Lost and Found: Return of My Mysterious Fiancee

Before Hayden could speak another word, Claudia waved her hand, silencing him instantly.

"Today, I'm in a good mood," she said with a wicked grin. "I'll spare your life just so you can witness everything unfold-watch them die one by one and become part of my grand plan."

Hayden's eyes widened in rage. If looks could kill, he would have murdered the old witch a thousand times over and fed her corpse to the fish.

Her "grand plan"? What nonsense. It was nothing more than the delusions of a madwoman. Immortality? If she was so powerful, why hadn't she ascended to the heavens already?

Unfortunately, he couldn't do anything-his body was paralyzed, leaving only his eyes able to move. He couldn't even speak. If he could go back two minutes, he would have screamed at Serena and Jared to run. The old witch was coming for their lives, and if even one of them escaped, there would still be hope to warn others.

But now, they were all trapped. Who would save them?

Before activating the ritual, Claudia's hands began to glow with a strange energy, and a white mist spread through the air. Everyone inside the ritual circle started gasping for air. Hayden, who had been glaring at her moments ago, rolled his eyes back and fainted.

Ten meters away, Tina and Jared stood still, watching the scene unfold with cold, unmoving eyes.

Claudia frowned as she noticed Tina appeared entirely unaffected. With a wave of her hand, she increased her power to thirty percent, but the result was the same-no effect.

Her expression darkened. "This is impossible!"

Tina, tired of pretending, smirked faintly. "There's nothing impossible about it. I was never poisoned in the first place."

Suspicion flickered in Claudia's eyes, but she quickly dismissed it, assuming Tina was bluffing. Her red lips curved into a sinister smile. "If you're not poisoned, why would you follow me here?"

Tina's tone was calm, but her gaze was sharp as a blade. "I came here not to be controlled by you, but to watch how you destroy yourself."

Had it not been for Oliver's warning, she might have fallen for Claudia's schemes long ago. Initially, she thought the poison was in the jade pendant, but Oliver's strong reaction made her realize she had come into contact with something else before her nightmare began.

It wasn't just the pendant-it was Oliver himself.

The poison had been on Oliver all along.

The so-called accumulation of toxins in her body, which seemed to have built up over time, was actually Claudia's doing. She had refined a variety of exotic poisons and planted them in Oliver's body over the years, creating the illusion of a long-term build- up. When these poisons combined, they formed a new type of toxin-one with no identifiable source and no cure.

Oliver had been nothing more than a vessel for Claudia's plan to poison her.

The results from Wraith confirmed her suspicions. The poison on the silver needle was lethal and incurable, but the toxin smeared on Oliver's skin only caused mental disorientation. Over time, it would deepen, turning its victim into a puppet completely controlled by another's will.

Claudia needed her heart. The poison was designed to harm her brain without damaging her body. That's why neither the Warren family nor her master could diagnose the problem in her system.

Oliver's condition, however, was the result of the other poisons Claudia had used to feed him over the years. When applying the toxin, he must have realized its nature. At first, he believed it was the same as the poison already in his body. But Oliver, unwilling to let her suffer the same pain as he did, had endured excruciating agony to keep her from touching him again.

If not for Oliver's words, she might never have realized the poison was on his skin and not inside him.

Unfortunately, even in his final moments of consciousness, Oliver had believed the "Nancy" standing before him was the mother he had yearned for all his life. No matter how much she questioned him, he wouldn't associate his thoughts with the long-lost mother he had finally reunited with.

He chose to bear all the pain alone, never suspecting that his "mother" had already been replaced by someone else.

As the white mist grew thicker, Jared stepped in front of Tina, his brows furrowed in concern. Even though they had taken antidote pills before entering, he still couldn't bear to see her remain in such a dangerous environment.

Tina gently tugged on his hand, signaling that she was fine.

Claudia's face twisted, her calm demeanor cracking. "You can't possibly be unpoisoned. When did you figure it out?"

Tina stood shoulder to shoulder with Jared, her eyes fixed coldly on Claudia's face. "The moment you appeared, I already suspected you."

"You're not Nancy!"

Claudia let out a sharp laugh. "I perfected Nancy's traces. You couldn't possibly find any fault in them."

Tina's gaze narrowed. "Then you'll die because of your arrogance. You even thought of people like Nancy's ex-husband. No matter how deeply my people dug, it was all within your plans. The more they investigated, the more convinced they became that you were Nancy."noveldrama

Seeing Claudia's face darken as if she had swallowed a fly, Tina sneered. "Do you know why he couldn't reach the Reed family and complete your plan?"

"He intended to use Oliver to extort money from the Reed family, but as soon as he heard Oliver was gravely ill, he fled in panic. If he wasn't hiding something, why would he run so fast?"

"I had someone 'ask' him a few questions. That was all it took to uncover everything."

Claudia didn't care about these details. Her goal had already been achieved. "A useless man. Even if he dies, I wouldn't care."

With that, Claudia gathered her energy, her body rising into the air. The red veil she wore fluttered in the wind as she aimed her power directly at Jared. "I only want your lives. None of you will leave here alive today."

As an enormous surge of energy descended, Tina raised her hand unexpectedly, releasing her own power. The two forces collided in midair, creating a massive shockwave that exploded above the ritual circle.

Claudia, unprepared for the counterattack, stumbled back in disbelief. Her eyes widened as she stared at Tina, who had just used energy. "How do you still have inner strength?"

Tina's lips curved into a faint smile. "Maybe it's my unique constitution. Or maybe your ritual doesn't work on me."

"Constitution?"

Claudia seemed to realize something, her face growing ashen. "Are you... pregnant?" Seeing Claudia's reaction, Tina confirmed her suspicion and let out a cold laugh. "I was right. You couldn't harm my mother back then for the same reason, wasn't it?" "After all, your so-called perfect sacrificial vessel had two heartbeats. That would've been an affront to the heavens."

When Claudia mentioned her mother earlier, Tina had started piecing it together.

Twenty years ago-before she was born-Claudia's plans had been thwarted. The reason must have been something that interrupted the process.

Pregnancy.

Even her mother likely never realized that carrying a child had saved her from untold suffering.

Now, twenty years later, the same situation had repeated itself. Her unborn child, as if carrying some divine purpose, had saved her life.

The absurdity of it all struck Tina. For twenty years, this bizarre twist of fate had shaped both her mother's life and her own, yet neither of them had ever been aware.

Claudia's eyes darkened as she stared at Tina's stomach, a vicious gleam flashing through her gaze. "You're right. Two heartbeats do interfere with the ritual. But if one of them disappears, the ritual will proceed as planned."

This heart-she had waited twenty years for it. There was no one more perfect for the sacrifice than Tina. No matter what, she would take that heart today. Compared to twenty years ago, an undeveloped fetus posed no real threat to her.

Jared's expression grew icy. Summoning his energy, he pulled Tina protectively to his side. "Who lives or dies today isn't for you to decide. If you think a ritual can trap us, you're dreaming."

Claudia's lips curled into a sinister smile, her face growing increasingly malevolent. "This ritual was designed for you. Once activated, it won't stop unless blood is spilled."