"Ms. Sinir, you''re being bullied, but you''re still defending him?" Wendy fumed, her face turning beet red with rage.


    She bent down and pulled Ruby to her feet, asking, "Are you okay, miss? Did he kick you anywhere serious?"


    Wendy continued indignantly, "Everyone here saw it. Zane bullied Ms. Sinir. Now, call Thomas to examine her and get the medicine the madam needs. Make sure you wrap it up nicely and deliver it to us with proper respect."


    "Wendy, stop!" Ruby panicked and quickly tried to cover Wendy''s mouth.


    Wendy, despite technically being a helper, was Julia''s aunt. Over the years, she had been treated almost as an equal to Julia within the Sinir household, using her status to act arrogant and domineering.


    There had even been an incident where her haughty attitude offended someone powerful, causing Ivan to lose a business deal. Ivan had returned home furious, warning Wendy that despite her ties to Julia, she was still just a helper. If she ever stepped out of line again, she would be kicked out of the family for good.


    After that, Wendy toned down her behavior when out in public. But now, Ruby feared Wendy was slipping back into her old ways, unting the Sinir name like it gave her free rein.


    Natalie''s recent wee party was one of those rare events Wendy and Julia had not attended. Julia had wanted to go, but her health had held her back. Besides, William and Charlotte''s solid rtionship and William''s disdain for men who mistreated their wives made it risky.


    Publicly, the Walkers might have remained polite to Julia. Still, privately, any retaliation from them could cause serious problems for the Sinirs as Ivan would never be able to handle it.


    Even when Ivan and Ruby attended the party, they used an invitation intended for Sophia. Luckily for them, Sophia was nowhere to be found. She did not even return home.


    This allowed Ruby to sneak into her room to get the invitation. Ivan had no desire to take Ruby but had been forced to after their previous fallout with Natalie at Goodwill Pharmacy.


    Now, with Wendy''s behavior spiraling out of control, Ruby felt her anxiety spike. She reached out in a desperate attempt to silence Wendy, but Wendy misinterpreted her fear as weakness and shoved her aside.


    Wendy dered confidently, "Miss, there''s no need to worry. Goodwill Pharmacy isn''t anything special.


    "In Dithoria, who wouldn''t show the Sinirs respect? Even if the Walker family or the Holden family showed up, we wouldn''t back down."


    The moment Wendy said those words, the room fell into awkward silence. Meanwhile, Ruby slumped onto the floor, her face drained of all hope.


    She did not even bother struggling anymore. Wendy had just signed her own death sentence. There was no way Ivan would let this slide, and even Julia would not be able to protect her.


    A soft chuckle broke the tension. Natalie stepped forward and waved for Zane to approach, thetter eagerly trotting over like a puppy.


    "This is your taste in women, Zane? Wow, you must have been desperate," Natalie teased.


    "Natalie, I''ve already told you—I don''t even like Ruby! We barely had any contact! My mom forced me into that rtionship." Zane groaned, looking utterly defeated. "What was I supposed to do? I ended it as soon as I could. You saw what just happened. Ruby''s the one who won''t let go," he continued with exasperation.


    "I made it clear that Goodwill Pharmacy doesn''t do business with her or the Sinirs, but she refuses to take no for an answer!"


    His mixture of frustration and desperate loyalty was so over-the-top that several other employees could not help butugh.


    Natalie turned and gave a quick nce at the gathered employees, and they immediately stifled theirughter, standing at attention.


    "Where''s Thomas? Tell him toe out and prepare the medicine for Madam Sinir," Wendy demanded, stepping forward with a re.


    She pointed at Natalie and sneered. "And who do you think you are, makingments about Ms. Sinir like that?"


    Natalie did not waste time arguing. She dialed Ivan''s number and put the call on speaker. She said coldly, "Hello, Mr. Sinir. You need toe to Goodwill Pharmacy right now, or you''ll face the consequences."


    "Wait, Ms. Walker. I—" Ivan barely managed to speak before Natalie hung up on him.


    "Security, throw this loudmouth and Ms. Sinir out of here," Natalie ordered without missing a beat.


    "Yes, Ms. Walker!" The security guards, all well-trained, immediately followed hermand. Each grabbed one of the two women and unceremoniously dragged Wendy and Ruby out of the pharmacy.


    "Remember their faces-make sure they don''t set foot in here again," Natalie said icily before turning and heading to the back office.


    "Mr. Zachman, how long have the Sinirs been getting their medicine from Goodwill Pharmacy?" she asked.


    Thomas retrieved a ledger and


    handed it to her. "They started about two years ago. Julia had been seeing different doctors and trying out various hospitals before an old traditional medicine practitioner rmended Goodwill Pharmacy to her.


    "That night, Mr. Langton happened to be here. He was in a good mood and agreed to assess Julia''s condition from behind the curtains. He wrote up a prescription and had the staff prepare the herbal medicine in pre-packaged servings for her."


    Natalie flipped through the records. "And she just kepting back after that?"


    "Exactly. After a few days of taking the medicine, her condition improved significantly. She''s been loyal to Goodwill Pharmacy ever since. Mr. Langton told us the form was safe for long-term use, so we just kept preparing it on schedule."


    "I had no idea this was happening," Natalie grumbled.


    Thomas smiled. "You were still in Amberton back then. Mr. Langton didn''t stay in one ce for long, and he asked us not to bother you with minor matters. Since it wasn''t a big deal, I didn''t bring it up."


    Natalie asked, "What exactly was Julia''s condition? Did he ever mention it?"


    "Not really. He just said the medicine could manage her symptoms indefinitely. The rest was up to her luck," Thomas replied.


    Then, he pulled out a bank card and handed it to Natalie. "Oh, and Mr. Langton left this for you. All the profits from Julia''s medicine have been deposited here.


    "After deducting costs, there''s quite a bit saved up. He told us to give this to you when the time was right. I''d say now''s the right time."


    "How much is on this card?" Natalie asked curiously.


    Thomas held up five fingers. "Five million dors."


    Natalie''s eyebrows shot up. She had just reviewed the prescription-it only contained two rare ingredients while the rest weremon and inexpensive. In two years, Federrick had earned five million dors from Julia''s treatments, even wanting to give it to her when "the time was right".


    He had nned this from the start.


    "I see," Natalie said thoughtfully, taking the card. "From now on, Mr. Zachman, we


    won''t be supplying Julia with any more medicine."


    It finally made sense. Federrick had the pharmacy prepare and package the herbal medicine in advance, making it impossible for Julia to recreate the form elsewhere.


    Julia''s condition was not fatal, but it


    caused chronic suffering. Federrick


    could have cured her but chose not


    to, keeping her dependent on the medicine to control the pain. He had not offered his help out of kindness—it had all been part of his n, waiting for Natalie to eventually take over.