Chapter 24: Licorice Root

Paul walked over and grabbed Wyatt’s hand, which was wiping Yunice’s tears. He said coldly, “Wyatt, if you want to disgust me, at least use a smarter method. Chasing after a woman I don’t want only makes you look cheaper.”

Before Wyatt could speak, Yunice immediately countered, “By that logic, if I chase after a man I don’t want, wouldn’t that make Elsie just as cheap?”

Paul looked at Yunice in surprise. She was actually defending Wyatt! Wyatt glanced at Paul with a mocking smirk, finished wiping Yunice’s tears, and then casually held Yunice’s trembling hand in his palm. Yunice’s fingertips were cold, making Wyatt’s hand feel burning hot in comparison. She looked up at him uneasily but didn’t pull her hand away.

Paul’s eyes burned with anger. Yunice isn’t shaking Wyatt off. Does she really think Wyatt is a good person? She might not know what kind of person Wyatt was, but she knew he had helped her. If she didn’t side with Wyatt, should she side with Paul instead?

Paul stood frozen in place. His rational mind told him that a heartless woman like her deserved whatever she got. But his eyes betrayed his unwillingness. So this was the kind of easy woman Yunice was? Just a few days after breaking off their engagement, she had already found a new man?

“Wyatt, Yunice is already discussing marriage. You’d better show some respect, or if this gets to Grandpa, you won’t get away with it.”

Yunice frowned. “Discussing marriage?”

Paul said, “Your mom and brother are arranging it for you. Don’t tell me you don’t know.”

Yunice really didn’t know. No one had told her anything. Seeing her pale face, Wyatt let out a short laugh. “Even people who are engaged can cheat. If you can do it, why can’t others?”

Paul was speechless, his face turning red. He instinctively glanced at Yunice, but she wasn’t defending him like she used to. Dissatisfied, Paul was about to snap back at Wyatt when he suddenly noticed something. He reached out and grabbed Wyatt’s wrist.

“Why is the bracelet with you?” Paul’s mind raced before he sneered at Yunice. “So it was you…”

“You stole the bracelet and gave it away, then tried to frame Elsie? Do you know how guilty that made Elsie feel?”

Yunice was still thinking about Owen trying to marry her off and wasn’t even listening to Paul’s ranting. Seeing that Yunice was ignoring him, Paul shook his head. “Yunice, do you know why I came here today? I know Alphasirox pills are important to you, so I humbled myself to ask for the medicine on your behalf. But you really let me down.”

It sounded like Yunice was really in the wrong. But if Paul truly had good intentions, then why did he stay silent when Elsie was fighting her for the medicine?

Yunice didn’t want to argue with Paul in front of so many people. She had already drawn enough attention today. Paul, seeing no reaction from her, felt embarrassed and left in anger. But his departure didn’t make Yunice feel any better.

What was she supposed to do when Owen came back? What if the Saunders family forced her into marriage? Legally, she was classified as mentally ill and needed to be controlled by her family. Even if she ran away, they could still bring her back. She hadn’t even escaped the nightmare of her birth family yet, and now she was about to be thrown into the nightmare of marriage?

Feeling the warmth on her wrist, Yunice snapped out of her thoughts. She saw Wyatt rubbing medicine between his hands to warm it up before gently applying it to her swollen wrist.

Wyatt said, “I wasn’t the one who called Paul here.”

Yunice didn’t respond. Whether Paul was called here or not didn’t matter. What was done was done. There was no point in…

Yunice said, “I did use some tricks with the Alphasirox pills, but I only wanted to show you my value. That’s all.”

As long as she had value, as long as she was needed, she wouldn’t be trapped in the Saunders family. Wyatt wasn’t stupid. Being direct would make it easier for him to trust her.

Yunice said, “Solving the Aconite toxicity issue is simple. You can market Alphasirox pills as requiring a three-course treatment. The first and second courses are taken alone, while the third is paired with Licorice Root.”

“Licorice Root?” Even people who weren’t in medicine knew it was a common ingredient.

“Licorice Root detoxifies and neutralizes poison. The toxicity of the Aconite in Alphasirox pills has a delayed effect. We just need to neutralize it when it takes effect.” Yunice continued, “Wellinges Pharma must have already produced a large stock of the medicine. Destroying or recalling it would cause huge losses. Money is a small issue; Wellinges Pharma’s reputation is what really matters.”