Fred stopped and turned, looking expectantly at Lily. Seeing his adamant expression, she hesitated before asking, "Why?"

Fred was puzzled. "Can you tell me why? Nick is useless to you. Why do you—"

Before she could finish, Fred interrupted, "I have another use for him, so I'll never set him free!" He added, "You and that child cannot be part of the terms. Besides that, feel free to name anything else."

He sighed, clutching his chest in pain. This pain was real; he wouldn't have considered a deal if he hadn't felt it.

Lily frowned, intrigued but deciding to set aside her curiosity. Given his attitude, saving Nick seemed impossible. Yet, she knew she couldn't rescue her children if she missed this opportunity.

"Okay! I'll make a deal with you," she said, taking two steps forward.

"On what terms?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just release my children. You can do that, right?" After a pause, she added, "I want them delivered safely to their father by daybreak tomorrow. Also, I want to watch the entire thing live on video. No recording or editing—I can easily tell."

"Once they're safely delivered, I'll give you the antidote."

Fred shook his head. "No, give it to me first! What if you go back on your word?"

Lily smiled. "No, I can ask you the same thing. Free my children first."

"If we don't trust each other, we might as well call off the deal!" Fred was upset. No one had dared to negotiate with him like this. Yet, Lily persisted.

"This isn't a game, okay? I don't care; I'm going to die anyway. However..." she paused, "...the grand project you've been working on for so long is bound to fizzle out halfway." Her gloating tone infuriated Fred.

"You might think I'm pushing it, but don't forget you have the upper hand. That's why I have to make demands. If you deliver my children to their father, I'll have something to live for. Then, I'll do anything to survive. Also, if I break my word, you could kill me immediately. But if you break your promise, there's nothing I can do. So, I do have my concerns, while you have nothing to lose."

Lily sighed, gazing at Fred's stomach. "It's just diarrhea now, but it will worsen. Your intestines will rot, you know?"