Walden''s tone carried an edge of impatience. "What is it already?"


    Clutching the hem of her skirt, Yvonne mustered the courage to lock eyes with Walden and spoke


    deliberately, "Have you ever heard of Nourishment Pill, Walden?"


    Walden sat bolt upright, disbelief etching his features as he looked at Yvonne.


    "Nourishment Pill? As in the legendary ck market panacea? That''s what you''re offering me?"


    Yvonne''s spirits lifted at his reaction.


    "I can get my hands on the Nourishment Pill. If you''re interested, Walden, maybe we can still talk


    business. I hear Mr. Arthur Gruber hasn''t been feeling well. Imagine the boost to your status in the


    Gruber family if you could present him with this elixir."


    If he could secure the pill for Arthur, his standing within the Gruber family would be unassable. A


    fanatic gleam touched Walden''s eyes.


    "Deal."


    ...


    At a local police station in Imperial City.


    Vincent, wheelchair-bound, gazed anxiously at the officer before him.


    "Officer, we''re telling the truth! I was attacked, our whole family nearly died out there - you can''t just


    ignore this!"


    "Do you have awyer?"


    Awyer? Since when did reporting an assault require legal representation? Wasn''t their battered


    appearance evidence enough? Why would they need awyer?


    The money Vincent had wouldn''t stretch to afford a defense attorney, not to mention the legal fees


    from his previous settlement talks with Martin were still outstanding.


    To think that he, once a district''s wealthiest man, had fallen to such straits made Vincent seethe.


    The officer, growing impatient, said, "I''ve asked you repeatedly, and you can''t provide a clear


    ount of what transpired, only that you were assaulted, while the surveince footage appears


    normal."


    Vincent blurted out, "The cameras! Yes, it was the man who pushed me out! He''s the one who hit


    me!"


    The officer pointed at the screen, a look of incredulity on his face.


    "Who pushed you? Didn''t you roll out on your own?"


    At that moment, Vincent''s heart sank. The very person who had been pushing his wheelchair had


    stayed out of the camera''s view. He remembered now how he had been positioned just out of sight.


    It was a setup all along!


    The Fuller family, together with Vincent, couldn''t piece together what had happened to them. All


    they knew was they''d cked out and woken up in the middle of nowhere, nearly frozen to death!


    Vincent''s leg bore a wound, a stark reminder of Noe''sst look - it sent shivers down his spine.


    The girl was nothing like she used to be.


    Leaving the police station, Vincent turned to Belinda, "This was all Noe''s doing. She must''ve


    be twisted after we cast her out! We must go to Emerald County, find her kin!"


    Vincent was still fixated on thepensation from Emerald County. He had learned that the


    payouts were per capita, and with Noe''srge family, including four brothers without spouses,


    they must have received a tidy sum.


    The Lambert family were teetering on the edge of insolvency. He couldn''t believe that once they


    found Noe''s biological family, they would refuse to share the wealth.


    ...


    At Pris Star Lab.


    Noe furrowed her brow as she reviewed the data sprawled before her.


    There seemed to be a few times of coboration between Pris Star''sb and the one ra


    managed, and the numbers suggested there were issues within ra''s facility.


    "Boss, judging by these figures, there might be a hup at the Emerald Countyb. Should we send


    someone to check it out?"


    Noe tucked away the report, "No need, I''ll go myself."


    She had promised ra a visit to Emerald County, and it would also be an opportunity to inspect


    the Schnabel family estate. If she encountered any problems in Emerald County, she could resolve


    them swiftly.


    After informing Sienna of her trip, her mother immediately approved, pleased by the close bond


    between her daughter and ra. Sienna was relieved to see the girls getting along so well; before


    Noe returned to the family, she had worried about potential friction between her and ra, which


    would''ve upset her regardless of who was at fault. Now, the sight of their closeness made her feel


    like she was the happiest mother in the world. After all, she had those two excellent daughters!


    "Alright, sweetheart, I''ll pack for you. And there are many gifts for ra; she loves the pickles from


    home, so let''s send her some jars, shall we?"


    "Sure, I''ll swing by and pick them up."


    Noe ended the call with her mother still fussing about getting ra''s favorite pastries to take


    along.


    When Noe arrived, she was greeted by piles of packages in the living room, and Sienna was


    concerned it wouldn''t be enough.


    "Sweetheart, can you think of anything else we should send with you? Poor ra, she''s practically


    living in thatb; she''s gotten so thin."


    Without waiting for Noe''s response, Sienna grabbed even more items. To the uninitiated, it would


    seem as though Noe was moving out.


    "That should do it. Your grandfather''s napping, so I won''t wake him."


    "Okay, I''ll be back in a couple of days."


    The Schnabel family car waited nearby. Noe,den with gifts, got in and headed for Emerald


    County.


    Wren chuckled, "Ms. Schnabel, it''s a two-hour drive. You might want to kick back and rx for a


    bit."This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Noe nodded, picking up the stack of documents she had prepared and started reviewing them.


    She suspected that there might be some technical hups at ra''sb.


    As the car rolled out of Imperial City, Noe''s phone began to ring. Palmer''s voice came through the


    receiver, "Remember our date? What snacks are you in the mood for?"


    It was hours away from night snack time, and Noe knew Palmer was just looking for an excuse to


    chat with her. If he hadn''t mentioned it, she would have probably forgotten all about their ns.


    Noe gazed at the scenery whizzing by in reverse, "I''m sorry; it slipped my mind."


    She had already left Imperial City, and going back now to join Palmer for a meal was definitely out


    of the question.


    "It''s okay; we nned for ate-night snack, so you''re not toote."


    "I''m not in Imperial City right now; I might be tied up for a while."


    Palmer pressed a hand to his forehead and stood up from his chair, walking over to therge floor-


    to-ceiling window. Skyscrapers towered and the river murmured beyond the ss, but none of it


    captured his attention.


    His world was onlyplete with her in it!


    "Where are you off to? Do you need me toe with you?"


    "No, it''s just a quick trip to Emerald County to visit my sister."


    Palmer''s voice turned a bit bitter, "So, to my fiancée, family is a good enough reason to forget about


    our ns?"


    It was true, she had forgotten. Noe pressed her lips, her grip tightening on her phone.


    "I''m sorry; it''s on me. Let''s have dinner when I get back."


    "No," Palmer''s voice held a hint of hurt, but his lips curved into a slight smile, "I want you for a whole


    day!"


    Noe had her hands full with tasks, and spending an entire day with Palmer seemed daunting. She


    had forgotten their date, and that oversight had let him down. She tried to find the words to refuse,


    but none woulde.


    With a hesitant nod, Noe finally agreed, "Alright, I''ll stay with you a whole day."