Chapter 13

Listening to the conversation between the two, Phoebe sneered, "Tsk tsk, you guys act like you have money. Even with money, you can't afford to eat meat. Your meals are not as good as the ones my dogs eat." Cyrus found this step sister of Zoey's annoying. Despite her good looks, her strong personality and sharp tongue made her hard to deal with, as if she was just asking for a beating. "Phoebe, we'll repay the money, but don't think of stopping Zoey and me from wishing Dad a happy birthday," he declared. Phoebe, naturally, would not agree. As their father planned to announce the inheritance of the entire family fortune during the birthday banquet, she couldn't allow Zoey to cause any trouble. "You worthless son-in-law, you haven't attended Dad's birthday for the past three years. Now, hearing about the family wealth being divided, you suddenly become interested in the money. You won't get a single penny. Dad stopped acknowledging you as a son long ago," she scornfully retorted. Zoey had no intention of repaying her. But being mocked by Phoebe was intolerable. She put down her cutlery, picked up her phone, and immediately transferred the money to her father. Then she held her phone out to Phoebe and said, "See, the 200-thousand-dollar debt is settled. I will definitely attend Dad's 60th birthday celebration." Phoebe was stunned for a moment, not expecting that Zoey could really afford to pay it back. Hadn't she had shamelessly borrowed a thousand dollars before? "My uncle is the one organizing the birthday banquet. You won't even be able to enter the door." Cyrus stood up and said, "Please help me tell Dad in person. I will prepare a generous gift for him." "With what you have? A generous gift?" Phoebe almost laughed out loud. A useless person like Cyrus just wanted to claim a share of the inheritance. What kind of generous gift could he afford? "Yes, me, Cyrus. I promise it will be a generous gift beyond your imagination," Cyrus replied confidently. Phoebe felt that Cyrus had changed. He used to be repulsive, always trying to flirt with her. Now, he exuded a sense of righteousness, making it hard for her to distinguish between which one was the real Cyrus. However, she would never accept anyone vying for the family fortune. She sneered, "You useless piece of shit. You won't be able to turn your life around no matter what. You may have fooled Zoey, that foolish woman, but you can't fool me." Cyrus gestured for her to leave, remarking, "You should leave. It's quite unpleasant for someone so young to be so sarcastic." "Hmph, even if you attend, you'll only embarrass yourself in front of the family and relatives," Phoebe retorted before turning and leaving. Zoey looked at Cyrus, shaking her head and sighing, "Can you stop making promises recklessly? Even if you throw the whole 500 thousand you won into it, it won't be considered a generous gift for my dad." "When I mentioned a generous gift, I meant-" Cecilia had been observing the whole thing from her car outside. Cyrus, indeed, had changed a lot. Due to her haste, she forgot to change out of her white coat and was discovered before even entering. Her arrival interrupted Cyrus's explanation. "Cecilia, why are you here?" Zoey quickly stood up, somewhat emotional. Since Zoey had decided not to divorce for the sake of taking care of Mira, Cecilia, as her best friend, had stopped caring about her. The two hadn't seen each other for more than half a year. Other friends had long avoided her, fearing she would borrow money from them. "I came to find Cyrus," Cecilia cut to the chase. "You came to find Cyrus?" Zoey was surprised, unable to close her mouth. Before they got married, Cecilia had opposed the idea of them marrying each other. She said that a playboy like Cyrus was unreliable. So, even before Cyrus became a spendthrift, Cecilia had already looked down on him, not to mention squandering the family fortune later and even physically abusing his wife. Cyrus wiped his mouth and smiled, "Dr. Lopez, you're not here to do business with me, are you?" Cecilia felt a bit embarrassed. She had just driven him out in the morning, and now she was shamelessly seeking the method he had used to cure rabies from him. "We can discuss business, but you have to answer my question first," she said. "Is it about the boy's condition?" Cyrus asked. "Exactly. How did you manage it?" Cecilia inquired. Looking at her, Cyrus spoke in the tone of a grand mentor, "Since