The Almighty Dominance

At noon, their private jet touched down at the Kane estate.

The Kane family was one of Vermont's oldest ruling lineages, and their headquarters reflected centuries of power.

The mansion rose like a fortress of wealth, its sprawling gardens and ponds arranged by the most renowned feng shui masters.

Every tree, every stone, every ripple of water was placed to channel fortune endlessly toward the Kane bloodline.

Hundreds of guards patrolled the perimeter, their eyes sharp, rifles steady.

Bella walked at Alex's side, her fingers clutching the back of his shirt as if it were her lifeline.

She stayed close, almost sheltered in his shadow, her steps timid but steady.

She longed to pull him nearer, but shyness held her back, stealing her courage—

yet the fear of losing him kept her grip unbreakable.

"Alex, you're finally here. Please, help us check on Jericho-something's happened to him."

At the entrance, Lidia stood with her butler, her face pale and frantic.

"I'll check him," Alex said firmly. "Lead the way."

Lidia's eyes flickered with doubt. "Are you sure you can cure him?" Her voice cracked with panic.

"I can't promise anything," Alex answered. "I need to examine him first. If it's just an ordinary illness, it will be simple. But if it's rare, the outcome depends on the severity. Some things aren't easy to cure."

"Please-quickly. Follow me."

Lidia spun on her heels, frowning, and hurried inside.

Alex and Bella followed close behind until they reached a lavish ward filled with state-of-the-art medical equipment.

Specialists clustered together, whispering anxiously as they tried to devise a treatment.

On the bed lay Jericho Kane. The once-charismatic governor was now unrecognizable. His skin carried a bluish tinge, his lips darkened to a dreadful purple.

Alex stepped forward. He placed his fingers on Jericho's wrist, feeling his pulse, then checked his eyes and mouth. His expression hardened.

Jericho had been poisoned. Not by something ordinary, but by a venom so rare and vicious that only one name surfaced in Alex's mind-the Kingswell.

This poison was a secret weapon, forged by the Kingswell under the king's command-crafted to bring down the most dangerous of enemies.

And now, that same toxin had been unleashed on Jericho Kane.

But the king had given no such order. Which meant only two people could have released it-Kelly or Alfred Kington, former Kingswell.

They had dared to use the poison without permission.

"Alex... how is my father? Can you save him?" Bella's voice trembled, fragile as glass.

Alex's eyes lingered on Jericho before he spoke. "It's complicated. But I'll try." Because this poison wasn't just deadly-it was cunning.

It could splinter into one hundred and eight variations, each more insidious than the last, shifting form depending on how it entered the body and how much time had passed.

The poison changed automatically with the flow of time, twisting itself into deadlier versions at every turn.

And Alex knew he was facing one of the deadliest puzzles of all.

This poison was designed with no cure. Once it took hold, the victim was left to wait for death.

cut through the room as

about, and all

Why play games with his life—do you

Scarlet!" Lidia stopped

"But, Aunt-"

Alex. "Please... tell me what you think of

Alex straightened.

any other. Every thirty minutes to an hour, its properties

to kill. If we want even a chance of saving him, we'll have to gamble. His life hangs on a knife's

crumpled. "That's not what I want to hear! I want my husband to

once cured Bella of

no longer wanted the

one's perfect. Maybe he saved Bella, but every sickness demands a different cure. Poison is another world entirely. My mother already brought the best doctor for this. He's a

"Who?" Lidia asked.

me," a calm voice answered.

figures in white coats filed into

strode a thin, sharp-featured man, his eyes gleaming with cold confidence and

walked a plump, middle-aged

Scarlet called, rushing toward

Lidia gasped,

Kane family had always been ruled

Beatrice was the elder sibling and Jericho the younger, tradition

any claim to

the patriarch's torch, leaving Beatrice

had fallen gravely

Kevin," Beatrice announced, smiling

of the finest doctors in the world, a professor at Oxford Medical School. His expertise in rare and deadly illnesses is unmatched. With him here, Jericho's life

professor at Oxford?" Lidia's face lit up, her voice trembling

alone meant excellence beyond question. If Kevin could teach

he was

Alex, the

he had performed miracles before he had saved Bella when no one else could but wasn't he just a doctor from some small

reckless, to let him treat Bella. But this was different. This was her husband,

could not

his throat. "Let me be clear. I don't allow anyone to touch my patient. I despise being compared. If you want

"Alex, what are you waiting for? Step aside! There's no way your pitiful skills can compete with

can't cure this. The poison in

Zit's a

university professor can hope

fool," Beatrice snapped, her eyes sharp with

little clinic in the slums. Just because you pulled

you're equal to Dr. Kevin. Get out of the way before you waste

Jericho's life in the hands of a quack? Look at him-he's

else entirely. What happens if Jericho die? Who will bear that responsibility? You?" "Mother!" Bella cried out. "I believe in Alex. Please, let

coldly, "you're blinded by your feelings. Just because you like him doesn't mean

decision. She turned to Alex. "Alex, step aside. Let

is unlike anything you've ever heard of. I can say with ninety percent certainty I

anyone else makes even a single mistake, it will mean instant death. No antidote. No

turned his eyes on Dr. Kevin. "I'm warning you this poison isn't for the arrogant to toy

sharp laugh, dripping with

What a ridiculous joke. He's a world-renowned professor of medicine, respected in

even hold a proper license. What gives you the courage

win against Dr. Kevin is one in

you look

you dare look down on the poison. Only ignorant fools speak so arrogantly when they don't