"Helena, stop hitting him. He is already dumb enough, If you keep going, he will be even dumber." Natalie chuckled softly.
"Zane, call or message Ruby and tell her what I told you. You don''t need to do anything else."
"And don''t start making wild guesses. The thief will return, crying and begging for forgiveness. Assess the stolen items, and when the thief returns, ensure they pay for everything.
"Everyone, return to your task. We are not opening for business today. Once everything is cleaned up, I will treat you all to barbecue tonight."
"Thank you, Ms. Walker." The staff at the Goodwill Pharmacy perked up, their frustration over the theft fading instantly.
Since Natalie knew who the thief was and was so certain they woulde back, they felt reassured. They had nothing to worry about.
Natalie headed into the inner room to speak with Thomas.
"Mr. Zachman, I n to make a trip back to Amberton soon. Please keep an eye on Goodwill Pharmacy while I am gone."
"I know. You can go without worries," Thomas said with a smile.
"Nat, Mr. Langton called mest night and asked you to find these herbs from the sketchbook." He handed a few sketch papers to Natalie. "He sent me these. He wants you to gather these herbs within a month."
Natalie took the papers and examined them one by one. These herbs were among the ones she had sketched in the Holden family''s book sanctum.
"Alright, I understand," Natalie replied, carefully putting away the sketch papers.
"The person who stole from Goodwill Pharmacy was Wendy, Julia''s maid. I am sure of it. She was no longer able to obtain medicine from us and grew desperate enough to steal it," she said.
Thomas nodded. "Julia''s medicine was always prepared at the Goodwill Pharmacy. Mr. Langton made sure to leave the dregs behind and only gave her the liquid. Andst time, you gave her two pills. That is probably what they were after."
"Exactly. All the missing items are different types of pills. Each one is safe to take on its own, but if Julia mixes them together, things might not end well," Natalie smirked. "I had Zane inform Ruby. She won''t let Julia be in danger. If they get scared enough, they wille crying for forgiveness."
"Nat, are you not worried that if something really happens to Julia, she will use Goodwill Pharmacy?" Thomas asked, his face full of concern.
He had worked at Goodwill Pharmacy for years and had seen far too many cases of people turning around and falsely using them. Especially someone like Julia. She had no morals and no conscience. If given the chance, she would definitely stir up trouble.
"She will not dare," Natalie said with certainty. "Right now, she cannot show her face. Ivan is looking for her everywhere. She ran off after taking his money. I guess that she stole from the Goodwill Pharmacy as she needed life-saving medicine before escaping."
"Nat, Mr. Langton never mentioned what exactly was wrong with Julia. Can you tell?" Thomas asked.
Natalie nodded. "I know what her illness is. The medicine Mr. Langton prescribed only suppresses the symptoms. It doesn''t cure them. But since he didn''t treat her fully and instead waited for me to handle it, I understand his intentions. Mr. Zachman, just wait here at Goodwill Pharmacy."
"Alright. When do you n to head to Amberton?"
"Once Sophia''s situation is settled, I will go."
"Got it, I''ll take care of everything here," Thomas said as he stood up. "I''ll get back to work now."
"Alright, Mr. Zachman, go ahead."
After Thomas left to check the inventory, Natalie sat for a while, then carefully stored the sketches Among the herbs her mentor had requested was Lethal Vermillion, one of the herbs Marcus had previously shown her. He said he would take her to find it, but that never happened.
Thinking about Marcus, Natalie couldn''t help but recall that night. The moment when he suddenly parked the car and leaned over to kiss her.
The memory shed vividly in her mind, making her cheeks flush. She patted her face, trying to push the thought away.
Ruby was locked in a second-floor guest room at the Sinir residence. Her phone had been confiscated by Ivan, and the windows were sealed shut. Without a key, she couldn''t leave the room at all.
After an entire night without food or water, she was weak and exhausted. She no longer had the strength to bang on the door and insteady on the bed, anxiety growing in her heart as she wondered what Ivan nned to do to her.
Suddenly, there was movement outside the door. Ruby sat up immediately. Ivan opened the door and stood there, staring at her with her phone in his head.
"Dad... dad," Ruby stammered, her voice trembling with fear. "Even if I am not your biological daughter, in my heart, you are still my father. Dad, please believe
me. I didn''t know my mom was having an affair with another man."
In her panic, Ruby spoke without thinking, blurting out whatever came to mind.
"No matter whose daughter I am, in my heart, you are my only dad."
Ivan chuckled darkly as he listened. He stepped inside, holding her phone. "Ruby, you really see me as your father, huh?"
Ruby nodded frantically. "Yes, Dad. You are the closest person to me."
Ivan''s studied her carefully before speaking. "Good. Zane called you. He said Goodwill Pharmacy was robbedst night, and a batch of poisonous drugs was stolen. Why do you think he would he would inform you of this?"
"What? Goodwill Pharmacy was robbed?" Ruby was caught off guard.
"Yes, Ivan replied, his body still reeking of alcohol after drinking heavily upon returning from Walker Estate. He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her. To force Julia to return, there was always a way.
"Ruby, since you are my good daughter, do me a favor."
"What favor? Dad, just tell me," Ruby stuttered, her voice shaking at the sinister look in his eyes.
Ivan let out a coldugh. "Take off your clothes and let me record a video."
Ruby gasped and wrapped her arms around herself, "What? No. I will not. Please, Dad, don''t do this to me."
Tears streamed down her face as she backed away, hugging herself tightly. Even if she wasn''t his biological daughter, she had called him Dad for over 20 years. What kind of father would ask his daughter to do something like this?
"Ruby, I''m asking nicely right now. Do not make me force you," Ivan took a step closer.
"That whore of a mother of yours ran off with my money, leaving the Sinir Group bankrupt. I had no choice but to sell it for cheap. That bitch Julia. She made the first move, so she shouldn''t me me for retaliating.
Ivan''s bloodshot eyes burned with rage. "Ruby, have I ever mistreated you and your mother all these years? I even neglected my wife and mistreated my biological daughter, Sophia, for your sake. And this is how you repay me?"