THE DIVORCE GAMBIT From Dumped Wife to CEO's Forever novel Chapter 594

She certainly never thought the person she grew up with could have such an ugly, twisted soul.

It was disgusting.

"I'm a thief?" Jennifer sneered, her eyes burning with contempt. "Celia, if I'm a thief, what does that make you? You're a Valerium noble, born into a life of adoration and envy. You've been nurtured by our country, but what have you ever done for it?"

"Not only have you contributed nothing, but you're now siding with an outsider against the friend who grew up with you!"

Friend?

The word sent another surge of rage through Celia. She raised her hand and slapped Jennifer again, harder this time.

"You have no right to use that word!"

The force of the blow sent Jennifer staggering backward. She lost her footing and collapsed to the floor, her vision swimming with stars, unable to get up.

Griffin watched the scene unfold, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He knew this day would come, that Celia would eventually discover the truth.

But Griffin never expected it to happen so quickly.

Taking a deep breath, Griffin tried to make himself as small as possible, inching toward the door.

He had to get out of here.

Now.

Or He would be next.

"Stay where you are."

A shadow fell over Griffin, blocking the light from above. It was unnerving.

Griffin's heart sank. He looked up.

Griffin was met with a pair of calm, intelligent eyes set in a beautifully sculpted face.

The woman stood directly in front of him. Her expression was neutral, yet it sent a chill down Griffin's spine, making it impossible to hold her gaze.

Griffin was terrified.

His heart felt like it was about to pound out of his chest.

Though Griffin had never met her, a strange certainty told Griffin that this was the legendary Miss Gonzales.

The woman who had cured epilepsy.

"Give it back."

Caitlin's voice was soft, but firm.

Her tone was melodic, almost soothing.

Griffin, who had a weakness for pleasant voices, was in no state to appreciate it. He swallowed hard, feigning ignorance. "G-give what back?"

And Celia was known for her wild, unpredictable temper.

There was nothing she wouldn't do.

True fear finally set in. "Miss Palmer, please, spare me!" Griffin pleaded, his voice trembling. "I really don't have the prescription! Please, I was just following Director Smith's orders. I had no choice…"

Seeing that Griffin was still refusing to cooperate, Celia pressed down, the tip of the dagger breaking the skin.

A single, perfect bead of crimson blood welled up.

The red against the pale skin was a terrifying sight.

"Celia, if she won't give it back, let it go," Caitlin said, gently taking the dagger from Celia's hand.

Griffin let out a massive sigh of relief as the dagger was taken away, collapsing onto the floor in a heap.

"Why?" Celia asked, turning to Caitlin, her eyes filled with confusion. "Freya, aren't you worried they'll steal your work and file for a patent?"

Once Smith patented the formula, even Caitlin, the original creator, would be barred from using it.

"Traditional medicine is about treating the individual, not the disease," Caitlin explained calmly. "The prescription I wrote for you was tailored to your specific condition. If anyone else were to use it, not only would it fail to cure them, but it could worsen their illness and cause irreversible damage to their body."

She paused, then turned to Griffin. "Listen carefully."

"Go back and tell your mentor that there is currently no miracle cure for epilepsy. Celia's case was unique. I used a highly potent, and dangerous, ingredient, combined with a specialized Golden Needle acupuncture technique. That is the only reason she recovered. If your mentor insists on using my prescription to create a drug, at best, his patients will end up paralyzed. At worst, they will die."