“Sorry. My men tend to get… nervous when they feel threatened,” Marion said with a casual shrug.They were now inside a private room tucked at the back of the bar.“It’s fine,” Carl replied. “I’m the same. I’m not exactly polite when danger’s breathing down my neck.”Marion chuckled. “Of course. Anyway, Sir… I found it.”One of Marion’s men stepped forward and placed a small box on the table. Marion pushed it toward Carl.Carl swallowed hard and instantly opened it. Inside was a single purple flower—still fresh, still vibrant, even though it was no longer rooted in soil.The Mireva flower.He only needed one petal… but he had the entire bloom. More than enough.A small, relieved smile pulled at Carl’s lips.Two ingredients down. Two steps closer to completing the medicine.He closed the box carefully, almost reverently.Then he took a tiny bottle from his pocket and set it in front of Marion.“As agreed. The Oxyvalin.”Marion froze.For a moment, his eyes softened—almost sparkled—as i

Jasmine woke to the sharp, foreign scent of antiseptic and cold steel.Her eyes fluttered open to a ceiling she didn’t recognize. A gray concrete streaked with rust, a flickering bulb humming above her like a dying firefly. She tried to sit up, but her wrists were bound to the edges of a metal bed frame, cold cuffs biting into her skin.Panic shot forcefully through her chest.Where am I?Her breath trembled as she scanned the room. It was empty except for a small table with surgical tools, a single door, and a security camera blinking its little red eye at her.The last thing she remembered, she was in the car. When suddenly, a man knocked on the window. She hesitated to open it. But still opened it, and she instantly regretted it because the man suddenly sprayed her something that made her lose consciousness. “Let me out… please…” she whispered, though she doubted anyone could hear her.The door clicked.Jasmine froze.It swung open, and in stepped Mayor Marion Brown. Wearing a c

The forest swallowed them whole as Carl pushed the car deeper into the narrow, winding path that shouldn’t even exist.Branches scraped the sides like claws, but somehow the wheels kept finding solid ground—as if the earth itself was shifting for them.Jasmine’s pulse thundered in her ears. “Carl… how long will that paper magic thing work?”“Long enough,” he said—not exactly comforting.Behind them, the distant growl of engines rose again.“They’re still coming?!” Jasmine snapped, twisting to look through the rear window.Carl didn’t answer. His jaw tightened.“Oh my god, they’re still coming,” she answered herself. “How?! The forest literally tried to eat them!”“Well, we just gotta lose them,” Carl said confidently. Carl slammed his foot harder on the accelerator as Jasmine clung to the door handle, knuckles white. The roaring engines behind them grew louder, like a hungry beast chasing its next meal.“Carl, they’re getting closer!” Jasmine shouted, twisting in her seat to look ou

Sophia let out a low, frustrated grunt. She still couldn’t wrap her head around what had happened to Carl.If she had known things would turn out this way, she never would’ve allowed him to leave alone.“Jessa.”Her secretary immediately entered her office.“Yes, Ms. Carson?”“Tell the driver to prepare the car. We have somewhere to go.”“Noted, Ma’am.”Jessa bowed and hurried out of the office.Sophia stood from her chair, jaw tight. She had to move—fast. She couldn’t allow Carl to be hurt. And more importantly… she could not risk him being alone with Jasmine for too long.Absolutely not.No way.Over her dead body.Moments later, Jessa called to inform her the car was ready. Sophia went straight down to the entrance and climbed inside.“To Uncle Marion’s house,” she ordered.Her driver nodded and immediately drove off.‘Hold on, Carl. And don’t you dare fall for that woman again.’It didn’t take long before they reached the Brown estate. Sophia stepped out of the car, her heels clic

The vehicle took them straight to a hospital, where Sophia was already waiting. She had also contacted Jasmine’s family, so Ophelia and Tony were there, hovering anxiously near the entrance.The moment Carl stepped out of the van, Sophia rushed toward him and wrapped him in a tight hug.“Carl! Thank God—you’re back!” she said, breathless with relief.Carl stiffened in surprise, frozen for a moment before he gently placed a hand on her arm and eased her away.“You scared me! You should’ve called me the moment you got out!” she scolded.Carl winced. “Everything happened so fast. I’m sorry.”“You! Where’s my daughter?!”Ophelia hurried forward and peeked inside the van. Jasmine was still sitting there, watching quietly. She had seen the hug—every second of it—and a small pang of jealousy hit her, one she tried very hard to ignore. So she stayed seated for a moment longer.“Jasmine! Oh my God! How are you, darling?” Ophelia cried when she finally saw her daughter.Jasmine stepped out of t