Reclaimed By My Ex-husband-Chapter 266: Riya’s ultimate demand

Chapter 266: Riya’s ultimate demand
Riya stood up, holding his gaze fiercely. "Yes, he is poisoned too. Haven’t you noticed how weak he has been getting? That’s the effect of the poison. It’s eating away at him little by little."
Nathaniel felt his chest tighten as his heart nearly stopped. He had noticed his father’s weakness, but he had thought it was because of the worry and stress over Gracie. Now he realized the real reason. Riya had already poisoned him.
"Just how much do you hate us?" he spat. "This family not only took you in, but treated you as a part of it, gave you wholehearted love. And you are repaying it by hurting us, tearing us apart. Why?"
Riya’s expression softened a bit. "I don’t hate anyone in this family. I just want things to go back to the way they were. There was a time when all of you cared only for me, when I was the center of your world. But that changed after you got married. Your love, your attention shifted from me to the others – first to Nora and then to Zara... You hardly even look at me anymore."
Nathaniel squinted at her with disbelief. He had never known she was so obsessed with him.
"And it’s not just you," she continued bitterly. "Even your parents forgot about me after Zane came along. When he is around, no one notices me. I just want to be the one they all care about again, the one they love most."
Nathaniel’s disbelief deepened. The realization that she also had problems with Zane made his stomach clench. Riya had completely lost her mind. She was even jealous of that little boy.
"Don’t worry," Riya said softly, stepping closer and taking his hand. "I’ll make it right. I’ll bring the antidote and save them. But you have to trust me. Do exactly as I say. Once you’ve done everything I ask, I’ll give you the antidote — and then we can live happily, just like before."
For the first time, Nathaniel saw how sick Riya was. She was mental, a psycho, who could go to any length to meet her demands, even if it meant hurting people. And his entire family was in danger.
Gracie was already in a coma, and the thought of Riya targeting someone else in his family made his blood run cold. He had to protect the rest of them.
"Alright," he said finally, forcing himself to sound calm. "I’ll do as you say. I’ll prepare the divorce papers and send them to Zara. But you must promise not to harm anyone else anymore."
She smiled. "Harm them? Never. Your parents are my parents. And Zane is our baby. I won’t hurt them as long as you are with me."
She cupped his face. "Oh, Nathaniel." Her eyes gleamed with twisted affection. "You have no idea how much I love you. I’ve buried these feelings for so long — but not anymore. I want you. I want to belong to you."
She rose on her toes, leaning in to kiss him.
"Riya, wait..." He stopped her, his insides twisting in disgust. "We can’t do this..."
"Why not?" she snapped, her face twisting with sudden anger. "Don’t you love me? Am I not good enough for you? Are you rejecting me?" Her voice rose in agitation. "We are not even blood-related! Mom and Dad would understand if we got married. Or is this about Zara?"
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You are rejecting me because of her, aren’t you?"
Nathaniel could see the madness in her eyes. He couldn’t risk provoking her. If he did, she might never hand over the antidote.
"No, it’s not about Zara," he said carefully. "It’s just... I’m not ready. Not now. Mom is still in a coma, and I can’t think about anything else until she is safe."
Riya’s expression softened again, her fury dissolving into eerie calm. "So that’s what is holding you back?" she murmured. "Don’t worry. Once you’ve divorced Zara, I’ll tell you where the antidote is. I promise."
Rage and frustration seared through Nathaniel, but he forced himself to stay composed, masking his fury with a faint smile. "Alright," he said evenly. "I understand. I’ll have my lawyer prepare the divorce papers."
"Then what’s stopping you? Do it now," Riya ordered sharply.
Nathaniel gave a stiff nod and dialed his lawyer’s number. "Hello... I need you to draft a new divorce agreement and send it to Zara right away. Tell her to vacate the house immediately. I don’t want her anywhere near my son."
As he spoke, he didn’t take his gaze away from Riya for a moment.
Riya smiled with satisfaction. This was her victory — Zara would never forgive Nathaniel for this betrayal, never return to him, no matter how much he repented. Her long-awaited plan to remove Zara from his life completely was finally falling into place.
