Chapter 1167:

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Eaton slid the photograph back into his desk drawer and looked up as Gracie entered. A slow, satisfied smile spread across his face. “Excellent work. Without my… motivation, you never would have completed it this quickly.”

Gracie lowered herself into the chair across from him, her expression glacial. “I agreed to your demands yesterday. So why did you send someone to kill my husband last night? Is this your definition of cooperation?”

Eaton released a soft, dismissive chuckle. “I genuinely have no idea what you’re referring to. But please, don’t question my sincerity in our arrangement.”

He extended his hand across the desk, palm up. “Hand over the reagent. The moment I have it in my possession, Brayden will no longer face any threats from me.”

Though Eaton had denied ordering the assassination attempt, Gracie understood his words for what they were — both a promise and a veiled guarantee of her husband’s safety.

𝗧r𝗲𝘯𝖽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘯𝗈vе𝘭ѕ 𝗼ո 𝗀𝖺l𝘯𝘰𝗏е𝗅s.с𝘰𝘮

With a grim expression, she pulled the newly developed reagent from her handbag, clutching it tightly in her palm. “Why should I trust a single word you say? You’ve proven yourself capable of absolutely anything. I’m due to give birth in less than a month, and Brayden is still lying unconscious in a hospital bed…”

Something that might have been guilt flickered across Eaton’s features, but he suppressed it immediately.

“I never wanted to hurt you or Brayden. Don’t you understand? Even if you suffer misfortune in this timeline, you’ll have another chance — you’ll live again in the next one. I simply need to achieve my goal.”

“Easy for you to say!” Gracie scoffed coldly.

Eaton lifted his gaze to meet hers directly. “Trust me on this. The moment I confirm the reagent functions as intended, I’ll release Jessie unharmed, and I’ll turn myself in to the authorities. Everything will reset to the beginning. This time, I won’t allow so many things to go catastrophically wrong. We can all undo our deepest regrets.”

His words were sincere. Gracie’s expression wavered slightly. After a moment’s hesitation, she reluctantly handed the reagent over. “I’ve sacrificed everything, crossed every moral line, to protect the people I love. If we somehow truly do get a second chance at this life, then let’s not become enemies again. And leave Jessie out of your schemes entirely.”

Gracie rose from her chair and walked slowly toward the exit.

She paused at the door and turned back. “The reagent was successfully synthesized, but I can’t guarantee its efficacy with absolute certainty. Whether it can truly resurrect the dead… that’s in the hands of fate now.”

“You can’t be serious. I need a guarantee that this will work!”

“How could anyone possibly guarantee something this unprecedented? You’re asking the impossible, and you know it.”

Gracie’s voice sank. “I’ve already violated every principle I have. Don’t push me any further. If you back me into a corner, I’ll make sure we both go down together.”

With that, she exited the office.

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