"Mercy?"

Eileen let out a quiet laugh, but there was not a trace of humor in her eyes. "Jason, the day you sent me to prison with your own hands, you already showed me no mercy. Whatever sibling bond we had was gone. Starting today, I have nothing to do with the Hewitt family."

Her words brought the whole room to silence. Even Natalie lifted her head in shock, and a flicker of unease crossed her eyes.

"What are you saying? You think you can just walk away from this family? Are you really willing to do that?" Landen did not believe a word of it. His voice was full of mockery. "I don't trust it, unless you—"

"Unless I give up everything from the Hewitt family?" Eileen finished the sentence for him, determination glinting in her eyes. "Fine. From this moment forward, I sever every tie with the Hewitt family. There is nothing left between us."

"Good. Very good." Jason gave a cold, mocking laugh, and his anger only grew stronger. "Since that is what you want, then I have fulfilled my duty as your brother. The Hewitt family owes you nothing now. You may leave."

Eileen did not waste a single word on him. She turned around and walked straight for the door without the slightest pause.

Halfway out, she suddenly thought of something. She had nearly no money. She did not even have enough to pay for a ride.

"Wait." Eileen came to a stop and turned back to look at Jason. "I do not have any money. Can you lend me a hundred dollars? I will pay you back in the future."

The request clearly caught Jason off guard. "You do not even have a hundred dollars?"

"No, I don't," Eileen replied evenly. "For the past four years, you have not given me a single cent."

Her words pierced straight through whatever composure Jason had left.

He said nothing for a moment, then took a bill from his wallet and held it out to her. "Take it. And do not come back here again."

Eileen took the money without thanking him and turned away once more.

Outside the house, the sunlight was still harsh and bright. A faint redness had crept into her eyes.

Today was her twenty-second birthday. It should have been a day to celebrate, yet it had become the day she cut herself off from everything in her past.

Eileen drew in a slow breath, trying to steady the storm inside her.

She swore that, one day, she would take back everything that had been owed to her over the last four years, and she would do it on her own terms.

With the hundred-dollar bill in her hand, her first thought was to book a ride, but she stopped herself.

She had nowhere to go.

After thinking for a while, she slipped a hand into the worn pocket of her clothes and pulled out an old scrap of paper.

A phone number was written on it.

Patricia Flynn, an elderly woman she had met in prison, had given it to her before she died. She had said it belonged to someone Eileen could rely on after her release.

Eileen walked over to the roadside and borrowed a phone from a passerby.

The call was answered almost at once. A calm male voice came from the other end of the line. "Hello, who is this?"

"Hello. I am a friend of Patricia Flynn," Eileen said in an even tone. "She gave me this number before she died."

There was a brief silence on the other end. Then, the man's voice grew serious.

"Please wait a moment." After a short verification, the voice returned to normal. "Patricia did leave instructions behind. Please tell me where you are. I will send a car to pick you up."

Ten minutes later, a black high-end car pulled up in front of Eileen.

A middle-aged man in a crisp suit got out and gave her a careful once-over. "Are you Patricia Flynn's friend?"

Eileen gave a small nod. "Yes."

The man dipped his head. "Please, get in. My boss is waiting for you."

The car soon rolled off at an unhurried pace. A short distance away, someone had seen the entire scene.

Marc Stewart, Jason's driver, had been smoking near the entrance when the scene caught his eye.

"Was that Eileen? She just got into a limited-edition Rolls-Royce?"

He gaped in shock, yanked out his phone to take a photo, and called Jason at once.

Inside the house, the birthday celebration had resumed, but the mood had clearly cooled down a bit.

Jason's phone began to ring. When he saw Marc's name, he knitted his brows and stepped away to pick up the call.

"What is it?"

"Mr. Hewitt, I just saw Eileen get into a Rolls-Royce. It's one of those limited models. There are only 100 in the world." Marc spoke in an urgent voice.

"A Rolls-Royce?" Jason did not buy it. "You've got to be wrong. How could someone with no money at all have such a car picking her up?"

"It's real. I took a picture. I'll send it to you right now."

Not long after, Jason received the photo.

In it, Eileen stood beside the car while a suited man held the door open for her with clear respect.

