**Chapter 17**
A stunned silence enveloped the Royal Medical Hall as the shocking revelation hung in the air like a thick fog.
Every staff member, previously engaged in their tasks, froze and turned their attention to Avery, their expressions a mixture of disbelief and curiosity.
**55 vouchers.**
Avery’s face, which usually bore the charm of good looks, was today marred by swelling and bruises. Earlier that morning, when Nolan inquired about his unusual appearance, Avery had nonchalantly dismissed it as nothing more than a bug bite.
But the biting cold of winter raised eyebrows. ‘A bug bite in this frigid weather?’ they thought, perplexed.
No one anticipated that Margaery would step forward to unveil the truth behind Avery’s disfigurement.
As it turned out, he had been caught in a scuffle while attempting to pilfer a prescription.
Upon closer inspection, it became painfully clear that there were no traces of insect bites on his skin; rather, it appeared as if someone had delivered a series of stinging slaps to his face.
The unfolding drama promised to be quite the spectacle.
His colleagues, who had long grown weary of Avery’s pretentious demeanor, now erupted into mocking laughter. “Doctor Wallen, aren’t you the one always preaching about propriety? How low can you sink to resort to theft?”
“What about that prescription?”
“Didn’t you boast about its originality? Seems like that might not be the case after all.”
“Could it be that you pilfered your sister’s formula and then tried to coerce her into apologizing to Tessa?”
“If that’s the truth, then you’ve truly sunk to a new low!”
Each derisive comment felt like a physical blow, stinging Avery’s cheeks and igniting a furious embarrassment within him.
As the heat of humiliation washed over him, he resolved to remain silent, refusing to engage further.
With a fierce glare directed at Margaery, he retorted defiantly, “Margaery, the prescription has already been submitted to the Royal Medical Hall. If they want it, let them come and retrieve it themselves.”
“Moreover, you were the one who gifted me that formula in the first place. Any trouble that arises is on your head.”
“No,” Margaery shot back, her voice firm. “I provided you those formulas under specific conditions.”
“The first formula was for flying kites with me, but you broke your promise and chose to go candy shopping for Tessa instead. The second was for standing up for me in front of Father so he wouldn’t send me off to Gracewind Garden.”
“But instead of helping me, you sided with Tessa, allowing her to seize control of my Blissom Hall while I was banished to the desolate Gracewind Garden.”
“The third formula was for fetching allergy medicine for me. But when you returned that day, all you had was stomach medicine for Tessa!”
Margaery’s words dripped with venom as she laid bare the litany of Avery’s failures.
“The eighteenth formula was for instructing the warehouse staff to deliver lumber for me. Yet, it wasn’t until last night, when you came to collect the formula, that you remembered my fireplace was empty.”
With that, tears began to gather in her eyes. “The nineteenth formula was given to you after I knelt before you, pleading with all my heart, assuring you that I hadn’t framed Tessa. You took the formula but still forced me to apologize as a price for my freedom from the lumber room.”
“Avery, please don’t tell me you’ve forgotten all of this.”
All of these instances served as evidence of her attempts to win his favor.
Avery had taken the formulas but had never honored any of the promises or requests she had made.
“On stage? You’re Mr. Perfect, the glue that holds everything together. But off-script? Your version of ‘family harmony’ means my tears finance everyone else’s happy endings. You’re like an apology vending machine—just feed me obedience coins.”
“Now, it’s your turn to apologize to me.”


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