Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 510

"I'm aware," Liam said, a heavy shadow of dread crossing his face.

Dr. Vane stood with his hands clasped behind his back, every trace of his greedy, eccentric persona completely stripped away. His expression was grim and razor-sharp. "You're a man of medicine. You know exactly what his vitals mean. If he doesn't get the absolute cure, he has two months left to live. Max."

Even though Liam had braced himself for the worst, hearing the clinical death sentence spoken out loud made his chest tighten painfully.

"Is there... any antidote on earth that can purge it entirely?"

Dr. Vane went silent for a few heavy seconds. "There is one."

Liam's eyes flared with desperate hope. "What is it?"

"When I was young, I studied ancient pharmacology. The old texts documented a legendary royal panacea known as The Ivory Pill. It could practically pull a corpse back from the brink. The problem is, the ingredients went extinct decades ago. The only people who might still hold a fraction of a dose are the ancient, untouchable aristocratic bloodlines. And even then..."

He looked Liam dead in the eyes. "Who the hell would sell a guaranteed second chance at life?"

"So you're saying there's a chance."

Dr. Vane resumed walking down the hall, his voice echoing quietly. "If you want to view it as a suicide mission, then sure. There's a chance."

A fierce grin broke across Liam's face as he hurried after him. "Thank you, doctor."

...

Meanwhile, across the globe in San Francisco.

The night was suffocatingly dark.

Silas Lancaster stood on the second-floor balcony of a massive estate, gripping his phone tightly. A half-smoked cigarette burned between his fingers, the ash drifting lazily into the wind.

Then, Lawrence laughed. The sound was as polite as ever, but it sent a violent shiver down Silas's spine. "Silas, trump cards are strictly reserved for the final hour."

"But this is the final hour!" Silas hissed, unable to keep the frantic desperation out of his voice. "Hudson is exposed in Chicago! Nora is right there! If my team moves fast and hard, no one will ever trace the hit back to us!"

"That operative is my insurance policy."

Lawrence's voice remained infuriatingly calm. "Silas, it's not that I don't believe in you. But Hudson is a monster. Even wounded, a trapped beast will rip out your throat. I highly doubt your squad can even breach his perimeter."

"Can you at least tell me who the mole is? I swear I won't use your asset..."

"You really want to know?"

"Yes!"