Victor Sullivan stood frozen, his thick brows furrowed as he stared at the packet of rat poison.

His fists clenched, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Audrey Sullivan watched him coldly, a mocking smile playing on her red lips.

She took the packet from her assistant and tore it open in front of him, holding the brown granules in her pale palm. "Go on. Weren’t you so confident just now?"

Victor’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

The poison gave off a sickly sweet scent, eerily reminiscent of the malt candy from his childhood.

"If I take this…" His voice trembled. "You’ll really forgive me?"

Audrey toyed with the packet carelessly. "Two pounds. Not a single granule less."

Victor whirled around and barked at his driver, "Call the hospital—prepare for gastric lavage!"

The driver paled. "Mr. Sullivan, this—"

"Shut up!" Victor grabbed Audrey’s wrist, pretending to bring the poison to his mouth.

Just as the granules were about to touch his lips, Audrey suddenly yanked her hand away.

The brown pellets scattered across the floor.

Victor’s eyes lit up. "You can’t bear to see me die?"

Audrey scoffed. "Don’t flatter yourself. I just don’t want bad luck."

She snatched the remaining packets from her assistant and hurled them at his chest. "If you want to die, do it somewhere else. And make sure your will is notarized first."

Victor clutched the poison, standing like a drowned rat in the snow.

Audrey turned and went inside to wash her hands.

The sound of running water filled the air.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, the corners of her eyes faintly red.

When she stepped out, Victor was still there, a thin layer of snow dusting his shoulders.

"Audrey…" He forced an ingratiating smile.

She strode past him without a glance, her high heels crunching through the snow.

As she got into her car, she caught sight of the black Maybach following slowly in the rearview mirror.

"Pathetic," she muttered under her breath before sharply turning the wheel.

Inside the Maybach, Victor rubbed his temples. "Do I look ridiculous?"

The driver’s grip on the wheel tightened. "You’re deeply devoted, Mr. Sullivan—"

"Bullshit!" Victor suddenly exploded. "Even you’re laughing at me!"

The driver fell silent, too afraid to speak.

After a long pause, Victor let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "At least I’m better than Theodore Valentine. My children are actually mine."

Meanwhile, at the Valentine mansion…

Theodore sneezed three times in a row.

"Turn up the heat," he grumbled, pulling his blanket tighter. Suddenly, his phone rang—his bodyguard.

"Mr. Valentine, Victoria insists on seeing you."

Theodore’s face darkened. "Tell her to get lost!"

A shrill cry came through the phone. "Theodore! We’ve uncovered the truth about Isabella!"

Ten minutes later.

Victoria stormed in, draped in a mink coat and dripping with jewels.

"It was Kevin Stone’s doing!" She threw herself at Theodore. "Hammer Ulrich confessed!"

Theodore narrowed his eyes. "Proof?"

"Hammer recognized Kevin’s voice during visitation today! Back then, he drugged me when you weren’t around—" Victoria sobbed dramatically. "I’m innocent!"

Theodore burst into laughter.

The sound was chilling.

"Karma!" He kicked over the coffee table. "Your mother and uncle hired Kevin to harm Evelyn, and now it’s come back to bite your own daughter!"

Victoria’s face turned ghostly pale.

"Get out!" Theodore grabbed a vase and hurled it at her.

Victoria was dragged out by bodyguards, collapsing ungracefully into the snow.

Hammer rushed from the car to help her up, but she shoved him away.

"Using me and then tossing me aside?" Hammer seized her collar. "What about what you said in bed last night?"

Victoria slapped him across the face.

Enraged, Hammer raised his fist—only to be intercepted by bodyguards.

Victoria seized the chance to scramble into her car and stomped on the gas.

In the rearview mirror, Hammer’s twisted face grew smaller.

Her hands shaking, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Mother, I want Kevin Stone dead!"