"Come on in," Mrs. Rauss says as she steps into her office.
I hesitate for a second, then follow.
She sits on a loveseat, and I take the seat directly across from her.
"Do you remember this room?" she asks.
Of course I do. I remember how proud I felt the first time I entered it—back when I was only seventeen. How excited I was every time her personal assistant summoned us for a meeting with Madam here. But I don't respond.
"Let's get it done," I say coldly.
Mrs. Rauss offers a thin smile. "Zack, prepare two doses of the truth serum for us," she instructs her P.A.
"Ma… Madam?"
"You heard me, Zack. Two doses. Two glasses."
"Right away, Madam."
Silence falls over the room while we wait. Around five minutes later, Zack returns with two wine glasses and two tiny blue vials in hand. He places them on the coffee table, opens the bottles, and pours each into its glass.
"Please," he says, stepping back.
"You may dismiss yourself, Zack," Mrs. Rauss tells him. Though hesitant, he obeys and quietly exits the room.
She reaches for her glass—but I stop her.
"Wait."
I grab both glasses, pour one into the other, swirl the mixture thoroughly, then pour half of it back into the first.
Mrs. Rauss watches me and shakes her head. "You really need to learn how to trust me, Quint."
"I did," I reply coolly. "And I ended up in a dumpster."
"Quint…"
"Ah-ah," I cut her off. "Just drink."
I slide one glass toward her.
She picks it up. "What are the rules?"
"We take turns asking questions."
She nods, then tilts her head back and downs the contents. I do the same, the serum burning like acid down my throat and into my chest.
"And promise me," I add, wiping my mouth, "you won't try to persuade me."
Her eyes widen slightly. "You're tricky."
"Promise," I insist.
She sighs. "Fine. I promise not to persuade you during this conversation. Satisfied?"
I nod. "Who's first?"
"You can go first," she says, leaning her head against the back of the couch. The serum is already kicking in—I can feel it, too. A dizzy haze creeps into my vision.
I close my eyes for a second to steady myself. Then I ask the only question that truly matters.
"Can you save Jennifer?"
She nods slowly. "Of course we can. And we will. We'll make sure both your wife and your baby are safe and healthy," she says. "But… it depends on you."
I stare at her blankly. "Your turn."
She meets my eyes. "Are you… willing to come back to the organization?"
I knew that was coming.
"No," I answer firmly.
She gasps. "Are you sure?"
"My turn," I say, ignoring her reaction.
"Okay… okay." She nods slowly.
"Why did you hurt her? No—let me rephrase that. Why did you try to erase Jennifer from my life?"
"I didn't. For both questions—the answer is: I didn't want to do it."
I bite back a follow-up.
Her turn again.
"Are you really sure… you don't want to return to us?"
"Yes. One hundred percent."
She exhales deeply. "Then… I'm afraid we can't save them."
"What do you mean?" I ask without thinking.
"Is that your question?" she counters, tilting her head.
I close my eyes again, weighing what to ask next.
Finally, I settle.
"If you didn't intend to hurt her or erase her from my life, then what was your actual plan? Tell me everything."
"The order I gave the Royal Knights was to bring you back into the organization," she begins. "Sarah's plan was simple—kidnap Jennifer to draw you in. Then—"
She stops.
Her lips move, but no sound comes out.
"You're lying," I say flatly. "Tell the truth."
She tries again—but her lips move with no sound.
I know why.
This serum makes it physically impossible to lie. You literally lose your voice when you try.
It might be her first time tasting her own medicine… but I've had it more than a dozen times.
Back when I was still a Knight, we always had these honest conversations after every undercover mission—to make sure no one was double-crossing. But those sessions were one-way. Only the Knights drank the serum.
Now, for once, she's on the receiving end.
Mrs. Rauss exhales heavily. "Then… I would persuade you to join the Royal Knights again," she admits at last, every word dragged out with visible reluctance.
"Why don't you want to join us?" she finally asks.
"Because… I want to live with my wife and daughter," I reply. "Jen doesn't want me living a double life, and I agree with her. And more than anything… I don't want to be some monster-daddy to my daughter."
"But you can't even have them alive if you refuse to come back," she says.
"Whose fault is that?" I challenge her. "Who hurt them in the first place?"
"You," Mrs. Rauss says quietly.
The answer stuns me. My anger vanishes instantly.
"It was a pure accident," she continues. "By the time Bruno returned to the airport exit, you were already gone. Yes, the car had GPS—but Bruno can't teleport to a moving location. All he could do was wait for you to stop somewhere. None of us deliberately placed that truck in your path. None of us cut the cable. None of us wanted to hurt her."
"Except Lily," I hiss.
"Yes," she admits. "But Lily doesn't have the capability to pull all that off."
"You don't know how stubborn she is…"
"I've already had an honest conversation with her," Mrs. Rauss says, cutting off my rising fury. "She didn't do it."
"Quint… it was an accident."
A sting burns behind my eyes.
Guilt seeps in—suffocating and cold. It was me. My decisions. My escape. I brought this pain to them.
Mrs. Rauss watches me closely as I fight back tears.
"Your turn," I say, my voice tight, almost cracking.
She exhales, deep and weary. "We're in a lose-lose situation here. That's not good—for either of us. We need you, and you need us to save your family. We have to turn this into a win-win deal."
"Your question?" I ask.
"It's not a question," she replies. "It's a decision. One you need to consider very wisely. I don't want to see my daughter-in-law… and especially my granddaughter… die either, Quint. Can't you see that?"
"Is that your question?"
"No." Another sigh. "Look… how about this—one mission. You complete one mission for us. After that, you walk away. We won't bother you again."
"In exchange for what?"
"We'll save your daughter."
"And my wife?"
"Quint… we can't give you everything if you're not giving anything."
"You have to save them both!"
"That's blackmail—"
"Or you kill Lily."
"What?! I told you—she didn't cause the accident!"
"She didn't—but she tried to hurt Jennifer. At my wedding. Or was that part of your plan too?"
"No," she says quickly. "I only learned about it just now."
"Well, she did try. Ask her. Or better yet—ask Bruno."
I pause, letting the weight of my next words hit her full-on.
"Also… she murdered two innocent people. Andy Vaccaro. And his boyfriend."
Her eyes widen.
Yeah—that surprised her.
"Isn't there a rule in your organization?" I continue. "Royal Knights don't harm innocents. Right?"
Mrs. Rauss stares at me, frozen.
"Eliminate Lily. That's the rule."
"I can't eliminate her," she mutters. "Without you in the team, she's the only hope we have for the next mission."
I smirk. "Then save Jennifer."
"What…?"
"If you can't eliminate Lily, then I demand you save Jennifer. A life for a life."
"That's… that's…"
"Blackmail," I finish for her. "I know."
Her fists clench on the armrests of the couch. She closes her eyes, struggling to manage her breathing, swallowing down the fury.
Then finally—slowly—she opens her eyes.
"Okay," she says, voice low. Defeated.
"You win."
"We'll remove the iron and repair her heart as well."