Chapter 4

Hearing this, Michael's mind seemed to explode like thunder. His eyes suddenly widened, "How... how much? Where did you get so much money? Did you win the lottery?"

I smiled lazily, neither confirming nor denying, "Pretty much like winning the lottery."

"What's really going on? Did your birth parents come to get you?"

I nodded, "Yes, they're in Emerald City. I probably won't be able to visit Grandpa as often anymore."

"Since you've found your birth parents, why do you still care about the Cavendish family people?"

As he finished speaking, I shot him a sharp look. The man shrugged, "I'm not wrong."

Michael came from a family of lawyers. His grandparents and mother were all lawyers, and his father was a renowned cardiovascular surgeon both domestically and internationally. Michael had always wanted to study law, but couldn't resist his father's pressure, so he had to give up his dream and go into medicine. Perhaps naturally gifted, in just a few years in the field, he had already become one of the top doctors at this hospital.

"I don't have time to explain everything now. I'll tell you later. Please take good care of Grandpa and keep me updated on his condition. If the money isn't enough, let me know too," I instructed.

Michael looked at me with complicated eyes, but still nodded, "Don't worry, I've got this."

"I'm leaving then."

"Wait, hey, you're really being taken advantage of. The Cavendish family definitely wouldn't spend this much money on your grandpa's treatment."

I looked at him sharply, then rolled my eyes, "Shut your mouth."

Leaving the hospital, I was about to get in the car when I saw four people in suits gathered at the courthouse entrance across the street, arguing loudly, with quite a few passersby watching from a distance.

"This kind of case is impossible to win. There's never been a case of suing over a pet!"

"We have to try even if we can't win. If we lose, we're all done for!"

"If you want to fight this case, you do it. I can't. I said from the beginning we shouldn't take this case. This case absolutely cannot be won."

"Why didn't you stop us then? Is it too late to regret it now?"

My eyes revealed a sharp intelligence. Suing over a pet? Interesting.

"Uncle James, wait for me a moment."

"Where are you going, Charlotte? I'll come with you."

"No need." After saying that, I crossed through the traffic toward the other side.

As I got closer to them, I heard their conversation clearly. It was basically a case about a pet being poisoned to death.

"Why don't we ask the judge to postpone the hearing? After we go back, we can try to persuade Mrs. Isabella Fairfax to let this go. After all, it's just a dog."

Hearing this, I frowned slightly, my eyes revealing a complex emotion, "Just a dog? Isn't a dog a life?"

Hearing this sudden voice, several lawyers turned to look, each face full of suspicion.

"Who are you?" the lead female lawyer asked.

"A passerby."

"Little girl, don't meddle in other people's business. What does this have to do with you? Are you even an adult? Didn't your parents teach you to keep your mouth shut when you're out?"

With just one glance, I determined that this woman in professional attire—short and slightly overweight—was no good person. She had triangular eyes, with wrinkles at the corners like two poisoned knives, always looking at people with calculation and arrogance.

And I couldn't stand this type of person the most. It seemed I had to get involved in this matter.

"Isn't it just a case of a pet being poisoned to death? What's so difficult about it?"

Hearing this, the lawyers looked at each other. The lead female lawyer looked at people like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. With a fierce expression, she said, "What do you know? What does this have to do with you? Ignorance truly is fearless."

"I just heard what you all said. A pet dog worth over a hundred thousand dollars was poisoned to death. This already involves the crime of releasing dangerous substances. You can go to court based on this point."

A male lawyer was somewhat curious, "How old are you? You understand law?"

I didn't answer this question, but continued asking, "What harmful substance did the suspect use?"

"Why should we tell you? Who do you think you are? Get lost right now. We're lawyers, you think this is playing house?" The female lawyer's face revealed an indescribable hostility.

I really detested her manner of speaking. I looked at her silently, and just from my gaze, she felt pressure washing over her like a tide, the surrounding air seeming to freeze.

The female lawyer instinctively avoided my gaze and directly called the other three to leave.

But the male lawyer seemed to have taken an interest in me. He told me, "The other party used sodium fluoroacetate."

As he spoke, the female lawyer glared at him fiercely.

I pondered, "Sodium fluoroacetate, a highly toxic organofluorine compound, and also one of the banned highly toxic rodenticides."

"Once sodium fluoroacetate enters a living body, it interferes with the cell's energy metabolism cycle, blocking energy production, causing damage to core organs like the heart and central nervous system. It's extremely toxic—even a small dose can be lethal, and poisoning occurs very quickly with basically no possibility of treatment."

After hearing my words, all four showed shock. The male lawyer was even more stunned, "How... how do you know in such detail? How old are you?"

"My age has nothing to do with this case. Just now, I heard your defense plan, and it seems you have no confidence in winning this case. But perhaps your client is pressuring you, and you don't know what to do, right?" My eyes narrowed slightly with a faint mocking smile.

Except for the female lawyer, the other three were stunned, their troubled expressions revealing everything.

The female lawyer's eyes were vicious, her features showing nothing but meanness. She said through gritted teeth, "Who do you think you are? Get lost right now. So what if you're good at chemistry? You think this is a TV drama? This is a courthouse, we're lawyers! We won't tolerate you showing off in front of us!"

I crossed my arms over my chest, leaning back slightly, my eyes cold, "I can tell at a glance you're the type with no real ability but who thinks very highly of yourself."

"What did you say?! Say that again!" The female lawyer's chest heaved violently with anger, her fists clenched, hostility in every corner of her eyes and brows.

I smiled slightly, eyes narrowing, my gaze directly expressing contempt and disdain for her.

"So what if I say it again? As a lawyer, you know the law, but you have no manners or upbringing. Is the bar for lawyers this low now?"

An awkward atmosphere filled the air. The other three lawyers looked at each other, their expressions varied, and no one spoke.

It seemed this female lawyer's character wasn't very good, normally, either.

The female lawyer's mouth twisted downward, her brows furrowed tightly, her voice harsh, almost squeezed out from her throat.

"Say that to me again?"

"Know the law but have no manners," I repeated rapidly.