Jason's face shifted at once.

Meanwhile, the car made its way down the city's main road. Eileen sat by the window, watching the view slide past.

Four years had gone by. The city had changed greatly, yet some things stayed exactly as they had been.

Silence filled the car. The driver glanced at Eileen now and then through the rearview mirror but did not speak.

Eileen stayed quiet, too, wondering about Patricia's real identity.

During those four years in prison, the old woman had never spoken of her past. She turned every visitor away, yet she taught Eileen countless things no ordinary person would ever know.

"May I ask how long you've known Patricia?" The driver was the one who finally broke the silence.

Eileen kept her eyes on the scenery rushing by. "Four years."

"Where did you meet?"

"In prison," Eileen answered briefly and did not say anything beyond that.

At last, the car came to a stop in front of a towering office building. The driver stepped out and opened the door for Eileen. "Please follow me."

Eileen went with him into the elevator. They then headed straight for the top floor.

When the elevator doors slid open, a spacious office came into view.

A middle-aged man in a dark suit stood before the floor-to-ceiling window with his back to them.

"Mr. Gilbert, Patricia's friend is here," the driver said softly.

The man, Rodger Gilbert, turned to face Eileen at an unhurried pace, his eyes sharp with scrutiny. "So you're the person Patricia mentioned before?"

His gaze traveled over Eileen from head to toe. "You look far too young."

Eileen did not reply at once. Her eyes swept across the office instead.

The room had been furnished with quiet luxury. Beyond the towering glass windows, the whole city sprawled beneath them. The person who owned this place was clearly a man of immense money and influence.

"I am Patricia's student," Eileen finally said.

A trace of astonishment crossed Rodger's face. "Patricia's student? She never had any students before."

Eileen exhaled softly as her mind slipped back to four years ago.

Not long after she was sent to prison, a fight broke out one day.

A group of tall female inmates had cornered an elderly, gray-haired woman and were trying to snatch away her meal.

Eileen had only just arrived back then, yet she interfered anyway. She was beaten badly for it.

From that day forward, the elderly woman, Patricia, treated her with kindness and began teaching her all kinds of things.

From defending herself to difficult medical principles, from the use of herbs to acupuncture, Patricia passed on everything she knew without reservation.

Throughout those four years, Patricia never received visitors and almost never mentioned anything about her past.

Eileen had once asked her why she had landed in prison. Patricia had merely smiled in that unreadable way of hers and said she had chosen to come there.

One month before Eileen's release, Patricia's condition took a sudden turn for the worse.

Before dying, she handed Eileen a phone number and told her to reach out to its owner after leaving prison. She also warned her to be careful.

Eileen gave Rodger the short version. "Before she died, she left me your number and told me to come find you."

Rodger fell into deep thought after hearing that.

The office grew still, and the only sound left was the steady ticking of the clock on the wall.

"In the medical field, Patricia was called Healer Enigma. Five years ago, my mother came down with a strange disease. Even the finest hospitals could do nothing for her. Later, I paid an enormous price to bring Patricia to treat her."

Rodger rose from his seat and walked over to the window, standing with his back turned to Eileen.

He continued, "Patricia said she could heal my mother, but she needed time to prepare the medicine. On the third night after the treatment began, she suddenly gave me something, asked me to keep it safe, and said she had urgent business to handle. After that, she disappeared without a trace. I did not dare touch the item she gave me. I could only keep using the prescriptions she had left behind to keep my mother's condition stable. But for five years, her condition has only worsened. And now, she..."

A spark of hope lit Rodger's eyes. "Are you really Patricia's student? Can you save my mother?"

"I can try," Eileen said evenly. "But I need to check on the patient first, and I also need to see the thing Patricia left with you."

Rodger drew in a deep breath, as though weighing a major choice.

After a brief pause, he grabbed his phone and called someone. "Get the car ready. We're going to the hospital now."

Twenty minutes later, a luxury car came to a stop outside the city's most exclusive private hospital.

Rodger brought Eileen straight to the VIP area on the top floor.

Along the way, every member of the medical staff greeted Rodger with clear respect.