you also study traditional medicine, do you know that 1800 years ago, there was a genius doctor surnamed Kuzdu who treated rabies with a 'poison-toxin' method?" "I know about that. But the problem is, no one succeeded after him. So, is this legend really reliable?" Cecilia asked. After Cecilia spoke, she thought she had put two and two together. "So, you were just taking a desperate shot, copying it without understanding, hoping it might work for the child. And luckily for you, this method happened to work?" Cyrus chuckled, "Interpret it as you wish, but I suggest you better not try it. If something goes wrong and there's a loss of life, your hospital will suffer huge financial losses." His mysterious tone deepened Cecilia's confusion. "Do you know the unique aspect of this prescription?" She asked. Cyrus answered evasively, "Let's talk about business." "Fine, as long as you tell us the treatment process, I'll give you the business," Cecilia said. "Have you seen the prescription?" He asked. "I have. I understand everything else, but how can you get Dragon White Herb? This rare herb is hard to source, and my father can't afford it," Cecilia questioned. "Don't worry. I prescribed only 10 grams for the child. I'll supply it to you, make some money for the hospital, and help your father out a bit." Cyrus smiled. Cecilia was utterly shocked. In simple terms, Cyrus would supply the Dragon White Herb, make a hefty profit for the hospital, and, in the end, the cost of the 10 grams would not be much. It could be considered an act of charity. All along, she had thought of Cyrus as just another player.. But unexpectedly, his mind was quite sharp. Even with prescribing medicine, he had a strategic plan, forcing the hospital into business with him. "Hmph, even with my dad's connections, we can't get our hands on genuine Dragon White Herb. What's the point of playing such a trick?" Cecilia retorted. "You don't need to worry. You can pay for the goods upon delivery. A 10-year-old Dragon White Herb costs 500 thousand," Cyrus assured. Cecilia thought Cyrus was boasting. Not taking it seriously, she just smiled, saying, "No problem. As long as you can supply such high-quality goods in the future, we'll buy them all." Listening nearby, Zoey frowned. They simply couldn't find such suppliers. Previously, the pharmacy sold cheap, common herbs like Notoginseng, Houttuynia herb, and Bupleurum, each priced from tens of dollars to a couple of hundred dollars. For high-end herbs with many unknown factors, they didn't dare to stock without familiar suppliers. Last time, they couldn't supply the herbs in time, and Frederick was already quite angry. If Cyrus deliberately toyed with them this time, they might truly get pissed off. Moreover, Cyrus had previously gambled on precious herbs and lost 20 million dollars in one go. How could they let him casually mess around again? "Cecilia, don't listen to him. Let's just do some regular medicinal herbs business. Dealing with precious herbs requires capital, which we don't have for the moment," Zoey said. But Cecilia seemed less willing, smiling and saying, "Zoey, we won't be able to reach an agreement with those cheap suppliers you just switched to. I'm curious to see how Cyrus manages to get authentic Dragon White Herb." She was eager to find out what tricks Cyrus used to cure the little boy. Zoey felt a bit helpless. If there was one aspect that Cyrus hadn't changed in, it was that he never listened to her. "My dad's 60th birthday is this Saturday, just two days from now. Are you planning to spend the remaining money on buying Dragon White Herbs and attend the birthday banquet empty-handed?" She asked Cyrus. Cyrus replied, "How could 500 thousand dollars be enough for your dad's gift?" Zoey retorted, "Then what else do you have? Are you really prepared to embarrass yourself in public?" Uninterested in further discussion, Zoey cleared the dining table and went to wash the dishes. Cyrus knew that, no matter what he said, Zoey wouldn't believe him. In the past, Zoey had been deceived by Cyrus countless times. Cecilia grew a bit impatient and asked, "Now that the business is yours, and my dad is willing to say something nice about you at the birthday banquet, can you explain the boy's treatment process?" After Cyrus finished explaining, Cecilia was left stunned in place. "Cyrus, are you intentionally trying to trick me? Dog pulse and live brain extraction, how is that possible?"