The rays of the setting sun were already bleeding through the heavy curtains of the room when Dorrent finally opened his eyes.

The heavy, paralyzing lethargy of the Somnus Root had held him under for hours, locking his senses in a deep, inescapable slumber that lasted until the evening. The moment his consciousness fully snapped back into reality, his hand instinctively reached out across the mattress, searching for the small, soft frame that had been pinned beneath him earlier.

But the sheets next to him were completely cold. Jannah was gone.

A sudden, sharp flash of irritation flared deep within his chest. Dorrent swung his legs out of the bed, not even bothering to change out of his work clothes as he strode out of the quarters and descended the grand marble staircase to look for her. The suffocating silence of the mansion was broken only by the faint, rhythmic clinking of silverware coming from the formal dining hall.

When he stepped through the archway, his eyes instantly narrowed into dangerous, lethal slits. Jannah was sitting at the long table, and right across from her was Shadron Valerius. The two of them were casually having a lavish dinner, chatting in low, murmured tones while the estate staff poured wine.

Without uttering a single syllable, Dorrent pulled out the head chair and sat down, joining them. The entire atmosphere in the room instantly dropped to absolute freezing temperatures. He didn’t talk too much—in fact, he remained completely, aggressively silent throughout the entire meal, refusing to touch the food on his plate. Instead, his dark gaze remained locked onto Jannah’s face, staring absolute daggers across the table at her with a raw, unhinged intensity that made the air hum with static. Both Jannah and Shadron frequently glanced up at him, openly wondering what the hell was wrong with the formidable CEO tonight, but no one dared to break the oppressive silence.

The moment dinner concluded and the household prepared to head to sleep, Jannah practically sprinted back to the safety of her private room, desperate to escape his suffocating glare.

She had barely closed her door when a heavy, authoritative knock rattled the wood. Before she could even answer, Dorrent pushed his way inside. He had a crystal cup filled with a dark crimson juice in his hand. He stepped directly into her personal space, his frame completely towering over her as he extended his arm, forcefully handing the cup to her.

Jannah looked at the dark liquid, her heart hammering against her ribs as she took a step back. "What is this? Why are you giving this to me?" she asked, her voice tight with absolute suspicion. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Dorrent’s face remained a flawless, unreadable mask, his eyes tracking the frantic rise and fall of her chest. "Drink it," he commanded, his deep voice a low, gravelly vibration in the quiet room. "It is a highly specialized berry blend imported directly from the GeeCee country. I just want your professional opinion on it as an herbalist."

Jannah didn’t trust him for a single fraction of a second. The memory of his chilling, silent hostility during dinner and the terrifying way he had been staring daggers at her across the table made her entire survival instinct scream in agony. She hesitated, her small fingers trembling as she refused to take the glass.

Dorrent let out a short, mocking scoff through his teeth, stepping even closer until his hot breath scorched her forehead. "What is wrong with you, little physician? Do you actually think I have poisoned you?" A dark, cynical smirk twisted his lips as he leaned down, his voice dropping into a cruel, condescending whisper. "Why would I ever do that to my favorite fuck buddy? I can’t afford to lose you, Jannah... not when my system is still completely unhealed and you are the only entity in this city who can ensure I can fuck another woman. Besides, you have absolutely nothing of value to be poisoned for. Let’s not forget reality—you are just a poor, pathetic slum rat anyway."

The brutal insult hit her pride like a physical blow, burning away her immediate hesitation. Desperate to prove she wasn’t intimidated by his S-tier arrogance, and calculating that he wouldn’t dare harm the only source of his biological cure, Jannah aggressively snatched the crystal cup from his hand. She raised it to her lips and drank the entire contents in several large gulps.

The juice was incredibly thick, coating her throat with a rich, unnaturally sweet flavor that tasted absolutely great. She set the empty cup down on the nightstand, letting out a soft breath as she reluctantly complimented it. "It... it tastes great. The active enzymes are remarkably smooth."

"I bet it is," Dorrent murmured, his eyes suddenly flaring with a dangerous, triumphant crimson light that made Jannah’s stomach violently turn over.

He took a slow step backward, folding his massive arms over his chest as a cold, terrifying smile spread across his handsome features. "Now that you’ve had your drink, little physician... let’s return to our previous conversation. I distinctly remember that you were completely, desperately horny before I fell asleep earlier today. Tell me... do you still need your Alpha’s help to stop the aching between your legs, or should we—"

Before Dorrent could even finish the statement, a sudden, agonizing spasm violently ripped through Jannah’s entire respiratory system.

"Ugh—! Cough! Cough!"

Jannah’s eyes flew wide open in absolute, unadulterated horror as her throat instantly constricted into a tight, suffocating knot. She couldn’t breathe. The air completely left her lungs as she started choking so incredibly bad, her hands flying to her neck as she gasped for a single drop of oxygen. The sheer intensity of the biological attack completely paralyzed her muscles; her knees buckled beneath her weight, and she fell heavily down onto the hard floor.

Her entire body began convulsing violently on the carpet, her limbs twitching in uncontrollable, chaotic spasms as the dark crimson fluid she had just consumed began to rapidly shut down her nervous system from the inside out. Hot, frantic tears poured from the sides of her eyes as she stared up at the towering Alpha through her blurring vision, her mouth opening and closing in a silent, suffocating scream for help.

Dorrent stood completely rigid over her twitching, helpless form, his cold gaze looking down at her agonizing struggle without a single ounce of mercy or panic. He slowly leaned down, his voice a chilling, dominant purr that echoed like a death knell in her fading consciousness.

"Got you."