Quinton muttered, "Christina's a tough one. She's still on guard and clearly doesn't trust me fully yet. So before I can truly get her under my thumb, I need to hit her with something big—something she won't see coming."

Harvey chuckled coldly. "Fine, Quinton. I'll play along. I've been itching to make a move on the Stevens family anyway."

Quinton nodded. "Good. Then wait for my signal, and act when the moment's right."

…

Meanwhile, over at Moonlit Apothecary, closing time had arrived.