The Secret Heir's Return to Wealth and Love novel Chapter 1972

Pain ricocheted through Wayne's temples and chest, making every breath a challenge.

He didn't want to hear the boy's compromise, he turned and left, pushing the door behind him.

Natalie looked up, her voice ringing out like a chilling spell. "Wayne, being born here is both your fortune and your curse. If you want to survive, if you want those around you to survive, then you need to strike first! Show no mercy, kill if you must, only then can you secure your place at the top. Only then will you become an untouchable force."

With a bang, the door slid shut.

Wayne felt as if he was drowning, his surroundings shifting back to his bedroom.

He collapsed onto the couch, his forehead slick with cold sweat, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.d2

"See? I told you so." A voice echoed again.

Hector, who had already been apprehended, sat on the table opposite Wayne. His long legs swinging back and forth, his face sporting a smile that was both familiar and foreign to Wayne.

"Rosalynn isn't as forgiving as you think. You either tread carefully for the rest of your life, or risk being discarded at a moment's notice," Hector shrugged. "But you, Wayne, are inherently malicious. You can't refrain from doing evil, so I was certain I'd witness your downfall. And look, here it comes..."

"Shut up!" Wayne glared at Hector, "Speak another word of nonsense, and I'll make sure you suffer!"

Once the words left his mouth, the smile on Hector's face grew even more eerie.

Then, right before Wayne's eyes, Hector slowly disappeared.

A fear like none other gripped Wayne's heart.

He got up, intending to grab some medicine to swallow.

But his injured leg felt as heavy as lead, refusing to budge.

With great difficulty, he managed to get hold of the pill bottle. His hand trembling, he poured out a handful of pills and shoved them into his mouth.

Without water, he swallowed them dry.

Wayne knew that the images of Quentin, Maddie, and even Natalie, were all hallucinations brought on by his heightened stress, not real.