"My mother's attending doctor was specially brought in from abroad. Even he has no solution," Rodger said quietly as the elevator climbed. "You are my last hope."

Eileen said nothing.

Patricia had taught her a lot of things, but the thought of facing an illness even top experts could not treat still left her uneasy.

The moment the elevator doors opened, a neatly dressed middle-aged woman hurried toward them.

"Rodger, why are you here so late? Your mother had another episode earlier. The doctor said—"

She suddenly stopped talking the second she noticed the young woman standing beside Rodger. She knitted her brows. "And this is?"

"Honey, this is Dr. Flynn. I brought her to treat my mother," Rodger replied.

Rodger's wife, Amy Gilbert, gave Eileen a slow once-over, noting her plain clothes and worn appearance. Disdain flashed through her eyes.

"A doctor so young? Where exactly did you find her? Is she even reliable?"

Before Eileen could say anything, Rodger spoke first. "She is Patricia's student."

"Patricia? The one who vanished five years ago?" Amy looked surprised, but suspicion quickly returned. "How do you know she isn't a fraud? Plenty of swindlers prey on rich families like this."

Pain tightened Rodger's expression. "My mother does not have much time left. Even the specialists have stopped trying. This could be our final chance..."

"That is precisely why we cannot act recklessly," Amy said with firmness. "She has to prove she is capable of doing this."

Eileen finally opened her mouth. "Mrs. Gilbert, the dull ache in the knuckle of your right little finger is an early symptom of rheumatism. You should stay away from the cold to prevent your condition from getting worse."

Amy dropped her eyes to her hand in shock. She did have that problem, yet she had never told anyone about it.

Before she could speak, Eileen continued, "And those migraines of yours, especially when stress hits, are caused by an issue in your cervical spine."

Amy's expression changed at once. She stared at Eileen in shock.

"H-how do you know that?" she asked.

"Observation. Now, may I see the patient?" Eileen said.

Amy hesitated for a brief second, then moved aside. "I am still not completely convinced. I will stay and watch the entire process."

Eileen stepped into the hospital room and found an elderly woman with silver hair lying on the bed, her skin waxen and her frame extremely thin. It was obvious her life was hanging by a thread.

Medical equipment crowded the bedside, their warning sounds ringing out in a steady rhythm.

"Dr. Flynn, this is my mother. Please examine her condition," Rodger said in a low voice, his eyes heavy with concern.

Eileen moved to the bedside and inspected Leah Gilbert with careful attention.

She saw the strange ashen color staining Leah's nails and a slight bluish cast lingering around her mouth.

The symptoms made the cause plain. Leah had been poisoned, and it had been happening for a very long time.

Amy stood off to the side, observing Eileen's every action, her expression still tinged with doubt.

"What exactly are you going to do? Do you need any special equipment or medicine?" she asked.

"No. I only need a set of needles," Eileen replied.

"Needles? We brought in the best experts and used the finest machines and medication, and none of it helped. But you think a few needles are going to solve this?" Amy's voice was thick with disbelief and impatience.

Eileen paid no mind to Amy's words and looked at Rodger instead.

"Mr. Gilbert, your mother stayed unconscious because poison accumulated inside her body. I can draw it out. If I cannot do it, I will bear all responsibility."

Rodger looked closely at the young woman standing before him. For reasons he could not explain, the steadiness in her eyes made him believe there was still hope for his mother. He inhaled deeply and gave a firm nod. "Alright. Go ahead."

Amy still looked ready to protest, but eventually, she pressed her lips together and moved out of the way.

Rodger promptly got the needles for Eileen.

Eileen accepted them, disinfected the needles, and picked out several slender ones.

She laid two fingers against Leah's neck and checked her pulse.

Then, her fingertips traveled slowly along Leah's arm, searching with exact care.

"This is the spot," she suddenly said.

Without the slightest pause, she slid a needle into an exact point on Leah's arm.

Amy let out a sharp gasp, but Rodger stopped her from stepping forward and signaled her to stay quiet.

Eileen went on identifying points across Leah's body, placing a needle each time she found the right spot.

Her hands stayed steady and assured.

Before long, well over a dozen needles were in place.

