Chapter 86: Zero Percent.

Steven turned, and there was Dua behind him, a few meters away, her expression a mix of anger and disbelief. Instinctively, he removed his hands from Victoria's grasp, but Victoria, with a sly smile, held onto his hand again and waved at Dua, a playful smirk dancing on her lips.

Dua scoffed, her patience wearing thin, and stormed out of the garden.

"Why did you have to annoy her on purpose?" Steven frowned, frustration creeping into his voice.

"Don't you want to know how much she loves you?" Victoria shrugged, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"I already know just how much she loves me," Steven snapped, finally shaking off Victoria's hold.

He followed Dua, calling after her, but she remained silent, the air thick with tension until she reached the bedroom, slamming the door in his face. Laughing softly to himself, Steven opened the door only to find Dua fuming, her back turned to him.

"I guess you cherish your girlfriend so much that you want to give her a final goodbye," she spat, her tone edged with sarcasm.

"Yeah, I do, but she’s not the girlfriend you think she is. She's just my friend," Steven replied, his voice steady but laced with a hint of desperation.

"Your friend holds your hands and gives you that kind of loving gaze? Your friend whom you go to a hotel with?" Dua shot back, her eyes narrowing.

"I didn’t go to a hotel..." Steven paused, realization hitting him. "How did you know that? Have you been stalking me?" he asked, skepticism etched on his face.

"No, but I saw you one day checking into a hotel room with her," Dua replied, her voice cold.

"Okay, fine, let’s assume you did. You don’t have to feel insecure. Victoria is just my friend. Forget the way she looks at me and relates with me; it’s a habit of hers around men," he explained, but Dua’s expression didn’t soften.

"She's married and has a five year old son for crying out loud, Dua! What could I possibly do with a married woman who's even a mother already?" Steven said.

"Whatever you’ve been doing with her," she murmured, voice low.

"Dua, seriously! There's nothing between me and Victoria. She's just my friend!" he insisted, but her disbelief was palpable.

A knock broke the tension, and before Steven could respond, the door swung open, revealing Victoria. "Sorry to interrupt, but I think I've got a few words to say to settle this situation," she said confidently, her voice ringing with authority.

"Like you didn't cause it in the first place," Steven rolled his eyes at her.

"I'm Victoria Smith," she introduced herself, extending a hand towards Dua, who hesitated but didn’t accept it.

"I'm happily married to my lovely husband, and I have a wonderful five-year-old son," Victoria continued, her tone firm yet inviting.

"Your husband, right here, is my Mafia buddy. There’s nothing romantic between us. Sure, your husband is enticing and irresistible, but I can't date him. Why the hell would I?" Victoria added with a playful smirk, and Steven scoffed, frustration flickering in his eyes.

"So be rest assured, your husband is yours and yours alone," she said, smiling at Dua in an attempt to reassure her. "There's no way I'll steal this..." She glanced back at Steven, "This..." she trailed off, shaking her head in disbelief at his attitude.

Steven, sensing the tension lingering in the air, pressed, "This what?" but Victoria chose to ignore him, refocusing on Dua instead.

"Will you accept my handshake now?" she asked, her hand still extended before Dua.

A moment of contemplation passed, but eventually, Dua took Victoria's hand, a hesitant smile breaking through. "Nice to meet you," she replied.

"Nice to meet you too," Victoria responded warmly.

"If you need anything in the future, feel free to contact me," she added with a reassuring smile before turning toward the door. Dua nodded, still somewhat uncertain about the sudden change in dynamics.

"Okay, bye. Gotta prepare lunch for my son; he'll be back from school soon," she said, giving Steven a last playful wink before she left.

"See? I told you she's just a friend," Steven said the moment the door clicked shut behind Victoria.

"It took you a pretty long time to tell me you have a friend," Dua frowned, her worry still palpable.

Trying hard to suppress a chuckle, Steven pulled Dua closer. "That was wrong of me, and I apologize. But she's also your friend now."

"She's your friend, not mine," Dua replied, crossing her arms defiantly.

"She's your friend too!" he insisted, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear tenderly.

"But I'm not comfortable with the idea of you having a female friend, especially one as beautiful as her," Dua sulked, crossing her arms as she pouted.

"But she means nothing to me. She's nowhere close to how I feel about you," he said, playfully pulling her cheeks.

"And she lied too, there's no way she wouldn't want to date you. I mean, who wouldn't be attracted to you?" Dua replied, her jealousy clear in her tone.

"That's why she's just a friend. To her, I will always be just a buddy, a stupid buddy, as she sometimes calls me." Steven chuckled, but Dua’s sulking expression remained.

