Matthew took his time to study the examination result. 'Stung by the Spina Gleditsiae and needs a local operation?

Is this Erica's doing? Did she try another trick on Phoebe?' "Evidence," he said through gritted teeth.

Phoebe had known that Matthew would ask for proof, and she was ready. At once, she pulled out her phone and sent him the video she had prepared in advance.

The recording was a clip from surveillance footage from a Chinese medicine shop. It showed two people speaking to the shopkeeper. The video had sound, and one of the two newcomers—a young woman—could clearly be heard saying, "Sir, do you sell Spina Gleditsiae here?"

The shopkeeper nodded and asked, "Yes, indeed. How much do you want?"

The woman thought for a moment, and then said, "Five grams would be enough."

As he weighed the Spina Gleditsiae, the shopkeeper shot her a puzzled look. Eventually, he asked, "Young lady, may I ask why do you want to purchase this herb? It's poisonous."

The woman's expression remained unchanged as she replied, "Oh, I know that. It's for the treatment of retained fetal membranes in my cow. I'm going to burn the Spina Gleditsiae to ash, mix it with warm wine, and feed it to the cow."

This was indeed, one of the known uses of the herb. However, one particular detail in the explanation caught the shopkeeper's interest. "Your cow?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You don't look like a cowherd. How do you know that the Spina Gleditsiae can be used for this purpose?"

"My cousin majored in traditional Chinese medicine," explained the woman. "He told me all about it."

"I see." The shopkeeper carefully wrapped the five grams in paper and told her the price. A brief moment later, he added, "Remember, be very careful with this stuff."

"Of course. Thank you, sir!" The video ended after the woman paid and left the shop along with the person who had entered with her.

The woman in the video was none other than Erica. The man who accompanied her was Hyatt. He was always willing to help Erica with whatever she did.

As for the so-called cousin she mentioned... Of all the people they knew, Sheffield was the only one well-versed in traditional Chinese medicine.

Matthew knew that Sheffield wanted Godwin to learn from him, but the boy was still young and had only grasped the uses of some simple herbs. He certainly couldn't know much about the effects of various kinds of medicine.

So, he eliminated Godwin as the so-called cousin quoted by Erica.

That left him with no doubt that Sheffield had informed Erica about the herb and its uses.

After buying the Spina Gleditsiae, Erica had used the poisonous herbs to prick Phoebe. Unaware of how serious it was,

she had forgotten about her injury. She winced as her nails dug into her injured palm. Her face paled, and she was forced to release her fist.

Matthew grabbed the examination report on the table and tore the paper from the middle. "If you want to sue her, be quick. Eventually, you will be of no use to me. When that day arrives, you will lose your chance to sue her."

There would be no chance... Phoebe's eyes searched Matthew's face as she asked in a trembling voice, "What do you want to do to me?"

"What do I want?" After throwing the pieces of paper into the trash can, he ruthlessly pronounced, "From the day you killed my friend's unborn child, you were already on your way to the slum. If you behave well before I send you there, maybe I will let Tessie be your company. If you continue to be stubborn and hurt Erica again, I will ensure that it isn't Tessie, but a beast, or something more terrible than a beast who will accompany you."

Phoebe's legs weakened, and her body shook. She grabbed the desk to steady herself but found that she was unable to stand firm.

She finally realized how much a man like Matthew could spoil a woman as long as he loved her.

He spoiled Erica without a care in the world.

Phoebe's envy toward Erica grew by leaps and bounds. There was no doubt left in her mind that Erica was the woman in Matthew's heart.

But Erica was stupid. Even though she was the woman Matthew loved, she was ignorant of it and continued her efforts to find out who he loved.

Matthew ignored Phoebe's pallid complexion, and continued, "Aren't you going to sue her? Please go ahead. I'll play the game with you to the end." It was yet to be seen who would end up in jail.

After saying that, he called Owen through the internal line.

He ordered, "See the guest out!"