Bad Rate

By the time Rue left the gallery, it was already getting late.

She first needed to gather the ingredients required for her next batch of Vital Essence Pills.

None of those herbs could be purchased through normal channels.

Ordinary people would have to place special orders.

Fortunately, Rue wasn't ordinary.

Back in high school, while sketching landscapes in the mountains, she'd befriended a farming family there. Their medicinal herbs were of exceptional quality.

Ten-year-old clematis vines could be found practically everywhere.

As for wild ginseng that had grown for a century?

The family treated it like common radishes, piling it carelessly in the fields.

Rue stood at a bus stop waiting for the bus to arrive.

The farmer's wife had packed the herbs and sent them over on a bus. All it cost was a passenger ticket.

While she waited—

A flashy red Porsche 911 came speeding down the road.

A familiar figure sat behind the wheel.

The car slowly pulled up beside her.

The man leaned casually against the door and whistled.

“What a coincidence, Rue Blackwood. Waiting for a bus? Need a ride?”

Rue shot him a cold glance and ignored him completely.

Back then, she'd always carried herself with that same lofty attitude.

Did she still think she was the Sterling Family's precious daughter?

Now she was nothing more than the daughter of a struggling company on the verge of collapse.

Who was she putting on airs for?

The last time Rue had slapped Hans Galloway, it hadn't humbled him in the slightest.

Instead, he'd only become more persistent.

Hans brushed his lips with his fingers.

“Not talking?” He stepped out of the car and blocked her path. “I know things haven't been easy for you lately. For old times' sake, I'll give you a special rate. Fifty thousand dollars a month. What do you think?”

“Fifty thousand?” Rue raised an eyebrow and studied him thoughtfully. “Fifty thousand to cry at your funeral every day? That's actually not a bad rate.”

“A funeral?”

Hans frowned in irritation.

He stepped closer, openly looking her up and down.

Now that she'd left the Sterling Family, her clothes were plain and worn. She couldn't even afford designer brands anymore.

What exactly was she so proud of?

Yet the colder and more indifferent she acted, the stronger his desire to conquer her became.

“Rue Blackwood, don't refuse a favor when it's offered!”

Anger flashed across Hans's face as he continued advancing toward her.

“The Sterling Family may have something to fear from you, but I don't. You slapped me before, and I haven't settled that score yet.”

Rue casually lifted her phone.

“Hans Galloway, do you really want Galloway Group trending tomorrow for this?”

The screen displayed a video of his earlier behavior.

There he was, wearing that disgusting expression while offering fifty thousand dollars to keep her.

She sneered. “I wonder how Ariana Sterling would react if she saw this.”

“You—” Hans had grown up with her. He knew she responded to kindness but resisted force.

Still unwilling to give up, he narrowed his eyes.

“I know you care about that useless brother of yours, Zach. How about this? Be with me, and I'll cover all of his medical expenses every month. I'll give you another fifty thousand on top of that and provide jobs for your entire family. That's sincere enough, isn't it?”

Rue's face remained ice-cold.

Only a single word escaped her lips.

“Get lost.”

“Don't be like that. Haven't you always known how I felt about you? If the Sterling Family hadn't fallen apart, we'd be getting married right now, wouldn't we?”

Hans gazed at her affectionately.

Then he reached out, intending to grab her hand.

Before his wandering hand could touch her, Rue swung at him.

This time Hans had learned his lesson.

He dodged quickly and avoided the slap.

When gentle persuasion failed, his composure finally cracked.

“Rue Blackwood, who do you think you are? Fifty thousand dollars is enough for me to find someone prettier, more obedient, and better than you! Don't mistake my kindness for weakness! Without the Sterling Family, you can't even afford transportation and have to ride the bus!”

Just then, the bus's horn sounded.

Beep! Beep!

Rue checked the license plate and immediately hurried toward the stop. All of her medicinal herbs were on that bus. If Hans delayed her and interfered with her pill refining, she was going to kill this idiot herself.

Yet Hans continued pestering her.

“Your father's health is terrible. Paying for his medicine is already a struggle every month. And if your brother loses his job, how exactly is your family supposed to survive?”

He deliberately stepped in front of her.

As a result, she missed the bus.

The flames of anger that had already been building inside her surged even higher.

Rue slowly turned around. Her icy gaze swept over him from head to toe.

Then she grabbed his arm, twisted it hard, and drove a vicious kick straight into his abdomen.

“Even a good dog knows not to block the road. Get out of my way!”

“Hiss—ah! Oww! It hurts! It hurts!” Hans cried out miserably.

People all around the bus stop turned to watch.

“Try this again, and you'll find out exactly what broken arms and legs feel like.”

“You! Rue Blackwood! You're an ungrateful bitch! You'll never amount to anything! You'll be riding buses for the rest of your life! Trash belongs with trash!”

Even while sprawled on the ground, he kept shouting insults.

Rue suddenly looked back.

One cold glance was enough.

Hans instantly shut his mouth.

Her eyes genuinely frightened him.

Watching the bus disappear farther down the road, Rue reluctantly called AJ for help.

After running around for hours, it was completely dark by the time she finally returned home carrying the herbs.

The moment she entered the house, she saw Gyle Blackwood sitting alone on the couch.

He was coughing repeatedly, each fit followed by labored breathing.

The sight immediately alarmed her.

“Dad, what's wrong?”

Hearing his daughter call him “Dad,” Gyle felt a warmth spread through his heart.

He grinned sheepishly and waved it off.

“It’s just my old condition acting up again. Nothing serious.”

Rue quickly crossed the room and knelt beside him.

Without another word, she set down the sack she was carrying and placed two fingers against his wrist to check his pulse.

This pulse...

Could it be asthma?

“It’s an old problem,” Gyle said casually. “Whenever I start coughing, I just take some medicine.”

As he spoke, he picked up a bottle from the coffee table and prepared to swallow a pill.