"It's nice to see you get jealous over me… I love it," he said, his smile genuine despite the unease hanging in the air. Dua rolled her eyes playfully but couldn't hide a flicker of a smile in return.

"Just make sure you get along with her," he continued, his tone turning serious. "Trust her like you trust me and Shane. If you ever need help or run into problems after I’m gone, call on her."

His words struck her like a punch to the gut, a reminder of the bitter truth they all had to accept: his time was running out. The heavy weight of that reality pressed down on her, and she turned away, struggling to mask her fear. She pulled away from him and walked to the table where she had kept the cup of wine, and returned to him with it.

"What are we celebrating?" Steven asked, raising a brow as he accepted the cup from her.

"Can't I give my husband a drink?" Dua countered, her voice laced with a mixture of defiance and vulnerability.

"Then can my wife also share this drink with me?" he smiled, his eyes sparkling momentarily.

"No." Dua replied immediately, her conviction unyielding. But as he drank from the cup, she felt a sense of dread wash over her.

With the empty cup placed on the nightstand, he pulled her in close, sealing her lips with his in a breathtaking kiss. Dua savored the taste of wine lingering on his tongue as his kiss deepened. They moved toward the bed, lost in their moment. But just as he lay her back, a sudden jolt of pain shot through his heart.  Clutching his chest with his hand, he pulled away instinctively, trying to mask the pain he was feeling.

Dua was drenched in fear and panic, her voice trembling as she muttered, "Why's it getting worse? It should have gotten better after that."

"After what?" Steven forced the words out, the strain in his voice making Dua realize the gravity of what she had just said.

"What... did you... put in my drink?" he pressed, his face contorting with pain.

"Nothing, it's just wine," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper, but uncertainty twisted in her gut.

"Stop lying to me," he said, desperation etching lines on his forehead.

"Why would I lie...?" she started, but he cut her off.

"Dua!!" He yelled, the raw intensity of his voice cutting through the haze of fear.

"Okay, fine! I added a few drops of my blood into the wine," she confessed, barely managing to keep her voice steady. He cursed under his breath, frustration mingling with the pain.

"This is what's affecting me," he groaned, clutching his chest tightly as if he could physically fight the anguish.

"It's not," she protested, desperation creeping into her tone.

"How...sure are you about that?" he countered.

"Zero percent," she admitted, her voice dropping.

"You've... killed me, Dua," he stated, his words barely more than a faint whisper, and Dua's heart shattered at the accusation.

"I didn't," she retorted, though even she could hear the tremor in her voice, betraying her confidence.

"Why...why...why do you never listen to me?" He struggled to breathe, each word heavy with despair.

"I cannot stand by and watch you die. I won't apologize for my actions," she replied fiercely, but the conviction in her voice faltered as she saw the pain in his eyes.

"I don't even want to hear it...go...get me my brother," he murmured, eyes fluttering as he fought to stay conscious.

With her heart racing, Dua rushed out to call Shane, but she collided with him just outside the door.

"I just came to..." he started, looking puzzled, but Dua cut him off, urgency flooding her words.

"You're right in time." She pulled him into the room.

Seeing Steven's unsteady state, Shane's heart ached as he rushed to his little brother's side, who was trying to hold on to the last string of life he could grasp.

"Shane," Steven's voice trembled, barely louder than a whisper, "I'm sorry, bro."

"Don't say anything, just hold on," Shane urged, his voice cracking under the weight of desperation and grief.

"I... love you, bro," Steven reiterated, his words carrying a heavy finality that cut deeply into Shane’s soul, prompting a fresh cascade of tears to spill down his cheeks.

Steven's gaze shifted to Dua, who stood helplessly nearby, tears streaming down her face. He mustered a weak smile, attempting to find solace in her presence. "Can... you kiss... me goodbye?" he pleaded, his voice barely reaching above a whisper.

"No," Dua shook her head vehemently, her heart breaking. "It's not goodbye yet," she protested, fresh tears blurring her vision. The reality of the moment was too painful to accept.

"Please..." he whispered, squeezing Shane’s hand tighter, as if seeking reassurance.

With tears spilling down her cheeks, Dua leaned forward, her heart racing as she pressed her lips to his in a deep, warm, and heartfelt kiss. A poignant farewell she wished she could delay forever. But in that heart-stopping moment, Steven's body grew still, his breath fading into silence as he surrendered to the darkness.

When the realization struck, Dua's anguished scream shattered the quiet, echoing through the room in a heart-wrenching symphony of despair. Shane, paralyzed by grief, could only stand there, tears flowing silently down his face, his world crashing down around him as his little brother slipped away.