“Still...” He rubbed his chin, turning to nce at the barely breathing man behind him. "Good thing I came prepared."


    He kicked the man square in the chest. The impact made a heavy, muffled sound. The man coughed, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.


    Nathaniel watched him coldly. "I wonder what Matthew will do when he has to choose between his own life and the woman he loves."


    He pulled out his phone, snapped a photo of the battered man, and sent it to Matthew with a message.


    "Matthew, this is the donor who can save your life. Tonight at eight, the abandoned factory on the west side of the city. Come alone. Bring the metal box you took from the Meyer family estate. If you show up with anyone or without the box, you cane collect his body instead."


    Nathaniel waited for the message to send and then grinned in satisfaction. "Let''s see if Matthew knows what''s good for him. Don''t let me down."


    ...


    At the hospital, Matthew stared at the photo on his phone, his face growing darker by the second.


    Derek was definitely in Nathaniel''s hands.


    But as far as Matthew knew, Hank had put the box back where it belonged. So why did Nathaniel think they had it?


    Karter, lying on the next hospital bed with bandages wrapped around his waist, spoke up. "Boss, let me go instead..."


    Last night, Karter had managed to stop Jose and his men, but he''d gotten badly hurt in the process. Matthew''s people had searched all over Brookfield before finally finding him under a riverbank.


    "No," Matthew said, shaking his head. "You need to stay here and recover. As soon as you''re better, head straight back to Ramos Corporation. Don''t let Reese notice anything''s off. Nathaniel got his hands on that guy because of me. He''s suffering because of me. If I don''t go, he might be in more trouble."


    Matthew looked at him, determined. "Don''t worry, I won''t do anything reckless. Nathaniel''s pushing his luck if he thinks he''s above thew."


    Reese had just seen Roman out when she got back to her office. She barely had time to sit down before someone knocked on her door again.


    "Come in," she called.


    Vivian walked in, her face lit up with excitement Reese, I gave Sebastian the fake development n just like we talked about." She handed her a, USB drive looking a little shaken. "He was grilling me so hardst night, I almost slipped up."


    Reese took the drive, plugged it in, and nced through the files. She''d made sure


    the n had a few subtle mistakes. Sebastian wouldn''t catch on right away.


    "Thanks, Vivian. You did great,” Reese said with a gentle smile.


    Vivian raised her chin, a little proud. “Of course. I told you I wouldn''t drag you down."


    "You''re the best," Reese replied,


    pulling a card out of her drawer and


    handing it over. "Take a long


    vacation. Go see your parents and


    your brother use this card for


    whatever you want."


    “Thanks, Reese." Vivian took the card without any fuss and walked out.


    The office felt quiet again. Reese''s eyes turned cold for a moment as she picked up her phone and called George.


    "George, the recording I sent you can it prove that Sebastian and Leslie tricked me into being a surrogate?" She knew theck of solid evidence had stalled her divorce


    case.


    "Ms. Meyer," George replied, "secret recordings usually aren''t enough on their own, but with this, the court will be a lot more confident in our other evidence. Also, the police got in touch. They''ve found new proof about Mr. Ratcliff''s involvement in the surrogacy."


    A sharp determination shed in Reese''s eyes. "Good. That means I can finally end


    this marriage and make sure Sebastian pays for what he''s done."