I didn''t want Allen to end up like them.


    "I''m just kidding," he said. "There actually is a medical conferenceing up soon. I''ll find a way to bring the supplies over. I should be there in about two days."


    I did the math. If he arrived in two days, that would be exactly when Lily and Max were scheduled to return. It would be a huge problem if their paths crossed.


    "Make it one day. It''s safer. If you take two days, I''m worried you''ll run into Lily, and that puts you in danger."


    "I won''t be able to gather a lot of medication in just one day."


    "That''s fine. We just need enough for initial treatment right now. Later on, we can manage their condition through their diet."


    With that settled, Helen and I prepared to head back to the impoverished side of the Saltmere River. However, I couldn''t shake the feeling that someone was following


    us.


    Helen hadn''t noticed and was busy trying to arrange a night boat to take us back.


    I grabbed her arm and abruptly detoured into a cafe. As I pushed the door open, I caught a glimpse of our tail ducking out of sight in my peripheral vision.


    With the sharp instincts of a professional, Helen immediately caught on when she saw my reaction. "I was too focused on arranging our travel to notice. Are they Lily''s people?"


    I gave a soft hum of confirmation. Helen then pretended to order coffee for me and pulled out a chair. Standing faithfully behind me, she perfectly yed the part of an attendant to a wealthy socialite. Seeing my apparent high status, the people around us immediately bowed their heads in respect.


    Whether in the slums or the affluent districts, the locals were conditioned to show absolute subservience to nobility, as if their very blood made them inherently inferior.


    The thugs trailing us were still waiting around the corner. Helen and I realized things were looking bad.


    "I''ll lure them away. You hide in the restroom for a bit. Once I draw them off, take the boat back on your own. I''ve already set it up."


    I subconsciously tightened my grip and shook my head. "No, it''s too dangerous. We go back together."


    A deep sense of unease settled in my chest. I couldn''t bear the thought of what might happen if Helen went off to distract them alone.


    "I''ll be fine I''m a top-tier bodyguard that''s


    Other I''m assigned to you.


    Otherwise, Mr. Hilton would never trust me to escort you around by myself."


    Helen made it sound effortless, but I was still terrified.


    "Helen, it''s too risky. Let''s walk around the mall for a bit."


    I pulled her up, and we left the cafe, heading straight into a nearby shopping center. Those men were probably trying to figure out if we were actual socialites or if we had ties to the other side of the river.


    "If they keep following us, I''ll take them out one by one," Helen said, her tone filled with anger and her eyes turning fierce.


    Surprisingly, I didn''t object. Instead, I furrowed my brow and replied, "Fine, but don''t leave any evidence."


    "Don''t worry, we won''t even have to get our hands dirty. In a minute, we''ll..."


    She leaned in and whispered her n.


    I shot a discreet re at the men pretending to browse the merchandise behind us. We had to eliminate them before they could report back to Lily.


    There was no room for mercy.


    "I''ll lure them into the emergency stairwell and strangle them with the fire hose," Helen suggested.


    I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You really do have brute strength." Helen grinned proudly. "You bet. I''ll create a fake fire to herd them toward the


    stairwell. That way, their deaths won''t be traced back to us."


    I gave her a thumbs-up in agreement. "Agreed. Take them out."


    Showing sympathy or mercy to Lily''s underlings would only get us killed. More importantly, it would doom the impoverished suffering people, relying on me to a life of perpetual. misery and conspiracy.


    "That''s the spirit! Just make sure you stay safe, ire."