The moment the words left his mouth, Ryan Hughes lunged at Adrian Hughes.

I stopped the impulsive boy just in time. If Ryan really harmed Adrian here in the clinic, it would surely draw the attention of the Underworld Court.

This clinic stood at the boundary between the living and the dead, balancing on a fragile equilibrium. If a spirit attacked a living person here, the consequences could be catastrophic.

I had only been running this clinic for less than half a year. I couldn’t let my master Gabriel Reed’s lifelong devotion go to waste.

Adrian, of course, couldn’t see the unusual patients in the clinic, nor could he hear what Ryan had just shouted.

Snarling arrogantly at me, Adrian said, “Bitch, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”

“Don’t think I’m joking. I’ll give you ten minutes. If you don’t clean and bandage my dog’s paw, don’t blame me for what happens next.”

Chloe, clinging to his arm with a smug smile, sneered at me:

“Did you hear that? You’ve only got ten minutes. My boyfriend’s influence in Bayshore City is beyond your imagination. If you don’t want to spend the rest of your life crippled, you’d better get moving and treat Coco.”

I looked at the Maltese lying weakly on the counter and could only shake my head.

Its injury wasn’t serious. But when Chloe barged in earlier, the many spirits inside the clinic had all turned their cold eyes on the dog. The poor thing had been overwhelmed by the heavy aura of death in the room.

Animals can see what ordinary people cannot. Surrounded by so many spirits, the dog’s courage collapsed entirely. Its body convulsed violently—it was beyond saving.

I sighed softly. “I’m not a veterinarian. There’s nothing I can do.”

At my words, the Maltese gave a final shudder. The light faded from its eyes, and its breathing stopped.

Adrian froze, stunned, while Chloe’s eyes lit up with excitement.

Pointing at me, she let out a shrill, fake-anguished scream:

“Rachel Evans, this is all your fault! If you had treated Coco sooner, he wouldn’t have died!”

“You killed him!”

“This was my boyfriend’s most beloved pet. You’re dead this time.”

Then she turned to Adrian, feigning tears:

“Darling, Coco died so tragically. You have to make this bitch pay!”

Already drunk and enraged, Adrian hadn’t understood exactly how his dog had died. But Chloe’s pitiful wailing fueled his anger toward me.

With a sudden swing, he slapped me hard across the face and cursed, “You damned bitch! You killed my dog—I’ll never forgive you.”

“Even if God himself came down, he couldn’t save you tonight!”

He turned to his bodyguards and roared, “What are you waiting for? Smash this pathetic clinic to pieces!”

At his command, the dozen burly men stormed in and began smashing everything in sight.

The spirits in the clinic grew even more furious, the dark aura thickening until the lights flickered wildly as though the electricity was failing.

I hurried to restrain them. I couldn’t allow the spirits to harm the living. If they did, this clinic would truly be finished.

At the same time, I shielded the shrine inside the clinic.

Inside rested my master Gabriel Reed’s memorial plaque.

Even if everything else in the clinic were smashed, I wouldn’t care—I could always replace furniture and equipment. But Gabriel’s memorial plaque could never be damaged.

The bodyguards, for now, hadn’t laid hands on me. Chloe Miller, however, had no such restraint. She suddenly kicked me hard in the stomach, sending me sprawling to the ground.

She crouched beside me, yanking my hair, slapping me viciously across the face several times. With a cruel, gloating smile, she hissed:

“I warned you before—shut down this clinic and sell the building to my family. But you refused to listen.”

“Now my patience has run out.”

“I only planned to stir up trouble and give you a lesson tonight. Who knew Adrian Hughes’s dog would die here? Truly heaven is helping me.”

“Rachel Evans, you’re finished tonight!”

Looking at the sinister grin on her face, I sighed inwardly.

If this chaos continued, someone was bound to die tonight. The only question was—who?

The violent hostility radiating from Adrian and Chloe was deeply agitating the spirits within the clinic. Even Ryan Hughes, the mischievous ghost boy, now had eyes glowing an eerie green. The aura of death grew heavier, the temperature in the clinic dropping noticeably.

Clutching Gabriel’s memorial plaque tightly, I warned them urgently:

“If you don’t want to die, leave now—before it’s too late!”

I wasn’t bluffing.

The spirits’ patience had nearly reached its limit. If Adrian and Chloe continued smashing and provoking them, even I might not be able to hold the spirits back.

But my words only made Adrian and Chloe laugh scornfully.

Chloe sneered, “You can’t even protect yourself, yet you dare to threaten us? Rachel, you really don’t know what’s good for you!”

Adrian said impatiently, “No one in Bayshore City dares threaten me. You think I was joking earlier?”

Then he ordered his bodyguards, “Break her hands. Teach her a lesson she won’t forget.”

The men hesitated.

Smashing up my clinic was one thing—the Hughes family would cover damages afterward. But harming a person? That was another matter entirely.

One bodyguard finally spoke up cautiously:

“Sir, tomorrow is Mr. Charles Hughes’s eightieth birthday. If word spreads that we went too far tonight, the old man may be displeased. Perhaps just rough her up a little, and leave it at that.”

The others nodded in agreement.

Adrian frowned, wavering for a moment.

Chloe clutched his arm anxiously, her voice pitiful as she pleaded,

“Darling, you can’t let her off so easily. She killed Coco—you can’t just ignore that.”

“Coco was your favorite dog. You said before, if anyone ever harmed a single hair on him, you’d never forgive them.”

“This bitch has always been against my family. She’s cruel and conniving. I’ve wanted to punish her for a long time.”

“Do it for me—tonight, you must teach her a brutal lesson…”