She made a slight adjustment to a few of them, then slowly turned one.

At that moment, something strange happened.

A bead of blackened blood leaked from the place where the needle had gone in. Then, more followed, gathering into a narrow stream that slid down Leah's arm.

Rodger and Amy stared in stunned silence.

"It is just as I thought. Long-term poisoning. The toxins have been collecting for years," Eileen said evenly.

She kept turning the needles, and more dark blood spilled out.

Just then, the door was shoved open, and a middle-aged doctor in a white coat entered the room.

The moment he saw what was happening, alarm flashed across his face.

"What are you doing? Who gave you permission to treat this patient?" He strode over at once and spoke with cutting sharpness. "What kind of treatment is this? Do you even know that this could cause infection?"

Before Eileen could reply, he turned toward Rodger. "Mr. Gilbert, who is this woman? Does she even have a medical license? I need to report this."

"Dr. Todd, calm down," Rodger said at once. "This is Dr. Flynn. I brought her here to treat my mother."

"Dr. Flynn? There is no doctor here by that name!" Samuel Todd sneered and pulled out his phone to place a call. "Treating a patient like this is against the law. I have to report this to the police."

Just then, Leah gave a weak groan and slowly lifted her eyelids.

"Mom!" Rodger rushed to her side and clasped her hand. "You're awake! How are you feeling now?"

Leah blinked sluggishly. She was still frail, but her eyes were clear as she looked around the room.

"It feels like I have been asleep for a very long time. I can finally open my eyes again..."

Samuel went rigid, staring at her in utter disbelief.

"This... this is impossible. Your condition..."

Eileen continued her work calmly, as though nothing had happened.

She removed the needles that had already done their job, then inserted fresh ones into several other areas, continuing to purge the toxins.

"You used heavy medication on her but failed to clear out the source of her condition," Eileen said without raising her head. "This was never about giving her more medication. It was about taking out what never should have remained inside her. The toxins stayed in her system for too many years. More medication only worsened her condition."

Samuel's expression darkened with rage.

"Are you questioning my medical skills? I graduated from a prestigious medical school!"

"And was that where they taught you to handle chronic poisoning with strong medication?" Eileen answered evenly. "That kind of treatment isn't right at all."

Samuel's face turned livid in fury, yet since Leah was awake because of Eileen, every retort died in his throat.

"Are you saying that all these years of treatment did not just fail, but actually pushed my mother's condition further downhill?" Rodger asked, dumbfounded.

He had poured an enormous amount of money into hiring renowned specialists, only to make his mother's condition worse.

Eileen gave a faint nod. "Your mother came into contact with a slow-acting poison years ago. It stayed in her body until it finally caused severe symptoms. Ordinary tests could not find the source of the problem, but my observation and examination techniques exposed the issue."

Samuel flushed with humiliation. In the end, he lowered his phone and left the room using the excuse of having something else to do.

The treatment went on for about an hour. At last, Eileen removed every needle and wiped the dark blood from Leah's body.

She then wrote a prescription and carefully explained the dosage.

"This is only the beginning. The oldest toxins are gone." She turned to Rodger. "She will need this medicine for three months to remove all the toxins in her body."

Rodger was overcome with gratitude. The weight he had carried for five years finally fell away, leaving him feeling lighter than ever.

"Wait," Rodger called when Eileen was about to leave. He gestured to his assistant.

The assistant hurried over with a neatly wrapped box and handed it to Eileen. "This is the latest phone model. Mr. Gilbert's number is already saved on it."

Rodger pulled out his phone and completed a transfer. "I just sent you three million dollars as your payment. I will return the item Patricia left to you soon."

Eileen had planned to turn the money down, but she had nothing left to her name and needed a new beginning. So, she accepted it.

After she left the room, she stepped into the elevator.

The doors slid open on the fifth floor, and a young doctor in a white coat hurried in.

The moment his eyes met Eileen's, both of them froze in surprise.

"Eileen?" the young doctor said, stunned. "What are you doing here?"

Eileen looked at him with a cold expression. He was Evan Hewitt, her second elder brother.

Her voice stayed calm, but her eyes were icy. "I was just released from prison. You didn't know?"