The Cherished Wife



"Oh, and one more thing." The voice chuckled. "I've cooked up a new concoction of that virus from three years back. It's way more potent than the original."

"What did you do?" Jack's face twisted in anger. "Who did you test it on?"

"Your foes are my foes," came the flat reply. "It's in your stepson."

"You... He's just a kid!" Jack's voice was a growl. "Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

"Isn't this me telling you? You said you were going to handle that Peter brat, right? You were on board when I gave Peter's wife the virus three years ago," the voice was calm. "Besides, if it weren't for you, that kid would've gotten the virus a year ago. Thanks to you, the virus is now top-notch after a year of perfecting it."

"Hand over the antidote!" Jack demanded, his anger palpable. "I'll settle my scores with Peter and the Lennon family on my own terms. Tania and Brandon shouldn't be dragged into this."

"If they have any ties to the Hoffman family, they're far from innocent!" The voice on the other end of the line was losing patience. "Chill out. The virus won't kick in just yet. It's still incubating. I'm only telling you because you've been slacking off lately. I've waited years for this, and I'm not about to let it all fall apart now. Take care of the Lennon and Hoffman families, and do it fast."

Jack was gripping his phone so hard that his knuckles turned white. "You're really cold-blooded. How could you do this to your own flesh and blood?" "We're cut from the same cloth, aren't we?"

The call ended abruptly, and Jack stared at his phone as the screen faded to black, his expression growing darker by the second.

Tania and Brandon!

They were the wildcards in his life he did not account for. He was ready to walk away, but Peter had to drag them into the mess. Jack shut his eyes, his face contorted with pain and inner turmoil.

He never would have guessed that Steven, the Naylor family's golden boy and Gared's adopted son, was the mastermind behind Nexus Group. Steven had managed the Naylor family's empire well until he vanished abroad years ago. Then, out of nowhere, he came back.

With Steven's tight bonds with Charles and Peter, Jack knew the whole situation would get messier if he stepped in.

Noelle arrived at the office bright and early, having been away on vacation for several days. She had barely stepped through the door when Arya swooped in with a grin. "You've been off the radar fora while. Where'd you sneak off to, huh?"

St

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Arya gave Noelle the once-over and hummed thoughtfully. "Looks like you've put on a few pounds. Did you go on a romantic getaway with your boyfriend?"

"My boyfriend?" Noelle chuckled, flashing the ring on her hand. "I tied the knot!"

"Oh, right. Your hubby!" Arya's eyes widened as she remembered Noelle's marriage. "Silly me. But you don't look like a married lady at all. You still look so young!"

"Like you're one to talk about age!" Noelle shook her head with a smile and playfully tapped Arya on the forehead. "Enough chit-chat. Let's get down to business. Whatnoveldrama

happened while I was over

"You haven't heard? There's been some major drama, but not here!"

"Oh?" Noelle raised an eyebrow at Arya's eager gossip. "If it's not about our company, why bother?"