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Something inside her cracked at that. Her hand froze on his arm. Her shoulders stiffened.

“You promised you’d take care of me,” she whispered, eyes shimmering. “Are you backing out now?”

Her voice trembled—not just with sadness, but desperation. The kind that begged for control.

“All I’ve ever dreamed of since I was a child was to get married and live a happy life,” she continued, the words choking up in her throat. “But… it’s okay. If you don’t want that anymore, I’ll just die. I’ll accept it as my fate.”

She let her hand slip from his arm, slowly, like surrendering. Then she turned her face away toward the window, blinking back tears she wanted him to see.

Just then, the door creaked open, and a woman walked in—Astra, wearing a mask.

Chapter 17 Huge Trouble

The second Lorenzo laid eyes on her, his entire body went rigid. His hands clenched at his sides, jaw tightening with barely restrained fury. That woman. He still hadn’t forgotten what she’d done at the doctor’s convention. He was ready to confront her, to make her pay for what she’d done to him.

Esther froze, her grip on Lorenzo’s arm faltering. Her eyes darted nervously between Astra and Lorenzo. ‘What the hell is this bitch doing here?’ Her heart pounded. ‘She’s not going to expose me, is she?’

Frantically, she grabbed Lorenzo again, wrapping her arms around his waist with a trembling voice. “I’m scared, Lorenzo... What’s she doing here? She’s going to kill me!”

Astra’s gaze didn’t flicker. Her voice was cool, businesslike. “You paid me millions. I’m here to fulfill the deal.”

Esther snapped, “You tried to kill me! I don’t want anything to do with you!”

Astra narrowed her eyes at the other woman. “She’s such a liar,” she muttered under her breath. “If she spent half as much effort acting in movies as she does in real life, she’d have an Oscar by now.”

Then she stepped forward, eyes locked on Esther. “If I don’t cure you today, you’re free to kill me.”

Esther bit her lip, panic twisting in her stomach. ‘She knows I’m not sick… then what the hell is she doing?’

Astra turned to Lorenzo. “I’ll cure her. But you’ll transfer the remaining amount today.”

Lorenzo’s cold gaze didn’t waver. “You cure her first. Then you’ll get your money.”

Esther’s lips curled into a smile. Confidence surged back into her expression. ‘So she’s after money like every other doctor.’ Her mind raced. ‘She’ll drag this diagnosis out, milk Lorenzo for money, and by then, I’ll find a way to marry him. Once I’m his wife, I’ll kick her to the curb.’

She pouted and murmured, “Alright, Lorenzo. If you trust her, then… I’ll do it.”

A soft smirk played on her lips. ‘If I don’t want to be cured, then who can cure me—no matter how much she’s paid?’

Lorenzo’s eyes locked onto Astra. “Get started. You can use anything in this hospital—whatever you need to cure her.”

Astra gave him a brief look and replied calmly, “I won’t need anything.”

She walked to the bed, set a sleek black case on the side table, and opened it. From inside, she pulled out a syringe and filled it with a clear liquid.

Esther’s eyes widened as she watched the syringe fill with a clear liquid. Her entire body stiffened. “What… what is that?”

“Poison,” Astra answered flatly, not even sparing her a glance.

“Poison?!” Esther shrieked, her face going pale. Then, catching herself, she quickly lowered her voice and looked at Lorenzo. “You’re… you’re going to let her poison me?”

“It’ll cure you,” Astra said calmly. “You said you have blood clots. This will dissolve them and help your condition. It’s dangerous for healthy people—but for clot patients, it’s very effective.”

Esther went completely still. ‘I don’t have any clots… how can she cure something that’s not there? So if I take this injection, it’s going to poison me?’

Fear surged through her and she grabbed Lorenzo’s hand. “Lorenzo, I—Let’s not do this. Please. I’m scared. I don’t want the injection.”

Lorenzo walked up to her, his expression softer now. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, but before he could speak, she gripped his wrist tightly with both hands, trembling.