The silence in the grand ballroom was so heavy you could hear the flicker of the candlelight. Billionaire Marcus Vance stared at his daughter, Clara, with wide, terrified eyes. Clara hadn’t stood on her own two feet since the horrific car crash four years ago—the crash that took her mother’s life and left her spine paralyzed beyond medical repair. Top surgeons from London, New York, and Tokyo had all signed the same paper: Permanently Disabled.

"FOUND HIM!"

Richard stepped into the bedroom, accompanied by his armed guards who were holding a beaten, bloody Marcus.

Richard looked at Clara—who was sitting up, fully conscious and breathing normally—and then at Leo, who was convulsing on the floor in agony.

"Fascinating," Richard breathed, his eyes wide with maniacal awe. "He doesn't just bridge neural pathways... his body acts as a biological sponge! He absorbed the neurotoxin right out of her bloodstream!"

"Leo!" Clara screamed, trying to reach for him, but Marcus grabbed her, protecting her with his body.

"Grab the boy! Put him in the armored transport!" Richard ordered. "We are going to harvest his blood. Every drop of it is worth billions!"

"You won't touch him!" Marcus yelled, fighting against the guard holding him. "Richard, I’ll give you the company! I’ll sign over every asset, every stock, every cent! Just let the children go!"

Richard drew a sidearm and aimed it directly at Marcus’s chest.

"I don't need your permission anymore, Marcus. Once you're dead, I take over Vance BioTech by default. And with this boy in a cage, I will sell immortality to the highest bidder."