Chapter 197

“Alright, alright. Let’s put all that behind us and talk business, shall we?” Matt stepped in to smooth things over. “Dustin, let’s be professional. I’m really interested in the company rights. Here’s a million-dollar check. I’d like to buy an allocation of the rights.”

“A million dollars? Do you take me for a beggar?” Dustin found it ridiculous.

“Hey! Are you saying that a million dollars is too little? Aren’t you getting greedy?” Julie protested indignantly. “Just because the Harmons gave you a prescription formula, you think you can flaunt your authority? You only have authority because you’re affiliated with the Harmons!”

“Dustin, let’s cut to the chase. Name your price: how much will it take for you to give me the company rights?” Matt tried his best to stay calm.

“No amount of money will get you that. A person of your character is simply not qualified to obtain the company rights for Immortunol.” Dustin flatly rejected him.

“What? You’re rejecting money?” Matt narrowed his eyes.

“Well, it depends on the source of the money. Yours comes from unsolicited sources, and I don’t like that.” Dustin turned up his nose at Matt’s offer.

“Dustin! You’re going overboard!” Matt’s expression clouded over. “I’m giving way to you and letting go of past grudges, but you better not overstep your boundaries and stand in the way of my money!”

“That’s right! It’s an honor that Matt is interested in the company rights for Immortunol! Don’t be ungrateful and shameless!” Julie boasted arrogantly.

“Are you threatening me?” Dustin raised an eyebrow.

“That depends on how you see it. It could be a piece of advice as much as it could be a threat!” Matt said in a low voice.

“I don’t care if it’s advice or a threat. I stand by my words. No way in hell are you getting the company rights!” Dustin stated plainly.

“Rhys! Are you really hellbent on crossing me?” Matt gritted his teeth; his gaze was as cold and poisonous as a serpent’s.

“So what if I cross you? Do you think I’d be afraid of you?” Dustin scoffed.

“Alright then, just you wait!” Matt glared at him before leaving.

“Rhys! What good will it do to burn bridges? You’re just lucky that you got the prescription formula. Don’t get all cocky thinking you’re all that. You’re only making things difficult for yourself by going against Matt! You despicable person! All you do is rely on others! Just you wait, Rhys! You’re going to get it!” Julie was about to leave after her tirade when several police officers entered.

“Are you Julie Amberson?” the leader asked.

“So what if I am?” Julie shot them a dirty look.

“We just received a report that you are in league with Morgan Finn and Harvey Marcs for selling drugs privately. We have concrete evidence. You’ll need to come with us.”

“Hey! What nonsense is that? When have I sold drugs privately?” Julie was terrified.

“Still denying, are we? Harvey Marcs just identified you as the mastermind!”

“N-no way! That’s not possible! How could Harvey identify me? You must be mistaken!” Julie shook her head vigorously.

“Come with us, and we’ll find out if we’re mistaken. Take her away!” The leading officer didn’t waste any more time. He ordered Julie’s arrest.

“I’m innocent! This is an injustice! Matt! Save me, Matt!” Julie was utterly flustered. She cried out desperately for help, but no one was there. Matt had hidden the moment he sensed trouble. He wasn’t about to get involved. He hadn’t expected Mr. Marcs to blame Julie.

The revisions include:

• Corrected grammar: Fixed subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, and tense inconsistencies.
• Improved punctuation: Added and removed commas, corrected hyphenation (e.g., "flat–out" became "flatly"), and ensured proper sentence structure.
• Enhanced word choice: Replaced informal words and phrases with more appropriate alternatives (e.g., "ran her mouth" became "her tirade").
• Clarified ambiguous phrasing: Made some sentences clearer and more concise.
• Removed unnecessary repetition: Streamlined some sentences to avoid redundancy.
• Consistent capitalization: Ensured consistent capitalization of names and titles.

The text is now more polished and reads more smoothly.