She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 3

The second message was from Heath, the retired master physician from the military general hospital.

The old man’s voice was coaxing. “Loyce, I ran into a tough case. My old comrade’s grandson has had a chronic illness for years, and he’s taken a turn for the worse. The custom pills you made for me aren’t working for him anymore. Can you come take a look when you have time?”-

Loyce called him back. “I’ll be back at the compound after class tomorrow. I’ll be in clinic all evening. Have him come in.”

Heath hesitated. “He’s in a VIP ward at the general hospital. His identity is classified, so it may not be convenient for him to go out.”

Loyce tapped a finger against the table. “Heath, stop dancing around it. Who is he?”

Heath paused, choosing his words. “It’s Lucian Shapiro. This is serious. The Shapiro family has quietly sent invitations to top medical experts across the country. If someone can treat him, the fee is one hundred million.”

Loyce’s eyebrows rose again. Of course she’d heard of the Shapiro family. Their patriarch was a top-ranking Army general—so powerful that even the president gave him room.

And Lucian… she’d heard of him too. Barely thirty, decorated again and again, a military prodigy—also the youngest admiral of his generation. Something happened to him?

Loyce opened the private email tied to her encrypted work phone. Sure enough, there was an invitation from the national health authority.

Online, she operated on the dark web under the handle “SaintHealer,” taking high-paying cases no one else could solve. Over time, she’d gathered like-minded people and built her own medical pipeline. It wasn’t surprising the government had noticed her.

“I got the invitation,” Loyce said calmly. “The fee’s good. I’ll take a look.”

Her clinical research advisor was on the line, voice sharp with irritation. “Loyce! I told you to organize those materials. You haven’t shown up all morning. Are you trying to get kicked out of my group? Quiana’s been here since early, helping. Get your ass over here!”

Loyce didn’t answer. She hung up and checked the time. 10:00 a.m. She’d been up all night compiling several century-old formulas, crashed late, and overslept. She’d forgotten about the lab work.

She yawned, opened her laptop, and casually sent an email. After washing up, she grabbed her bag and headed out. She rode to campus and walked to the lab entrance. When she swiped her student ID, the scanner flashed: access denied.

The door opened from the inside. Quiana stepped out with two senior students from the group.

One of them saw Loyce stuck outside and sneered. “Loyce, you really think you’re somebody? Show up whenever you want, do nothing whenever you want? The advisor’s pissed. He revoked your lab access. Now what?”