Chapter 81
Chapter 81:
Tessa felt the world drop out from beneath her. Her voice pitched upward. “Amputation? Are you serious? How could it possibly come to this? Before we came back, Nicolas promised me he was fine — he could walk, run, even manage the business. He was in perfect health p>
A heavy silence hung in the air before Leland finally spoke. “That was true — up until Rylie was forced out p>
Back then, everyone was convinced that Rylie meant to harm Nicolas, interpreting her attempts to induce vomiting and flush out toxins as malicious. That misunderstanding was what led to her expulsion from the family.
Once Rylie was gone and her treatments ceased, it wasn’t long before Nicolas lost the use of his legs. His health deteriorated at an alarming speed.
Leland pressed his lips together, weighing his words before saying, “Morn, maybe we were wrong about Rylie. I think she was trying to help Nicolas — using medicine to purge the poison through vomiting. Medically, it’s possible. Maybe… we judged her unfairly p>
Tessa’s gaze drifted to her own legs as she whispered, “Now that I think about it carefully, I find Stacey’s massages never really helped. Ever since I stopped taking those medications, the pain’s only gotten worse p>
Just then, the door swung open and a servant entered, setting a lunchbox on the table and pulling a slip of paper from their pocket, handing it to Leland. “This is a prescription Miss Rylie Kirk prepared for Mrs. Tessa Kirk before she left. Perhaps you can have these medicines filled for her p>
Leland glanced at the prescription and recognized nearly every ingredient — rare, costly herbs that couldn’t be found at any run-of-the-mill pharmacy. Only Aetheris Pharmacy would carry these.
A surge of shock passed through him. Even with his premium membership and discounted rates at Aetheris, he wouldn’t come close to affording the medicines listed here.
With a tremor in his voice, he asked, stunned, “Are you saying Rylie prescribed all this p>
The servant nodded. “Yes, sir. Miss Rylie Kirk used to send these to Mrs. Tessa Kirk regularly. After she left, the deliveries stopped p>
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Confused, Tessa looked up. “Is there a problem? Did Rylie send me something harmful p>
Leland shook his head, lips trembling. “No, these are the finest medicines money can buy. The total cost… it’s more than tens of millions p>
Tessa’s eyes went round with disbelief. The glass slipped from her grasp and hit the floor with a crash, sending water everywhere.
“Tens of millions?” Her voice changed pitch, her hands fisting the sheet in shock. “Where would Rylie get that kind of money? She… she even needed us to pay for her tuition p>
Her words faded as old memories resurfaced — bottles and vials in Rylie’s room, tossed away by Stacey without a second thought. Beautiful containers holding what she’d assumed were suspicious or worthless remedies, now revealed as treasures.
Leland looked as if all the color had been drained from his face. He fumbled for his phone. “I’m calling Aetheris Pharmacy right now.” His hands shook as he dialed, then he paused and turned to the servant. “What about the medicines Rylie left for Nicolas? Do we still have any of them p>