Chapter 40

Suzy caught Leonard’s look immediately. She knew exactly what he meant.

After a brief pause, she rose and walked over to Adam. He noticed her approach and asked quietly, "What is it?"

She cleared her throat softly before explaining her purpose. She told him she hoped he could help her purchase a large quantity of medicine.

Adam listened without interrupting. He didn’t ask why she needed so much. After a brief silence, he simply asked, "How much do you need?"

Suzy sent him the spreadsheet she had prepared.

He glanced at it once—just once—then said calmly, "That’s fine."

The ease of his answer startled her.

Before she could stop herself, she reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Really? Can you get that much? Thank you—thank you so much!"

Her excitement spilled over uncontrollably. Adam let her hold on, his expression still composed and unreadable.

Only after a moment did Suzy regain her senses.

She followed his gaze and realized he was looking at the hand gripping his wrist.

She immediately let go. "Sorry! I got a little too excited."

Now that she had calmed down, she felt a flush of embarrassment.

"It’s fine," he said evenly. "You send me the full list and quantities, and I’ll have someone arrange it within the next few days."

The amount she needed was large, but Adam had seen far larger.

Regulations might be strict at the moment, but with his connections, acquiring those supplies wasn’t difficult.

Suzy quickly forwarded the document.

"Adam, I really, really appreciate this."

He had just solved one of her biggest problems. She racked her brain, trying to think of how to repay him.

Before she could come up with anything, he spoke first. "If you really want to thank me, treat me to dinner once everything’s settled."

She nodded immediately. "Deal!"

Just as they finished talking, Leonard returned and sat down. He chatted about other matters but deliberately avoided asking why Suzy needed so much medicine.

They watched television for a while in comfortable silence.

Soon, Adam received a phone call. After answering it briefly, he stood and said goodbye.

Once he left, the house felt quieter.

Suzy and Leonard exchanged a few more words before heading to their rooms.

Leonard looked as though he wanted to ask her something—but in the end, he said nothing.

***

The next morning, when Suzy woke up, Leonard had already gone to work.

She resumed her now usual routine.

More deliveries. More coordination.

She visited another factory and ordered twenty generators—solar-powered, diesel-powered, any type available.

She didn’t buy an excessive amount. Her plan was simple: once the order collapsed, she could always "acquire" more at zero cost.

Passing an electric scooter dealership running a promotion, she bought three scooters on the spot.

Days slipped by in this constant rhythm of preparation.

Wendy’s birthday came and went.

After Suzy’s strategic move the last time, Wendy didn’t call again.

Partly because she didn’t dare push too hard—afraid of losing access to future benefits.

Partly because she herself was frantically stockpiling supplies.

As a longtime fan of apocalypse fiction, Wendy had thrown herself into preparation with obsessive intensity.

She was so immersed in hoarding that she barely noticed the passage of time.

During this time, Wendy had rented a cargo truck and was driving all over A City, placing orders wherever she saw something useful.

To fund her stockpiling, she had squeezed a considerable amount of money out of George and Fiona.

Between the lines of every conversation, she kept urging George to hurry up and transfer that one hundred million to her.

George, for his part, was waiting as well. The notarization and related procedures required time.

That was also why he hadn’t bothered Suzy recently—he’d been preoccupied with paperwork.

Meanwhile, Adam had quietly arranged the medicine order. Exactly as Suzy had requested, everything was delivered directly to her warehouse.

She inspected each shipment personally and signed for the goods. When she prepared to settle the bill, she was told it had already been paid.

She assumed Leonard had handled it and planned to ask him later.

At six in the evening, after collecting the final batch of supplies, Suzy cleared out the warehouse and prepared to head home.

Just as she started the engine, her phone rang.

A sudden chill crept up her spine. She glanced at the screen.

George.

She inhaled slowly and adjusted her tone before answering.

"Hello... Dad..."

Her voice sounded faint and weak, as though she might pass out at any moment.

On the other end, George was clearly restraining a surge of anger. He cut her off immediately.

"Suzy, tell me the truth—did you tamper with the contract?"

So they had finally discovered it.

With Malcolm Brone’s assistance, Suzy had indeed altered certain clauses in the contract, rendering it invalid. George had submitted it for notarization and waited patiently for approval—only to have it rejected.

The problem lay in the contract itself.

He had been furious.

And the first person he suspected was Suzy.

Now he was calling to confront her, but Suzy had no intention of tearing off the mask just yet.

She kept her voice soft and confused. "Dad... what are you talking about? I don’t understand... You sent me the file, didn’t you?"

There was a brief silence on the line.

"The contract has issues. Are you sure you didn’t change anything?" George pressed.

Suzy sounded genuinely baffled. "Dad, what happened? What’s wrong with it?"

George forced himself to calm down. "There’s a problem with the contract. It’s void."

Suzy gasped lightly. "How could that be? I printed it exactly from the file you sent me! What do we do now? Do you need me to sign again?"

Her initiative—offering to re-sign—caused George’s suspicion to waver.

If she hadn’t intended to transfer the inheritance, why would she have returned home earlier and signed the agreement in person?

Perhaps he had overthought it. Maybe the mistake had occurred on their side.

George softened his tone immediately, returning to the persona of a concerned father.

"Suzy, I think there was a misunderstanding. Come home as soon as possible. We’ll redo the contract and sign it again. The notarization takes time—we can’t afford delays."

"Oh, and your sister said you gave her the wrong gold pendant. Bring that along too. Or better yet, bring all of them and let her choose."

Suzy replied weakly, "Dad... I’m in G City right now."

"What?!" George shot upright on his end. "Why are you in G City? I’ll book you a flight immediately. Come back at once."

"I can’t. I’m scheduled for surgery in the next couple of days."

There was a pause. Then, George said carefully, "Suzy... why don’t you postpone the surgery? Come back to A City first. Dad can arrange everything for you here."

His voice was gentle.

But beneath it, there was cruel impatience.

And coldhearted calculation.