On the other side of the city.

Orion stared blankly at the text from Lemira, lying completely motionless in his hospital bed.

Sitting in the chair beside him, Matthew finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Orion, you need to eat something.”

Orion slowly set his phone down, his stomach completely tied in knots.

“How is Mom doing?” he asked, his voice thick and raspy.

“Her vitals are stable for now. She just needs aggressive treatment while we wait for a kidney match.”

Matthew looked utterly devastated. Why hadn’t his or Orion’s kidneys been a match?

If he had been compatible, he would have been on the operating table in a heartbeat without a second thought.

But out of all the people in the world, the only match had to be the one person they despised most.

Mrs. Amelia was a viper. She was going to use this leverage to force the Everharts into burying the murder investigation.

Orion gave a faint nod. “Stay by her side. Don’t leave her alone.”

“I know. But Orion, you can’t do anything reckless. Mom said she’s willing to wait. She doesn’t want that woman’s kidney.”

Orion’s grip on his phone tightened until his knuckles turned white. It felt like the universe was playing a sick, twisted joke on him.

After a long silence, he spoke. “I’ll find a donor in time. I won’t let her condition deteriorate.”

“Don’t put this all on your shoulders, and whatever you do, do not agree to the Sinclairs’ terms. If you compromise your morals for us, Mom and I will never forgive ourselves.”

Knowing the Sinclairs had meticulously cornered them left a foul, suffocating taste in their mouths.

Orion reached out and clapped Matthew on the shoulder. “I know. Start taking over some of my responsibilities at the company. I don’t have the bandwidth right now, and I need someone I trust stepping up.”

“I’ll do my best. I won’t let you down. If I get stuck, I’ll ask Thad for help. Just focus on resting.”

Matthew had never seen his brother look so utterly broken, and it killed him that he couldn’t fix it.

As Matthew stepped out of the private suite, he ran into Thaddeus and practically sighed in relief. “Thank God you’re here. He won’t eat, and he’s barely taking his meds.”

Thad let out a heavy sigh. “It’s a nightmare. Just focus on learning the ropes at the company. Take the weight off his shoulders so he can breathe.”

“I will.”

“Go on. I’ll go check on him.”

Thad pushed open the door and grimaced at the sight of the man in the bed Orion looked like hell-dark bags under hits eyes, bloodshot sclera, and a heavy layer of stubble on his jaw.

Thad pulled up a chair. “I told you this was going to blow up in your face. The longer you kept the secret from her, the worse the fallout was going to be.”

Orion was sitting up, one leg bent casually on the mattress.

He stared at his phone screen. “What’s the situation with the media? Make sure they don’t spin the narrative against her.”

His voice was dangerously cold. He had found out that morning that the Waverly family was behind the leak.

Thad chuckled and tossed his own phone onto the bed. “See for yourself. Your girl is wicked smart. The reporters you sent to do damage control didn’t even get to say a word.”

Orion watched the video of Lemira weaponizing her tears to manipulate the press, and the heavy ache in his chest tightened even further.

He tossed the phone back. “Tell your aunt to back the hell off. If she pulls another stunt like this, I have no problem making sure she experiences a very public downfall.”

He had enough dirt on the Waverlies—including Mrs. Waverly’s catastrophic, under- the-table investments-to ruin them overnight.

Thad rubbed the back of his neck. “I already gave her a warning, but my aunt is stubborn. She doesn’t know when to quit, especially since you publicly embarrassed her before. honestly? I think a verbal warning is useless. You should just crush her a little to teach her a lesson.”

Even Thad thought his aunt had crossed a massive line this time.

If Orion hadn’t been holding back out of respect for Thad, the Waverlies would have been bankrupted weeks ago. But since his aunt refused to listen to reason, she was going to have to learn the hard way

Some people just had to touch the stove to realize it was hot.

Orion’s lips pressed into a ruthless, thin line. “If you’re giving me the green light, then I won’t hold back.”

Thad’s expression turned serious. “But what about your mom? Can you realistically find a matching kidney in the next two weeks? And if you can’t… what’s your play?”

Was he really going to surrender to the Sinclairs’ blackmail?