Chapter 7: No Spells Cast for Free, No Doctors Calling Door to Door!

"What are you all arguing about?" Margot Good's voice carried over. She had changed into a sexy black cutout swimsuit that perfectly traced her sinuous waist as she strolled toward the pool. But the moment she stepped out of the villa, she saw Christian Yale's hand pressed against Bernice Warth's chest, with the other women surrounding them in a furious uproar. Margot froze for a beat, then heat flared in her gut. He moved that fast? He just went straight for it? And in front of everyone, too. No restraint at all! "Margot! Control your cousin!" "He took advantage of Bernice when she fainted. He's openly groping her!" "And he's spouting nonsense about some Corpse-like Syncope, even cursing Bernice to die from losing control of her bladder and bowels. That's disgusting!" … With their "pillar" finally here, the girls all started talking at once, tumbling over each other as they complained. Margot's expression darkened. She was about to tear into Christian for messing around when- "Wait…" A weak voice sounded. Everyone turned. Bernice had opened her eyes at some point. Her face was pale, but the fog in her gaze had cleared. "He… was right." Still shaken, Bernice looked at Christian. "I was conscious. I could hear you talking, but I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. It felt like… sleep paralysis." Silence slammed down over the group. Every girl stared, eyes wide. So… This guy who looked like he was taking advantage of her had been telling the truth? He hadn't been making it up. He actually knew medicine? Bernice struggled to sit up. Christian steadied her without thinking. The softness beneath his fingertips sent a ripple through him, and his thoughts wavered for a second… Leaning back against the lounge chair, Bernice tipped her chin up at him. "If you can tell what's wrong with me, can you cure it?" Only heaven knew how terrifying that had been. She never wanted to experience it again. "I can." Christian snapped back to himself and quickly pulled his hand away. "But the root cause isn't in your body. There's another reason. Even if you went to the hospital for the most comprehensive tests, they wouldn't find any organic lesion." Bernice's heart sank. Her recent checkups had all been normal, yet this unexplained fainting had happened more than once. Before, it hadn't lasted long, and she'd assumed it was low blood sugar from working too hard. It clearly wasn't that. She drew a steadying breath. "Name your price. As long as you fix it." At the side, Margot was secretly delighted. She shot Christian frantic looks, hinting this was a perfect chance to get closer. Talking money would be tacky. Think bigger! Christian acted like he didn't see her at all. He named a number. "Two hundred thousand." Compared to beauty, he needed money. A lot of money. In this world, there was nothing you couldn't do with enough money. If you couldn't… Then the stake wasn't big enough. Margot's face went dark. She nearly spat blood. This idiot. Was he doing it on purpose?! He could've used the treatment as a natural excuse to get close to Bernice, and with her nudging things along, the relationship would've fallen into place on its own. Instead, he opened his mouth and asked for money? And only two hundred thousand at that! Did she look like someone who couldn't afford two hundred thousand? This was absurd. No sense of the bigger picture! What was wrong with him?! Bernice also paused, clearly not expecting him to be so blunt. Most men, given a chance like this, would do anything to worm their way closer to her. But this one… His eyes were filled with nothing but hunger for cash. She nodded decisively. "Two hundred thousand? Fine. If you solve it, I'll give you four hundred thousand." Four hundred thousand! Christian's heart gave an embarrassing leap. Only then did he realize the Dominion Inheritance could really make money. That meant his debt crisis finally had a way out. Even… the startup funds for his future plans were within reach. "Come on, why are we even talking about money?" Margot cut in quickly. She hooked her arm through Christian's and pinched him hard in warning. "He's my cousin. Why would he take money for saving his sister's best friend? Bernice, don't worry. He's got this!" Christian winced, then yanked his arm free from Margot's grasp. His face hardened. "Margot, there are rules in my family. 'No spells cast for free, no doctors calling door to door.' This isn't a reward. It's sincerity money. It's the rule. It can't be broken." Margot choked on his sudden stubbornness. Anger churned in her chest, but she couldn't explode in front of Bernice. She could only grit her teeth, wishing she could strangle this ungrateful bastard on the spot. A moment ago he'd been holding her waist, begging her for help. The next, he turned cold and acted like she meant nothing. He was worse than a scumbag. Bernice, on the other hand, had a strange glint flicker in her eyes. She'd seen countless men twist themselves into knots just to get close to her. Someone like Christian, who talked money so plainly and even dragged "rules" into it, was a first. And somehow… she found herself respecting it. Only people who kept to rules could handle big things. "Margot, your cousin is right," Bernice said. "Rules are rules. Four hundred thousand. I'll transfer it to him right away." As she spoke, she picked up her phone. Margot forced a smile. "Bernice, you… sigh. Fine. Do what you want." Inside, she cursed Christian a thousand times over. "The money can wait." Christian ignored Margot's murderous stare and spoke to Bernice. "First, tell me this. Recently, did someone give you a wooden doll, and you set it up like an offering?" Bernice blinked in shock. "How did you know that?" Christian's mind settled. The Inheritance's divination arts really were accurate. "The root of your problem is on that doll." Bernice drew her brows together. "It's a Fox Spirit Statue. I worship the fox spirit to boost my career. What's wrong with that?" In the entertainment industry, praying to fox spirits wasn't rare. Some people even raised 'little ghosts'… Later, she'd changed careers and become the female CEO of Delpine Group, but she'd kept the habit of worshipping the fox spirit. "You are worshipping a fox spirit, that part's true," Christian said. "But the Fox Spirit Statue was carved from Purple Wood. That wood is poisonous. Combined with the special incense you burn every day when you make offerings, you inhaled it over time. The toxins built up and caused Corpse-like Syncope. Whoever gave you that thing didn't have pure intentions." Bernice's face changed. She thought of the person who'd gifted it: a washed-up senior from the industry. Back then, that person had wanted to sign her for a quarter's worth of lingerie and skincare endorsements. But Bernice herself was a walking brand. She didn't need anyone to endorse her, so she'd politely refused… Not long after, the Fox Spirit Statue had arrived. She'd trusted them and worshipped it sincerely. Who would've thought the industry ran that deep, and the gift hid malice? "I'm going to throw it out right now!" Bernice sprang up, anger and fear mixing as she rushed toward the villa. "Wait." Christian stopped her. "Don't. Smash the statue first. There should be a fruit pit inside." "A fruit pit?" Bernice frowned, confused. "Yes. Purple Wood's poison is fierce, but with the fruit pit slowly releasing its properties, it becomes a chronic toxin." He continued evenly, "Where there's poison, there's an antidote close by. That fruit pit is it." Bernice didn't waste another word. She led everyone into the villa's study at a brisk pace. A red cloth covered the offering table. Ash had piled in the incense burner. In the center sat a Fox Spirit Statue about a foot tall, lifelike down to the smallest detail. Bernice strode up, grabbed the statue without hesitation, and slammed it onto the floor. "Bang!" The wooden carving shattered on impact, splitting apart as if it had been made of paper. Something shaped like a peach pit rolled out from within… The girls were stunned. There really was something hidden inside the statue! Margot's cousin not only knew medicine, he could practically predict the future? Bernice picked up the fruit pit. When she looked at Christian again, her gaze had completely changed. "What do I do next?" "Simple." Christian finally breathed easier. "Wash the pit clean. Soak it in warm water for ten minutes, then drink the water. It'll neutralize the toxin from Purple Wood." "That's it?" Bernice's brows knit tighter. Christian thought for a moment, then said something that made everyone freeze. "And then let me stick you a few times."