The rush of causing chaos was undeniably exhilarating.

Alexander Blackwood wasn’t one to justify his actions with lengthy explanations.

He turned to Nathan Prescott and commanded, "Nathan, apologize to Amy."

Nathan hesitated, his displeasure evident, but he couldn’t ignore Victoria’s condition. Reluctantly, he muttered, "Amy, I was just teasing you… No need to take it so seriously, right?"

Amy wasn’t fazed by Nathan’s dismissive tone. A faint smile curved her lips.

"If you don’t want to apologize, that’s fine. Since you and Ms. Langley are so close, perhaps you’d like to test her medicine for her?"

Nathan narrowed his eyes. "Didn’t you say all medicine has side effects? I don’t have her illness. Wouldn’t taking this harm me?"

Amy coaxed, "You may not have a terminal condition, but haven’t you been poisoned in a way? The first treatment is mild—detoxifying, even. It won’t damage your face. In fact, it might improve it."

She dangled the bottle of pills teasingly. "These ingredients are rare and expensive. Each pill is worth a fortune. It took a week to make just these few, through an intricate process."

Nathan faltered under her persuasive words.

"Is it really that effective?"

Amy shrugged. "Not effective enough to cure Ms. Langley’s terminal illness, is it?"

Skeptical, Nathan took the pill from her hand and hovered it near his mouth.

At the last second, he paused.

He glared at her. "Amy, if anything happens to me, you’re finished."

Amy smiled sweetly. "If you have any issues, you know where to find me."

The concoction—mostly harmless—was brewed from foot-soak water. As for the rat droppings and cockroach bits? Theodore Whitmore had assured her they weren’t too problematic. Rat droppings weren’t a daily dietary staple, after all. And cockroaches? High in protein.

With Amy’s confident reassurance, Nathan swallowed the pill.

Half an hour passed.

Nothing happened.

Finally, Nathan relaxed and turned to Victoria. "Seems fine. You should take yours too. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll recover."

Victoria stared at the dark, unappetizing pill in her palm, hesitating. But refusing now would raise suspicion.

Gritting her teeth, she washed it down with water.

Amy stifled a laugh. She’d need to get creative with the second treatment.

Once they were done, Amy collected the remaining pills.

Nathan frowned. "Amy, didn’t you say Victoria needed a full course? Why take them back? How will she get better?"

Amy explained, "Ms. Langley must take her medication every three days—but for this month, she’ll come to me for it. The first phase is critical. If she secretly throws them away, you might blame the medicine for failing."

Nathan scoffed. "Why would she do that?! This is her lifesaving treatment!"

Amy met Victoria’s gaze—a look so chilling it sent a shiver down Victoria’s spine.

Did Amy know she was faking?

No… that couldn’t be.

If Amy knew, she would’ve exposed her to Alexander already.

But Amy wasn’t afraid.

Because…