Melvin was momentarily thrown by my retort, his knuckles turning white as he pressed them against the table in frustration. Rosaline stood by, observing the scene with an impassive expression on her face. "So, what do you want?" Melvin asked, swallowing hard and trying to steady his voice. "Why should I agree to your terms? I could easily hand you over to the werewolf cops instead. That seems like a win-win situation, rather than wasting time discussing this pointless cooperation," I said in a low, chilling tone. Melvin's face twisted with anger. He straightened slightly, attempting to use his stance to intimidate me. "Caden, don't push your luck. Everyone here works for me. Whether you can leave this place alive is up to me." "Are you threatening me?" I glared at him, letting my presence exude a palpable menace. Melvin shrank back, avoiding my gaze, looking towards Rosaline as if hoping to find some support from her. But Rosaline remained indifferent, as if our conversation had nothing to do with her. "Our businesses have never interfered with each other. Isn't it better to keep it that way?" Melvin took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. I smiled but didn't respond, curious to see what else he might say. "Tell me what you want." Melvin's voice wavered. He tried to appear composed, but it was obvious he was bluffing. "If you want me to release Connor, you need to give me something in return," I said after a pause, my tone cold. "What do you want?" Melvin's eyes flickered with a mix of fear and suspicion. I sneered. "What do you think?" "Fine, just let him go. I'll give you ... the neurotoxin." Melvin conceded, his voice trembling. Connor's POV: I sat on the sofa in the villa, staring down at the marks on my wrists. Melvin stood in front of me, his whole body trembling, a clear sign of his immense fear of me. I looked up and asked in a calm voice, "Did you give it to him?"Melvin flinched. "Mr. Horton, I was trying to save you ... " Before he could finish, I kicked him hard, sending him sprawling across the floor. He hit the ground with a bone-rattling thud but still didn't dare make a sound, lying there cowering. "Idiot, do you think I need your help?" I said with a laugh. Seeing my smile, Melvin's face went pale and he immediately prostrated himself, trembling all over. "Caden only released that news to bait you, and you fell for it." I clenched my fist, the corners of my mouth curling into a sneer. "You couldn't even wait a single moment." "Mr. Horton ... " Melvin stammered, his whole body trembling like a leaf. I no longer wanted to deal with Melvin. If it weren't for the fact that this wanted criminal still had some use, I would've already preserved him in formaldehyde. I took a deep breath, trying to suppress my rising anger. I had managed to get Caden with the neurotoxin, planning to use this opportunity to plant a hidden threat within him. But Melvin's blunder ruined my plan. Nevertheless, thanks to this idiot's mistake, I found a target even more interesting than Caden. Rosaline ... Rosaline's POV: I glanced at Caden in the room, feeling a growing sense of worry. Even though we got the neurotoxin from Melvin, Phoebe wasn't entirely confident she could develop an antidote. For now, all we could do was inject Caden with a temporary sedative to suppress the effects. After the injection, Caden came out, noticing the worry on my face. He pulled me close, wrapping his arm around me. "How are you feeling? Is there any discomfort?" I asked hurriedly. "Don't worry, I'm fine," Caden reassured me, gently running his hand through my hair. I still wasn't convinced and planned to find a chance to consult Phoebe. Before I could voice my concerns, Caden spoke up. "I booked tickets for tomorrow. We should head back." "Let's get back as soon as we can. I don't want to stay here any longer," I agreed, nodding. The events of these past few days, meant to be a vacation, had turned into a series of nerve-wracking incidents, as if orchestrated specifically to test us. Seeing my agreement, Caden didn't say much, simply looking down at me. "We'll be back soon. I'm getting tired of this place too." Naomi's POV: I stood at the hospital room door, staring at Samuel lying in the bed. Since yesterday, I hadn't mustered the courage to go in and see him. This was all my fault. Every bit of it was because of me. My eyes burned with unshed tears. I turned to leave, only to run into a middle-aged she-wolf. She was well-preserved, but I could easily see the resemblance to Samuel in her features. She held a stack of papers and looked directly at me. "Are you ... Naomi?" she asked, tentatively. "Why aren't you going in?" I immediately knew who she was. This she-wolf was Cleo Maxwell, the Luna of the Meteor Pack and Samuel's mother. "I ... I ... " I bit my lip, unable to form a coherent sentence. "Busy with work? I heard you're a star," Cleo remarked, opening the door to the hospital room. "Indeed, you're very beautiful. It's my first time seeing my son care this much for someone." Hearing this, I burst into tears, standing still as I choked out, "I'm sorry."