Chapter 12 Die with Him

"If Nicholas doesn't wake up, I'll die with him!" Sophia's voice was firm, leaving everyone in the Martinez family stunned and silent. They just stared at her, not knowing what to say.

Leila's eyes widened in horror. Was Sophia out of her mind? "Are you serious? Will you really go through with it?"

"Enough," Diana snapped, her expression shifting quickly. She clenched her fingers, staring at Sophia's determined face, her lips pressed together in hesitation.

Was Sophia really that confident? Could she actually pull this off? She was betting her life on it, so maybe she could save him!

"Sophia, you need to understand the consequences of your words," Diana warned. "In the Martinez family, words aren't just empty promises. If you make a promise, you have to keep it! If you fail, you will die."

Sophia didn't respond. Instead, she showed everyone the fresh blood coming from Nicholas's ear, thick and dark like before. "Don't you see that the blood he's bleeding is impure? Impure blood is a sign of detoxification."

"Stop with the nonsense. Who knows if you're just making this up to fool us?" Lorenzo sneered at Sophia. "And you want to die with Nicholas? Do you even know your place? Are you worthy? Nicholas is the heir to the Martinez Group. And you? A murderer fresh out of prison! I suggest you don't make any promises. We don't trust your medical skills. Get out of here and wait for the police to take you away."

Jace glanced at Lorenzo, then stepped forward and said to Warren, "Mr. Warren Martinez, I believe Mrs. Sophia Martinez is worth trusting. She asked me to retrieve silver needles from a safe deposit box at Imperium Bank, a highly confidential location."

Imperium Bank, originally a private institution catering exclusively to foreign royalty, had evolved over time into a highly selective establishment. Its clientele comprised industry tycoons and aristocratic families, those whose stature and means demanded utmost confidentiality. Anyone who could store highly confidential items at Imperium Bank was definitely not simple.

Everyone looked at Sophia with a hint of surprise. Lorenzo's expression turned peculiar as he looked at Jace with a mocking smile. "Jace, we need evidence. We won't believe anything you said just like that."

Lorenzo glanced at Sophia disdainfully. "Her? She can enter Imperium Bank? She wouldn't even pass the asset verification."

"Mr. Lorenzo Martinez, be careful with your words," Jace said, pulling out a receipt from his inner pocket. It was from the day he retrieved the items from Imperium Bank, bearing the bank's exclusive seal and the manager's signature.

Everyone's eyes widened as they crowded around to examine it. Leila, who often accompanied Diana, recognized the manager's handwriting. She exclaimed, "This is indeed an Imperium Bank receipt. The seal is genuine. Maybe she stole it from someone else."

Jace retrieved the receipt after everyone had seen it and smiled. "That's impossible. It has Mrs. Sophia Martinez's name on it. If you don't believe me, do you not believe Imperium Bank?"

Sophia hadn't expected Jace to produce the receipt and speak up for her.

Diana had already made up her mind. Since the useless doctors couldn't do anything, and Sophia had proven her worth, why not give it a shot? She looked at Warren with a determined expression.

Jace had been working with Nicholas for over a decade, and Warren trusted his judgment. Jace had never lied. Plus, making such a promise, Sophia was bold and decisive, traits Warren admired. He decided to give her another chance.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, you treat him. Just as you said, if you can cure Nicholas, the Martinez family will reward you. If not, you'll die with him!"

Warren's voice was firm, and no one dared to argue. They all lowered their heads in silence.

Lorenzo was still unwilling, but under Warren's warning gaze, he had to suppress his dissatisfaction. He glared at Sophia by the bedside, his fists clenched tightly.

Sophia was right; Nicholas's impure blood was a sign of detoxification. She did have some skills. Lorenzo gritted his teeth, controlling his actions to avoid revealing anything to those around him. He forced himself to look away and strode out of the room.

As Lorenzo left, Leila followed, frowning in frustration.

Before leaving, Diana warned Sophia, "Remember your words. If anything goes wrong, no one can save you."

The door closed with a soft click, and an almost palpable silence enveloped the room. In the expansive space, only Sophia and Nicholas remained. She picked up her silver needles once more, meticulously inserting them into Nicholas's body. The fine needles quivered slightly as they pierced his skin, causing black blood to ooze from their tips.

Sophia carefully rotated each needle until more blood flowed from Nicholas's mouth. Gradually, the color of his blood returned to normal; crimson droplets now dripped steadily from his earlobes.

"It looks like it's working," Sophia muttered to herself. With swift precision, she removed the needles while recalling Diana’s fierce expression that had driven her determination. She wondered how the old lady would react if she was here now, facing the fact that the toxin in her grandson's body had been cleared out.

Nicholas's face gradually regained color, and his breathing became more regular, as if he were just waking up. Sophia looked at Nicholas's blood-stained face and clicked her tongue. Leaving blood on his face didn't look good.

After stowing away her tools with care, she headed to the bathroom where she dampened a cloth before returning to wipe away the dried blood marring Nicholas’s visage. The congealed stains resisted removal initially; undeterred by this challenge, she applied firmer pressure until they yielded beneath her efforts.

Under the mounting pressure, Nicholas gradually regained consciousness. Fragmented memories of his last moments before blacking out began to coalesce in his mind. Waking up suggested their plan had succeeded—this put him in an unexpectedly good mood.

However, when he opened his eyes, he saw not his friend's face but a stranger's. A beautiful face, definitely not one of the Martinez family's servants. A flicker of confusion crossed over him; had something gone wrong?

The woman's hand lingered on his face as she meticulously wiped away dried blood. Instinctively recoiling from her touch, Nicholas composed himself quickly and slapped her hand away brusquely.

"Get out!" he barked, irritation lacing his voice despite the underlying relief at being awake again.