Marcus stayed with Laura for a long while before finally getting up to leave. "Mom, I''ll have Elijah send your phone over. I''ve saved Mrs. Walker''s contact information in it for you. You should have a good talk with her."
"Alright." Laura smiled warmly and lovingly. "Marcus, treat Nat well. Don''t bully her."
"I know, Mom."
Marcus nced toward the inner section of the pharmacy, where Natalie was still preparing medicine. His gaze softened subconsciously.
Sensing his eyes on her, Natalie looked up, and their eyes met from across the room. Both of them smiled at the same time, a warmth spreading in the air between them.
Laura quietly observed this, and her lips curled into a gentle smile. She was d that the engagement she and Charlotte had arranged had finallye to fruition.
After Laura went to rest, Marcus and Natalie left the pharmacy.
"Let me show you around!" Natalie took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh herbal scent. "After Mr. Langton took me in, I spent almost half my time here. Many of the flowers, trees, and nts were nted by me. Do you want to see them?"
"Of course!"
"Let''s go."
The Herbalist''s Sanctuary was vast and had an elegantyout. The fields of medicinal herbs stretched endlessly, disying a variety of colors and shapes, a true spectacle of flourishing beauty. The air was thick with the scent of herbs, invigorating with just a single breath.
Natalie held a deep affection for this ce. As they walked, she chatted with Marcus. "When I was little, the Langley family took me for blood extractions. One time, I fainted outside. Mr. Langton found me, took me in, and cursed out everyone who had drawn my blood.
"He bathed me in medicinal baths, prepared herbal broths, and treated me with acupuncture. It took a long time to restore my health.
"When he found out I was from the Langley family, he didn''t want me to go back. He wanted me to stay with him. But back then, I was foolish.
"I thought Grace truly cared for me. I couldn''t bear to let her down, and I didn''t want to leave my only family member. So, I chose to return.
"Mr. Langton called me an idiot, but he still prepared many life-saving remedies for me. Even though I was taken to donate blood many times over the years, I always took the pills he gave me beforehand.
"After every transfusion, he would carefully nurse me back to health—while cursing me for being stupid, of course. He loved me so much. No matter what I do, I can never repay his kindness.
"Look, this is the first nt I nted after Mr. Langton brought me to The Herbalist''s Sanctuary."
Natalie tugged Marcus forward. Ahead of them stood a ss greenhouse filled with flowers he had never seen before.
At its centre was arge vine-like nt. Its thick branches prated through the greenhouse, sprawling across the rear half of the ss while the front was neatly pruned into a refined shape.
"What kind of nt is this?" Marcus asked curiously. "How big was it when you first nted it?"
Natalie gestured with her hands. "This big. It''s called Evervine."
She led him inside. "Its flowers can be used to treat diarrhea and abdominal pain, while the leaves have pain-relieving properties. But the root is highly toxic.
"There are caretakers assigned to look after it. Since I nted it, Mr. Langton carved my name into the stem and ordered that no one neglect it."
She brushed aside a few leaves, revealing the carved letters that spelled Natalie''s name.
"How did Mr. Langton know you weren''t actually a Langley?" Marcus reached out, tracing the carved name. "The engraving is so precise. He must have put a lot of care into it."
"He didn''t know. He was just furious at how the Langley family treated me and refused to inscribe myst name. Looking back, it feels like fate was guiding things all along."
Natalie spoke softly. "A lucky mistake?"
Marcus chuckled. "Yeah."
"Nat, I''m so d Mr. Langton found you when you were little."
He couldn''t imagine what might have happened if she hadn''t been taken in. Whether or not she would have even survived under the Langley family''s cruelty remained to be seen.
"Me too. I''m incredibly grateful. Mr. Langton gave me a second chance at life." Marcus withdrew his hand. "Nat, let me hold you."
"Okay!" She smiled and leaned into his embrace. Ever since they got together, she had stopped holding back.
He had a faint scent of gardenias on him, her favorite fragrance.
In the quiet greenhouse, they stood there, holding each other, watching the Evervine stand tall under the warm sunlight.
Inside a guesthouse at The
Herbalist''s Sanctuary, Lucy was brought into Noah''s room. Charles, who had just recovered his lost memories after hypnosis, was also there with Sheldon. ''
Wesley was still undergoing hypnosis. Once his memories returned, he would likely go straight to see Laura.
Lucy kneeled before Noah, her lips tightly pressed together. She had been kneeling for hours, refusing to speak.
"Lucy, you still won''t talk, will you?" Noah sat before her. "I''m giving you a chance
to confess willingly. If you wait until I use force, you''ll regret it."
"Noah, why waste words on her? Let me handle this." Elijah stepped forward, holding a cup of water.
"Once she drinks this, she''ll spill everything."
"Alright, go ahead."
Noah stepped aside. Elijah grabbed Lucy''s jaw, forced her mouth open, and poured the liquid down her throat. "Since you wouldn''t ept kindness, enjoy the consequences instead.
"Oh, and by the way, this is the same poison that Cassie used on Mrs. Holden."
Elijah sneered viciously. "Mrs. Holden suffered for so many years, and it''s finally your turn now."
"W-What?" Lucy''s eyes widened in horror. "What did you make me drink?"
She screamed frantically, "I didn''t poison Laura! Why are you doing this to me?
Why?"
"You didn''t? Then tell us where
Cassie is! You already admitted to
drugging my father and
impersonating my mother. This isn''t about Mr. Holden''s orders-it''s my personal revenge." ''
Elijah pped Lucy across the face. "You destroyed our family and left it in
shambles. This is what you deserve, you wretched woman!"