In the Prescott family''s estate in Lexington, the air was thick with dread.

On the grand bedy Samuel Prescott, the bald, aging patriarch. His once-manding frame had withered, his skin pale as parchment, his breath shallow andbored.

Around him, the Prescott bloodline gathered in tense silence, their faces

shadowed with worry.

"Benjamin!" Henry''s voice cracked as he paced the floor, his nerves unraveling. "Father was fine yesterday. How could he copse so suddenly?"

Benjamin''s jaw tightened. "Don''t start pointing fingers at me," he snapped.

"Father brought this on himself. Trying to break past level one hundred at his age —it was madness. No one''s ever done it, and now look where it''s gotten him."

Henry stopped in his tracks, fists clenched, his face twisted with helpless anger. "Why does he keep pushing himself like this?"

A sudden cry split the air. "Grandfather''s coughing up blood!" Frederick Prescott, Benjamin''s broad-shouldered son, lurched forward, eyes wide with shock.

"We need Dr. Owen," Benjamin cut in sharply. "He''s the only one who can stabilize him. So why isn''t he here yet?"

"Uncle!" Lawrence forced his way to the front, his hands trembling as he held out a small pill in an open box. "I have a healing pill-please, let Grandfather take it!"

Frederick''s eyes narrowed at the pill. "That thing looks dangerous. Where the hell did you get it?"

"From Lyra Thompson, the governor of Chicago," Lawrence replied, “This is a miracle pill."

Frederick let out a harshugh. “That scheming woman is selling miracle pills now? More like poison wrapped in a pretty shell."

"Grandfather is dying before our eyes!" Lawrence''s voice rose, desperate.

"I paid everything I had-borrowed money even-to get this. I can''t just watch him fade away without trying!"

"I said no!" Frederick''s roar shook the chamber.

He pped the pill from Lawrence''s hand, the tiny bead ttering to the marble floor.

Before Lawrence could reach for it, Frederick ground it beneath his heel, crushing it to dust.

"We don''t need your poison. You''re not even worthy to stand here."

"You-" Lawrence''s face flushed with fury, his hands curling into fists.

"What?" Frederick stepped forward, chest swelling, fists raised. His thick arms bulged with barely restrained violence. "You want to fight me over this?"

The room stilled. Everyone knew the truth.

The Prescotts were a family forged in war, their legacy carved by martial strength. Frederick, powerful and proud, embodied that heritage.

Lawrence, slight and bookish, did not.

One punch from Frederick would break him in half. In the family''s eyes, Lawrence was a shadow, tolerated only because he kept quiet.

"Frederick, you''ve gone too far!" Lawrence''s voice shook, but not with fear-with rage. He had nothing of the heir''s swagger, no hope of standing tall in the contest for session.

All he wanted was to save the old man who had once carried him on his shoulders, who had been more than a patriarch—he had been his world.

Lawrence had sacrificed everything, emptied his pockets, begged and borrowed, for that single pill.

And now Frederick had destroyed it before his eyes.

"Nonsense!" Benjamin barked, puffing up with arrogance. "My son only cares about his grandfather''s safety. Who knows what poison you tried to sneak in here?"

"That''s right," Frederick added smugly, folding his arms with his father''s backing.

"What if you''re plotting to harm Grandfather? That pill of yours looked more like poison than medicine."

"Enough!" Henry''s tone cracked like a whip. His authority silenced the room. “Father is dying, and you''re bickering like children. What do you think you''re doing?"

The tense silence broke when the butler rushed in, breathless. "They''re here! Dr. Jonathan Owen has arrived!"

At once, Benjamin hurried forward. "Doctor Owen, thank God. Please, you must save my father."

He ushered the physician to the bedside.

"Remain calm, all of you," Jonathan said.

He set down his bag, took Samuel''s wrist with practiced care, and ced his instruments against the old man''s fading pulse.

The room held its breath.

Minutes passed before Jonathan finally spoke, his brow furrowed deep with concern. "His nerves... they''re shattered. He pushed himself far beyond his limits in pursuit of advancement. I''m afraid..."

He exhaled, grim and final. "With my skills, there is little I can do."

"What?" Henry''s face drained of color. "Doctor Owen, you are the best physician

in the country. If even you can''t help him, then who can?"

"I am sorry." Jonathan''s voice was low, steady, and filled with regret.

He shook his head, rose from the bedside, and began to gather his things.

"Wait." He stopped suddenly, his nose twitching. His head turned slowly as he inhaled.

"What is this...? Such a strong medicinal scent. Tell me do you have a miracle healing pill here?"

