Chapter 740

Chapter 740:

“Mateo, there is still one way out of this.”

Mateo’s eyes narrowed to deadly slits, fixing Harlan with a gaze that could freeze hell itself. “So this is what you’ve been waiting for, watching me dance to your tune.”

Harlan didn’t bother with words. His smirk said everything as he snapped his fingers, summoning two bodyguards who entered with a woman in tow.

The sight of her turned Mateo’s blood to ice—Tess.

“Dr. Newman is now Father’s only hope,” Harlan declared, malicious satisfaction dripping from every word. “Are you really prepared to watch Father draw his last breath on that table, Mateo?”

“Harlan, I won’t let you have your way,” Mateo snarled through clenched teeth. “I believe MO will show up.”

“Ha! Then by all means, keep clinging to that fantasy.” Harlan settled back, crossing his legs with a theatrical flourish, the very picture of smug certainty. “When Father dies, the elders will see you for what you are—a failure and a disgrace. You had the chance to save Father, yet you stood idle, watching the sand run out. Tell me, how long do you think you’ll keep your crown once that happens?”

Shadows crept across Mateo’s features as silence claimed him. The cruel clarity of Harlan’s machinations crystallized in his mind. This was Harlan’s symphony of sabotage, ensuring MO’s absence, orchestrating these delays with surgical precision.

And there lay Orson, already prepped for surgery, his weakened body balanced on a knife’s edge. Time was a luxury they couldn’t afford.

“Dad, what do we do now?” Alissa asked, fully aware of the dire situation. Either they surrendered to Tess’ hands and handed Harlan his victory, or they gambled with time while waiting for MO. Both paths led into darkness.

Choosing Tess meant giving Harlan ammunition—a deadly card he could play at will.

𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼 ➤ gⱯ︎𝗅︎𝗇︎𝗈︎ν︎𝖊︎𝗅︎𝘀︎⸱ⅽ︎𝗈︎𝗆

But refusing her services while Orson’s life ebbed away would paint Mateo as a heartless son.

Harlan’s trap was a masterpiece of manipulation.

“Deploy our men. Scour every inch of this city for MO,” Mateo commanded, his voice firm and filled with steel resolve. “I want her here in ten minutes.”

“Understood!” Alissa immediately sprang into action, disappearing down the corridor with a team of guards following closely behind her.

A sneer of contempt twisted Harlan’s features. He had spared no expense in weaving this web—Jorge’s band of traitors wasn’t his only card. Two additional teams of mercenaries were on standby, turning the city into a deadly maze for MO.

Against such overwhelming odds, she was like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web.

Mateo glanced at Gilmore, who remained seated, silent and observant. Then, he retreated to a corner, pulling out his phone.

“I need you to ensure MO’s safety,” he murmured into the device. “Succeed, and I’ll open the gates of Cloverhill for you—your ticket into the upper echelons of society.”

“Mr. Welch, I’ve been waiting for those exact words.”

The voice on the other end slithered through the speaker, dripping with dark amusement.

“I had intended to use your daughter’s connections to get into Cloverhill, but now that you’re offering me the chance, things will be much simpler. It seems my attempts to escape and contact you weren’t useless after all,” said the man on the other end of the line.

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Message from Noa: Hope you have a great Tuesday dear readers, God loves you and Noa wishes you all the best. (─‿‿─)

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