"I managed to buy you some time. I argued with them throughout the night. They said… they're willing to let this slide if the two of you cast your votes."
Silence settled over the room.
Lukas's expression stayed tight. Gustav showed nothing.
One could argue it wasn't their fault — Lucian hadn't told them about his condition until he collapsed. But keeping their master in good health was precisely their job. It was why Lucian underwent quarterly and annual checkups.
They should have known.
"In my opinion, you should take the offer," Nikki suggested, drawing both men's eyes. "I don't think the master would see it as betrayal. He'd see it as us surviving."
She drew a breath. "I've already reviewed his medical records and consulted someone I trust in the field. The diagnosis stands. The master won't survive."
"He's still alive, but things are already slipping out of our hands," she added, her jaw tightening. "The moment he takes his last breath, it'll be too late to do anything."