Nathaniel ended the call. "It’s done. Zara will be gone from the mansion. She won’t bother us anymore. Now tell me about the antidote. Save my mother."
"Calm down, Nathaniel," Riya said softly, taking his hand. "We’ll save her. But for that, you need to cooperate with Zachary."
He frowned, wary. "What do you mean?" He could feel another trap forming.
"Don’t be anxious," she said reassuringly. "You just need to hand over the company to him, and you will get the antidote. It’s only temporary — you’ll get everything back soon. I already have a plan to deal with him. You just need to trust me."
"Trust you?" he scoffed bitterly. "You’ve taken everything from me already. You poisoned my parents to manipulate me, forced me to divorce my wife, and now you want me to hand over the company to Zachary. You are destroying my entire life. What will I even have left once I give him the business?"
"It’s only temporary," she pressed further. "Once you have the antidote and your mother recovers, we’ll take care of Zachary together. Trust me...I’ll help you."
She gently cupped his face, her eyes gleaming with confidence. "He trusts me completely. I’m the only one who can move freely in and out of his house and office. I can make him bow to you if you just do as I say."
Nathaniel thought for a while. He did need the antidote, but trusting Riya to this limit was risky. There was no guarantee she’d keep her word once he met all her demands.
"That’s a serious decision," he said cautiously. "I can’t transfer ownership without consulting the board of directors. I can’t make such a move on impulse."
Riya’s gaze hardened. "Alright. Take your time. But remember this. You only have forty-eight hours."
She remembered what the head nurse had warned her. After forty-eight hours, Gracie would come out of the coma. She had to do everything before that time.
"If you don’t get the antidote by then," she added coldly, "your mother’s chances of survival will drop. She might never wake up again."
"No..." Nathaniel blurted. "I won’t let that happen." He stormed out, his fists shaking at his sides. Hopping into the car, he drove away.
"Forty-eight hours," he muttered. "I need to find out what kind of drug it is before the time slips away. I have to identify what poison she used before it’s too late. I won’t let Riya and Zachary win."
He dialed Ian’s number. The moment the line connected, he said curtly, "Come to the office. It’s urgent."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time Nathaniel reached the office, Ian was already there, waiting. Nathaniel walked in briskly, his posture tense, his expression grim as he took his seat.
"Riya is behind everything," he said. "She has poisoned both Mom and Dad. And now she is making demands I can’t possibly meet." His fists clenched. "She is determined to destroy me, to tear this family apart. She wants me to hand the company over to Zachary."
"It’s not Riya," Ian corrected him. "Zachary is the one pulling the strings. He is using her to trap you. I know things look bad — your parents’ lives are at stake, but you can’t give in. That’s exactly what they want. Give me a little time, and I’ll find out what poison they used."
Nathaniel slid his phone across the table toward him. "There is an audio recording Zara sent me earlier. Listen to it — see if it helps."
Ian played the recording, listening intently until it ended.
"Do you think it’s fabricated?" Nathaniel asked, watching him closely. "Because that nurse swore Zara forced her to fake it just to frame Riya."
Ian shrugged. "Hard to say right now. I’ll need to verify it. But honestly, I don’t think Madam Zara would go so far as to stage something like that. I guess the nurse is lying. Maybe she was bribed or threatened into saying that. Let me dig into it and get you the truth."
"We don’t have much time," Nathaniel said in a warning tone. "We only have forty-eight hours."
"I get it."
~~~~~~~~~
The next day...
Twenty-four hours had already slipped by, and the mystery was still unsolved. Nathaniel’s anxiety had only intensified with every passing minute. With no word from Ian yet, he reached for his phone — but before he could make the call, the office door swung open. Relief flooded him when he saw Ian walking in.
"Did you find anything?" he asked urgently.
Ian shook his head. "Not about the poison yet," he said, "but the recording is genuine. I verified it myself." He slid a file across the desk. "The nurse was coerced into changing her statement."
"I knew it," Nathaniel muttered, scanning through the papers quickly. "But we are still in the dark about the poison. We don’t even have a name."
Ian nodded grimly. "I’m aware, but we are closing in. The nurse quit her job and left the city overnight. I’ve already started tracking her down. Once we find her, she’ll lead us straight to Riya’s contact inside the hospital."