Chapter 379:

Theo, using information from his contact at the TV station, located Elyse in a specific lounge. He knocked, but received no answer. He knocked several more times, but the door remained locked from the inside. "Elyse, are you in there? Can you open the door?" he called.

Elyse, lying on the floor, heard Theo. Her heart sank; she'd been waiting for Jayden, not Theo. She didn't want anyone but Jayden to see her in this state, but her worsening discomfort forced her hand. Her unease stemmed not from desire, but from a racing heart and a chilling premonition of imminent danger, far greater than anything she'd faced before.

Theo received no response. Frustrated and worried, he resorted to kicking the door open. The commotion attracted a crowd of TV crews. After numerous kicks, the door swung open, revealing Elyse lying weakly on the floor. "Elyse!" he yelled. "Are you okay?"

Elyse's face was alarmingly flushed. She spoke faintly, with effort. "I've been drugged. Please, get me to a hospital. I feel like I'm dying."

Theo was speechless. Elyse's body went limp; her eyes closed as she slipped into a deep coma. The drug's effects, unbeknownst to her, would fully manifest within thirty minutes.

"Ambulance! Call an ambulance!" Theo scooped her up, pushed through the crowd, and sprinted to a waiting ambulance. While en route to the hospital, he contacted someone to secure the empty glass from the lounge, hoping to identify the drug.

Jayden arrived at the TV station shortly after Elyse had been taken. He had recklessly run four red lights, causing his driver considerable anxiety about potential driving infractions. Elyse was gone. He learned of her location, gathered her belongings (phone and purse), and then stormed into the lounge. He found a man holding Elyse's phone and realized she'd been there with Gavin to record a show. "Are you Gavin?" Jayden demanded.

Gavin, phone in hand, looked at Jayden quizzically. "Who are you?"

"I'm Elyse's husband," Jayden said urgently. "She texted me for help. I got here as fast as I could, but she's gone. Someone took her."

Gavin, showing little surprise, pointed to an empty glass. "Elyse drank from that. No one knows where the water came from. The station is reviewing surveillance footage."

Jayden's brow furrowed. He remained calm, asking, "Do you know which hospital she was taken to? I need to find her."

Gavin looked sympathetic. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know anything had happened until after filming. I was trying to find out myself, but—" Theo had already taken her.

Elyse was rushed to the hospital. Peyton was taking a sip of water when a nurse summoned him to the ER. He rushed in to find Elyse in need of resuscitation. "What's going on?" he shouted.

The nurse explained, "She ingested an unknown substance and is experiencing heart failure. We treated her in the ambulance, but her heart rate is still dropping. We need to act fast." Peyton ordered, "Get the defibrillator ready and identify the substance."

After a long wait at the TV station, Jayden went to Peyton's hospital, hoping for answers. Just as he was leaving, he received a call from the hospital. He was relieved to hear Peyton was treating Elyse, but his relief was short-lived; the mysterious liquid had caused heart failure. He immediately requested an analysis of the water from the glass, demanding results that night, regardless of the resources required.

Gavin, witnessing Jayden's intensity, looked worried. "What's going on? Is Elyse worse than we thought? Can I help?"

Jayden's expression was grim. "Whoever did this meant to kill Elyse," he said coldly.

"Kill Elyse? Who?" Gavin's mind raced back to Elyse's argument earlier that day with a woman she called her nemesis.

[Scene shift - Raegan and Davey]

Davey nodded, prompting a servant to place a glass on a table. Raegan instructed the servant to refill it, then raised her glass to Davey, saying, "Here's to you, Mr. Glyn." She drank it quickly. The wine was laced with a sleep-inducing substance, but Raegan had taken an antidote. This was a ploy to make Davey think they'd both drunk from the same bottle. Rendering him immobile was the safest approach. However, Davey didn't drink. Raegan suggested another toast, but he claimed he'd taken medication and couldn't drink alcohol. Plan A failed.

Davey prepared to leave. Raegan, feigning distress, accidentally spilled wine on him, apologizing profusely. She offered to get him a replacement suit from the designer. Davey couldn't refuse the offer, so she sent a servant to escort him to the guest room. "Erick, he's on his way," Raegan whispered into her headset.