That night, Wilson Mark’s driver picked up the medicine, which came with detailed instructions for consumption.
After taking the medicine, Wilson Mark noticed another small bag beside it. Curious, he opened it and found a note attached:
“I’ve added some kidney-strengthening herbs tailored to your condition. Please observe how you feel after taking it, so I can adjust the prescription as needed.”
What the…!
Though she was just a young woman—and admittedly a beauty—Wilson Mark couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed.
His wife came over, puzzled. “Is this little bag of medicine really supposed to cure your vitiligo? Are you sure you’re not being scammed? And it’s supposed to help with…other issues, too? Does it even work?”
“Oh, get lost! I don’t have any issues! The doctor said it’s temporary! If I really showed you, you’d be scared!” Wilson Mark pushed his wife away.
She just laughed and hugged him, teasing, “Alright, alright, it’s temporary! Well, then, I’ll wait for our ‘miracle doctor’ to restore the great Mr. Mark’s power!”
Hearing this, Wilson Mark snorted, but he glanced at the medicine with a frown, wondering if Sophia could really cure him.
—
Later that evening, Sophia received a report from the person investigating Miss Maggie.
“Miss, I’ve found the person you mentioned.”
“Send the details to my email.”
The information quickly arrived, and as Sophia read through the report, she thought about how, in the digital age, people had practically no privacy. If someone wanted to dig, they could unearth anything, even down to one’s family history.
The man’s name was Lucas, Maggie’s ex-boyfriend.
Sophia had already known this part.
The report showed that he and Maggie had broken up and reconciled multiple times and often engaged in questionable activities together. Their last visit to the hotel where Sophia had previously stayed marked their final breakup.
Supposedly, they had agreed to a “farewell s*x,” a last night together, before going their separate ways. Ironically, the hotel’s hallway camera was tampered with that night, and Maggie, aware that Scott Livinus was also at the hotel, boldly claimed it was her first time with him when he later questioned her about it, setting off a series of events.
Sophia wondered how Maggie had the nerve to lie about her “first time” while living so recklessly.
After mulling it over, Sophia decided she couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. The next day, she went to find Lucas.
Tonight, Lucas was attending a party at a bar.
Sophia looked up at the bar, recalling the information she had seen. Lucas’s family had recently encountered some trouble and was on the verge of bankruptcy. Coupled with Lucas’s drug addiction and his father’s gambling habit, the two had almost squandered the entire family fortune. Recently, Lucas was in a tight financial spot.
The bar wasn’t fully booked, just a private section. Sophia entered, ordered a drink, and scanned the crowd for Lucas.
He looked disheveled, with deep-set eyes and heavy dark circles, his cheeks hollow. Sophia stood nearby, quietly observing him. After some dancing, two people in his group looked worn out and listless and soon slipped into a private room. Sophia noticed that Lucas, too, seemed in poor condition, sniffling, hunching over, clearly in withdrawal.
In her past life, Sophia had encountered people struggling with addiction.
Drugs are incredibly harmful, and even rehab centers often fail to cure the habit. Many addicts eventually relapse. In her circles, some wealthy second-generation elites dabbled in drugs, and their desperate parents turned to Sophia, hoping she could create something to help them quit.
Sophia had taken pulses from some of these addicts, finding their pulse weak and chaotic. Their internal organs, including brain function, were different from those of healthy individuals. She lacked the ability to treat such complex cases and could only prescribe some stabilizing medications.
Having seen the damage drugs caused, Sophia understood they were not to be trifled with. Some people who couldn’t afford drugs even tried replicating “crocodile tears,” a substance that caused severe skin decay and gruesome death.
Sophia had no sympathy for addicts.
Lucas approached a man to ask for something, but the man seemed to demand money and pushed him away when Lucas couldn’t pay.
Another man walked over, grinning, and said, “Lucas, you want money? Here’s a baseball bat. Go out and beat someone at random on the street, and I’ll give you enough cash for your fix!”