"What miracle healing pill?" Frederick sneered, his tone sharp with mockery. "If we had such a thing, do you think we''d just stand around? Don''t waste our time."

But Jonathan ignored him. He scanned the room, eyes sharp, until theynded on the crushed remnants on the floor. His face froze, then twisted with anguish. "No..." His voice cracked. "What have you done?"

In a heartbeat, the dignified doctor dropped to his knees. He scraped the powder off the marble with his bare hands, frantic, desperate, as though each grain of dust were life itself.

Hisposure shattered, he didn''t care how he looked. "What a waste! What a terrible, unforgivable waste!"

The Prescott family stared, stunned into silence. To see the most respected physician in the nation groveling on the floor for a handful of dust-was this madness?

"Dr. Owen... what is going on?" Benjamin finally asked, baffled.

Jonathan''s head snapped up, his eyes zing with fury. "What''s going on? How dare you ask me that? You destroyed a miracle pill!" His voice thundered with outrage.

"Do you have any idea what you''ve done? This isn''t just medicine-it''s a treasure beyond price. Rare, priceless, and blessed by fate itself! And you fools—" he jabbed a trembling finger at them-"you crushed it into dirt! Who is the idiot responsible for this crime?"

Frederick sneered, pointing at the crumbled dust on the floor. "Mr. Owen, are you serious? How could that white, broken thing be a miracle pill? It looks more like poison than medicine."

Jonathan''s head snapped toward him, his eyes burning with contempt. "If your grandfather had taken this pill, his life could have been saved!"

"What?" The word fell from every mouth at once. Faces drained of color.

Shock rippled through the room like a thunderp.

None of them truly understood what a miracle pill was, but Jonathan''s fury and reverence made one thing clear-this was no ordinary medicine.

"You wastrels!" Jonathan roared, his voice trembling with rage. "Do you realize what you''ve done? That pill was priceless! A rare treasure that could turn back death itself—and you crushed it underfoot like garbage!"

His heart ached as he scraped together the remaining dust, his fingers trembling. The powder had scattered across the marble, too little to reform, already tainted and useless.

He clenched it in his palm, his face twisted with grief.

Lawrence''s voice broke through, sharp and furious. "Frederick! Look at the disaster you caused! You destroyed the only thing that could save Grandfather. How will you answer for this?"

Frederick marched straight up to Lawrence and pped him across the face, the sound echoing through the room.

"You worthless coward! If you truly had a miracle pill, you should have given it to Father at once. Instead, you hesitated, and now you dare me me? Grandfather''s suffering is on you!"

Lawrence staggered, his cheek zing red. Anger shook through him, but his fists hung useless at his sides. He had no strength, no power in this family.

Benjamin pressed on, defending Frederick with venom. "Enough whining! It''s just a pill. If it''s gone, we''ll get another one. Why make such a spectacle?" Lawrence''s eyes red. "Uncle, do you think this is a head of cabbage from the market? Do you think we can simply buy another? That pill was a gift-rare, irreceable. Who knows if I''ll ever find another one?"

Henry waved a hand dismissively. "Lawrence, don''t waste time arguing. Grandfather''s life is what matters. Contact Lyra Thompson immediately. Tell her to send more of those pills at once!"

Lawrence bit down hard, swallowing his rage. He pulled out his phone and dialed.

"Lyra," he said urgently when she answered, "it''s Lawrence. We gave Grandfather the pill you entrusted to me—but it was destroyed before he could take it. He''s critical. Please, I need another, as soon as possible."

On the other end, Lyra''s voice softened with regret.fnb831 Content originallyes from f?ndnovel/fnb831

"Lawrence, I''m sorry. The master who refined that pill has stopped making them. What you had might have been thest one in existence. People guard them like treasure."

Lawrence''s chest tightened. "Then give me the master''s contact. Perhaps he has some left. Anything-I''ll beg if I must."

"I''ll try to reach him," Lyra replied cautiously. "But don''t pin too much hope on it."

Then, after a pause, she switched lines and called Alex.

Her tone shifted, sharper now, urgent and political. "Alex, Sophia and I have forged an alliance, but the Kingstons are pressing us hard—we''re losing ground."

"The governor of Lexington-Samuel Prescott-can still be saved. If you help us heal him, he''ll be bound to support our cause."

On the other end, Alex''s sigh was heavy, reluctant. "Lyra... I''ve left politics behind.

I don''t want to be dragged back into that swamp."

"Alex, listen to me," Lyra pressed, her voice trembling with desperation.

"If you don''t help us, the Kingstons will crush us. Sophia and I could end up dead

at their hands! Please, Alex."