My Substitute Wife is a Bigwig (Loud and Lily)

Loid shot Lily a begrudging look, but she returned a bold, brazen glare. Entertained by Lily's remark, Arthur commented, "You're a great kid."

After a pause, he added, "Anyway, it's best that you hide your identity for now. Young lady, I might be getting ahead of myself, but I still want to remind you that you're no ordinary person, and neither is Loid. Us Lauriers are no ordinary family as well..."

Concern colored Arthur's face as he took a sip of tea. "Loid and you will settle down in Bridgeport-a wolves' den! You need to lay low before you can protect yourself."

If Lily had grown up in wealth in the Martinez family, Arthur wouldn't have bothered telling her about the dangers in Bridgeport as he would want his granddaughter-in-law to live without worry.

However, Lily wasn't a Martinez, and she wasn't an ignorant young lady from the countryside. On top of that, she was skilled in medicine and socializing. She stuck to her principles when she dealt with matters. Lily was generous, carefree, and only did what she believed to be right. She wasn't just another medical genius; she was Shadowbane, a legendary figure whose services were sought after. Given Shadowbane's reputation, the great families in Bridgeport would love to pay for her services. Alas, no one had seen her in real life, and very few could track her down.

Shadowbane's lack of interest in money was rather bizarre. She judged her patients by their character and would not offer her services to wretched individuals no matter how much they were willing to offer.

On the contrary, she would willingly save the lives of those with upright character even if they could only afford to pay her a penny.

Arthur had heard about the ten patients from upper-class families with good reputations who had received treatment from Shadowbane.

According to the rumors, four out of ten of the patients paid a hundred thousand dollars each for their treatments-95 thousand dollars for the medicine and five thousand dollars for the consultation. The four patients had suffered from their ailments for a long time after many renowned doctors had failed to treat them.

One of the patients was, in fact, dead. But Shadowbane gladly accepted one dollar in payment before performing acupuncture to revive the dead. The said individual was Yannick Dalton, the patriarch of the Dalton family.

Shadowbane also revived another dead man, yet she went ahead and charged him his entire net worth-tens of billions of dollars.

Arthur knew that Lily would be in danger once news got out that she was Shadowbane.

"Grandpa Arthur, don't worry. I know what to do." Lily appreciated Arthur's concern, but she wasn't worried at all about threats.

She had lived her life without a care, and she hated playing dirty. Over the years, she had experienced many dangers while she struggled to live on the streets. However, those who wanted to hurt her all ended up dead or crippled.

She didn't even have to take down the threats around her, as many out there would help her out of gratitude. Besides, people were willing to protect her life since she was the hope for many patients. "Good to hear." Arthur did not lecture her anymore after seeing her confident look. He could tell that she was aware of the concerns he highlighted.

Lily nodded without a word.

Arthur turned his attention to Loid. "You gotta win the bid for Redushil at the Weiss family's auction tomorrow. Don't let it fall into the hands of your Aunt Nora and Uncle Martin."

Lily looked up with a frown. "Are you aiming to get Redushil too?" She fixed her eyes at Loid, hoping for an explanation.

Meeting her eyes, he beamed. "Redushil is yours. We won't fight you for it."

Arthur seemed taken aback. "What's the matter? Lily, do you want Redushil as well?"

Loid nodded. "Lily's grandma needs Redushil. We must cede it to her."

Arthur fell into a short silence.

Then, he looked up and remarked, "It's fine. The only reason we're bidding for Redushil is to keep it out of the hands of the Hidden Families. We can hand it to Lily." Taking a deep breath, Lily said to him, "Thanks, Grandpa Arthur."

Even if Arthur insisted on bidding for Redushil, she wouldn't back down. If that happened, it would also spell the end of her relationship with the Lauriers.

"We're all family. It's no biggie. Rest early tonight. Get the money ready tomorrow for the auction later at night," said Arthur with a smile.

"Sure."