Sweating and hesitant, Lucas eventually agreed.
“Fine! I’ll do it right now.”
He left the bar, and Sophia followed. She saw him put on a mask, find a secluded spot, and viciously strike a passerby with the baseball bat, hitting repeatedly, fueled by his violent withdrawal symptoms.
Sophia took photos of the entire scene.
After the beating, the man who had dared him chuckled and said, “Wow, you actually did it? Rough being broke, huh? Acting like a dog, and you’re good at it too!”
With that, he tossed a small packet of powder on the ground, and Lucas dropped to his knees, sniffing it up like a dog.
Sophia discreetly reported the assault to the police and continued to follow Lucas. Suddenly, Lucas turned, glaring at her with a sinister look.
“Are you following me?”
Sophia smiled, getting straight to the point. “You know Miss Maggie, don’t you?”
“Miss Maggie?”
Sophia didn’t bother beating around the bush and said, “In August, you and Maggie stayed at the Top Rank Hotel for a ‘farewell s*x,’ right? Am I wrong?”
Lucas said nothing, watching her suspiciously.
“What’s your game? Are you one of Maggie’s people? What does she want?”
Sophia smiled. “Nothing much. I’m offering you a chance to make some money.”
“Money?”
Sophia gave him a look and continued, “I need you to confirm that you and Maggie were together that night and that you had a prior relationship.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow, glancing at Sophia. “Oh? You’re going after her? Did she cross you?”
Sophia stayed silent and continued, “If you do this, I’ll pay you 500,000 dollars.”
“500,000?” Lucas didn’t even hesitate. “Deal!”
Sophia gave him a final look, smiling, and after she walked away, she turned off the recording on her phone hidden in her pocket.
—
Lucas waited downstairs at Maggie’s apartment for a long time before she finally came down. Seeing him, Maggie looked at him with disgust.
“What are you doing here? We broke up. Why are you still bothering me?”
Lucas sneered. “Just because we broke up, I can’t come to see you? I just had some powder, and I’m feeling a bit…tense. Want to find somewhere to help me out?”
Maggie scowled. “Get lost! We’re done!”
Just as she turned to leave, Lucas suddenly called out, “Leaving? Don’t you want to know who came to see me today?”
“What do you mean?”
Lucas circled around her, then said, “Someone came to see me earlier. They offered me 500,000 to testify that you were with me last month at the Top Rank Hotel. Her face changed, and he leaned in, whispering in her ear, “Maggie, what kind of trouble did you get yourself into this time? I know you too well—you’re full of schemes.
I heard you’ve been messing around with Scott Livinus. If that’s true, maybe I should tell Livinus Scott about our time together. We had some great moments in bed. You’ve been with plenty of men, yet you still managed to act all innocent in front of Livinus Scott. Quite impressive!”
“Shut up!” Maggie looked around and, seeing no one nearby, pulled him into her apartment. Once inside, she said, “Listen, Lucas, don’t ruin things for me. I’m only dealing with Livinus Scott to pressure him. Who approached you? What was her name? I’ll double whatever she offered you!”
Lucas shrugged. “Didn’t catch her name, but she was pretty and had a great body. Much prettier than you!”
Maggie’s brows furrowed. Whoever sought Lucas out must have known about Livinus Scott, and Livinus Scott didn’t have any women around him. A beautiful woman? Could it be Joanna?
“You agreed to this?”
“Did I agree? Ha! I’m up for anything as long as the pay’s right!” Lucas laughed coldly. “Now, let’s see if you can satisfy me. If not, I’ll go testify for her.”
“Come back here!” Maggie crossed her arms, silent for a moment, then said, “Don’t think I don’t know you’re short on cash lately. Let me be clear: once I pull this off, money won’t be an issue for me. Behave, and I’ll give you two million!”
“Promise?” Lucas raised an eyebrow.
