Chris remained in the living room, his jaw clenched so tightly it ached. When he heard footsteps approaching, he quickly arranged his features into a mask of concern and curiosity. Keith and Linda emerged from the hallway, and Chris had to fight the urge to glare at them."Ah, you must be the miracle doctor everyone's been talking about," Chris said, forcing warmth into his voice as he approached them. "I'm Chris Kappel, Ivan's nephew.""Keith Cross," Keith replied with a brief nod, clearly ready to leave."What's the diagnosis?" Chris asked, maintaining his concerned expression. "Is my uncle going to be alright?"Cynthia, who had followed Keith and Linda out, spoke up excitedly. "Father's been poisoned, Chris! Can you believe it?""Poisoned?" Chris repeated, feigning shock. "That's terrible! But the doctor can treat him, right?""Yes," Keith said simply. "I'll be preparing a remedy that needs to be administered three times per week. His condition should improve gradually.""That's wo

Emilia's heart pounded in her chest as she stared at Chris. The weight of what he was asking her to do pressed down on her like a physical force."Chris, you have to understand," she said desperately. "It wasn't intentional. I was just trying to help your family. I thought—""Your thoughts don't interest me," Chris interrupted coldly. "What interests me is the fact that your 'help' has completely destroyed months of careful planning.""I didn't know you were—""It doesn't matter what you knew or didn't know," Chris snapped. "What matters is that you created this problem, and now you're going to fix it."Emilia swallowed hard. "What exactly do you want me to do?"Chris leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "The remedy Keith is preparing for Ivan – I need you to ruin it. Tamper with it, contaminate it, I don't care how. Just make sure it doesn't work. Better yet, make sure it kills him faster.""How am I supposed to do that?" Emilia asked, her voice rising with panic. "I'm not

Emilia had barely slept the night before. Her mind had been racing with plans and schemes, trying to figure out how she could possibly sabotage the treatment Keith was bringing for Ivan.She had considered various scenarios – stealing the remedy, contaminating it, switching it with something harmful. But each plan seemed more impossible than the last.By the time dawn broke, she still had no concrete strategy. All she knew was that she had to do something, anything, to prevent Ivan's recovery. Chris's threats echoed in her mind, reminding her that failure wasn't an option.She dressed quickly and made her way downstairs, her heart pounding with nervous anticipation. The mansion was quiet in the early morning hours, with only a few servants moving about preparing breakfast. Emilia positioned herself in the main hall where she would have a clear view of the entrance, waiting for Keith to arrive.The minutes ticked by agonizingly slowly. Emilia's hands were clammy with sweat, and she kep

Keith pulled up to the address Cynthia had sent him, his eyes widening slightly when he saw the name of the restaurant.Le Jardin was one of the most exclusive dining establishments in the city – the kind of place where reservations were booked months in advance and a single meal could cost thousands of dollars.As he entered through the ornate glass doors, Keith was immediately struck by the unusual silence.The restaurant was completely empty, save for a single table in the center of the room where Cynthia sat, bathed in the soft glow of candlelight.The entire space had been transformed into something intimate and romantic, with flowers adorning every surface and classical music playing softly in the background.Cynthia looked up as he approached, and Keith had to admit she was stunning.She wore a midnight blue dress that complemented her blonde hair perfectly, and her smile was warm and genuine as she stood to greet him."Keith! You made it," she said, her voice filled with genui

Cynthia sat in silence for a long moment after Keith's grim observation about Chris. The implications were staggering, and she could feel her world tilting on its axis. But she couldn't let Keith see how deeply his words had affected her. The last thing she wanted was for him to know just how dysfunctional her family truly was."I'll look into it," she said finally, her voice carefully neutral. "Thoroughly."Keith nodded, sensing she didn't want to discuss it further. "Please be careful, Cynthia. If I'm right about this, Chris is extremely dangerous.""I will," she promised, though her mind was already racing with questions and suspicions.They finished their meal in a somewhat subdued atmosphere, the earlier romantic tension replaced by the weight of darker matters. But Cynthia was determined not to let the evening end on such a grim note. She steered the conversation to lighter topics, asking Keith about his medical training, his interests outside of work, his plans for the future.