Chapter 1

"Thirty dollars? That's daylight robbery!"

The young woman speaking was Faye Lincoln, a social media influencer who had recently returned to town. She was just a bit under the weather, with some mild diarrhea from the change in environment. I had prescribed her the gentlest digestive medication I had.

I replied, "Miss, the medication alone costs 25 dollars. I only charged you five for the consultation, which is more than reasonable."

She waved her phone in my face, screen pointed right at me. "Stop lying to me! I just looked it up online, and the exact same medication sells for 25 dollars! With free shipping! You claim you only charged five for the consultation? What about the government subsidies that rural clinics like yours get for medications? Did you pocket all of that yourself?"

'Subsidies?' I was caught off guard by the word.

I let out a bitter laugh. Those subsidies required complicated applications, and even when approved, the amount barely covered anything. For convenience, I had always gotten my medications through a pharmaceutical contact I knew personally, specifically because their products were effective with minimal side effects.

I had graduated from a top medical school with multiple prestigious hospitals offering me positions. However, Aaron Hayes, our town mayor, had tracked me down and explained how far the town was from the county seat and how hard it was for the elderly and kids to get medical care. He asked if I would consider coming back.

Remembering how the townspeople had helped my mom and me after my dad passed away, I had agreed.

I had been the town doctor for five years and dealt with unreasonable patients before, so I immediately pointed to the price board on the wall.

"All medication prices are posted publicly and transparently. I have to pay for my inventory too, and I haven't overcharged you a single cent."

"Oh, wow! You really put on a good show, don't you?" Faye crossed her arms with a cold laugh.

She said, "But these shady money-making schemes only work on ignorant small-town folks like the people here."

She rolled her eyes at me, then shouted to the patients waiting inside and outside the clinic, "Everyone, come look! Dr. Evan Miller is overcharging us! He's scamming regular people like us!"

As soon as she finished, everyone's eyes turned to me, filled with scrutiny and suspicion.

Thankfully, my neighbor, little Daisy Turman, pushed through the crowd, her cheeks puffed out in anger as she glared at Faye.

"Faye, you're lying! Dr. Miller is a good person! Last time I had a fever, Dr. Miller treated me and even gave me candy! He's so kind!"

A wave of warmth washed over me, and I smiled at Daisy.

However, Faye's expression darkened as she scanned the medication I had prescribed with her phone.

Then, she shoved the screen in Daisy's face. "Look closely. This sells for 25 dollars online, and he charged me 30 for it. That's five whole dollars extra! You little brat! One piece of candy and you're bought off. When you grow up, you'll be the type to get kidnapped by some stranger offering candy!"

"Faye!" Daisy's eyes immediately welled up with tears.

"Watch your mouth," I said, my tone turning cold.

I pointed out the issue with the image on her phone. "Look carefully. These are made by two different pharmaceutical companies. The one I prescribed has better purification processes and fewer side effects, which is why it costs more."

Yet she acted as if she had just caught me in a lie, her smile growing even more smug. "Excuses! Online medical experts have already debunked claims like yours! The ingredients are the same, so how different can the effects be? You just want to make more money, don't you?"