barely noticeable movements that could have been mistaken for normal sleep responses."Look at him getting stronger already," Emilia said, noticing the movement. "Keith's blood is exactly what Laurent needs. It's what he's always needed.""As it should be," Edward replied smugly. "This is the natural order of things. Keith serves our family, and our family prospers."But then Laurent's twitching became more pronounced. His hands began to shake, then his arms, then his entire body started trembling as if he were experiencing some kind of seizure."What's happening?" Emilia asked, her voice suddenly uncertain.Dr. Henderson immediately moved to Laurent's side, his expression shifting from calm professionalism to deep concern. "Something's not right."Laurent's breathing became increasingly labored, his chest rising and falling in rapid, sh

Keith's expression didn't change. "On what charges?""Attempted murder!" Edward repeated, spittle flying from his lips. "Assault! Poisoning! I'll throw the book at you!""Really?" Keith tilted his head slightly. "And what exactly did I do wrong?""You poisoned my son!""I gave your son my blood," Keith corrected calmly. "Blood that you demanded I give him. Blood that you forced me to provide under threat of financial ruin."Edward's face turned purple with rage. "You know what you did!""I know that I was coerced into giving blood to your son," Keith replied evenly. "I know that I was threatened and blackmailed into coming here today. I know that you stole money from my accounts and held it hostage until I complied with your demands.""You planned this!" Emilia screamed from beside Laurent's bed. "You came here knowing this would happen!""How could I know?" Keith asked innocently. "I'm not a doctor. I have no medical training. How could I possibly know that my blood would have this e

Keith watched the frantic activity with detached interest, his expression revealing nothing of his thoughts. The potion Linda had given him had worked exactly as intended, but he maintained his facade of innocent confusion perfectly.Within twenty minutes, Dr. Matthews arrived - a stern, gray-haired man in his sixties who exuded authority and competence. He swept into the room like a hurricane, immediately taking charge of the situation."Henderson!" Dr. Matthews barked. "What the hell happened here?""I don't know, sir," Dr. Henderson replied miserably. "The transfusion was routine. Everything was by the book. Then suddenly the patient went into some kind of seizure and collapsed into unconsciousness."Dr. Matthews turned his sharp eyes on the younger doctor with obvious disdain. "Routine? Nothing about this looks routine to me. Did you verify blood compatibility?""Yes, sir. Multiple times. I have all the test results right here."Dr. Matthews snatched the papers and scanned them qu