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Chapter 2

Kenneth just stared at Shirley with those cold, narrow eyes of his. "I'm getting ready for my wedding tomorrow. Stay out of my life."

Shirley raised an eyebrow, waving the check in her hand with a smirk. "Cutting ties, huh? But my silence isn't cheap; you'll have to pay extra!"

Kenneth's eyes darkened, his handsome face clouded with anger. Seeing his reaction, Shirley quickly moved closer, wrapping her arms around his firm chest. "Don't be mad, I was just kidding."

Kenneth shoved her away, his eyes filled with pure disdain. "Get dressed, write your own check, and get out. I don't want to see you again."

"Okay, Mr. Thompson." Shirley, not wanting to push her luck, quickly grabbed her torn clothes and put them on.

She picked up the check and added a bunch of zeros to it. Tearing it off, she kissed it happily and looked at Kenneth. "I'm very satisfied with this hush money."

Waving her hand, Shirley said, "Goodbye, Mr. Thompson. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me. As long as the money's right, I'll make sure you're happy."

Kenneth glared at her, his face dark. Seeing his expression, Shirley quickly corrected herself, "Got it! Goodbye forever." She strutted out of the private room in her high heels, not caring about Kenneth's dark expression.

Outside the bar, Shirley hopped into her sports car, started it up, and sped away. In the car, she looked out at the night through the window.

The neighborhood lights were mostly out, and the streets were super quiet. She loved the night because it gave her a chance to relax and forget her worries for a bit.

Driving into her neighborhood, Shirley got out of the car, went home, and plopped down on the couch. She transferred $300,000 on her phone.

Irritated, she pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag, her brow furrowed. Her mind was filled with images of Kenneth, especially the part where he told her to pretend not to know him, playing over and over like a bad TV show.

Frustrated, Shirley got up, went to the study, and picked up a case analysis report, diving into it. Soon, the images in her mind faded away.

Back then, Shirley had secretly opened a clinic called Main Street Clinic under a friend's name, so the Johnson Family wouldn't find out.

After seeing her mother, Jessica Miller, die because she didn't get timely treatment, Shirley vowed to become strong enough to protect the people she cared about.

One day, she overheard a conversation between Anna Scott and Michael Johnson, realizing that her grandpa, Joe Miller, and Jessica's deaths were more complicated than she thought.

From then on, she worked her butt off. She got into Frostholm Medical University at 14, became a postdoc at 18, and at 19, was picked by the country for a top-secret medical research project, which led to her files being sealed.

Just then, her phone rang, snapping her back to reality. She picked it up and answered. The person on the other end said, "Miss, you've struck it rich."

Shirley replied, "Yeah, thanks to a generous benefactor."

The other person was shocked. "Why did he give you so much this time?"

Shirley casually said, "This is the last time. He's bought out our relationship."

The other person said seriously, "But we still need $300,000 for the equipment at our research base."

Shirley chuckled. "Buy the essential equipment first, and I'll figure out the rest." She hung up the phone.

Back when Kenneth found her and asked her to sign that lover's contract, Shirley had just discovered a virus in the human body called the GZ virus, which could be transmitted through the air or droplets, spreading super fast.

It was really harmful to the human body, so she had to develop a vaccine quickly to stop this disaster. But to develop the vaccine, she needed the most advanced equipment and a ton of medicinal supplies. And all of this required money, so she agreed to Kenneth's contract without a second thought.

Just then, her phone rang again. Shirley glanced coldly at the phone, answered it, and said, "Didn't we agree to cut ties? Why are you calling me?"

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