Chapter 601 Bring That Secret Recipe to Me

Chapter 601 Bring That Secret Recipe to Me

James called Matthew directly and put him in a tough spot.

Valencia didn't believe James could actually get Matthew involved, so she kept sending her best people to surround him.

Tonight, she was going to kill James no matter what.

In less than fifteen minutes, a large group of uniformed men stormed in with weapons drawn and took everyone at the scene into custody without a word.

Even Keith, who had just been watching the show, couldn't talk his way out using his connections.

These men were cold and ruthless, giving neither Keith nor Valencia any room to negotiate. They even shot down a few Lumaria members who tried to slip away.

All two hundred-plus people were taken to the District Police Department.

They were questioned and investigated one by one, and the whole process dragged on through the night.

James was as calm as ever.

This time, he wasn't just free of anxiety — he was actually enjoying the show.

He wanted to see how Matthew would handle this.

"James, you really put my brother in a tough spot."

The next morning, Scott walked in carrying breakfast, looking a little helpless.

James picked up his milk and bread and started eating. "I'm giving him a chance to prove himself."

"Wendy was drugged, The Gonzalez Family's men were in on it, Blood Medical Sect took three dead and three wounded, and you even took out someone like Ingrid..."

Scott loosened a collar button. "It's already a mess just to hear about, and you went and dragged it all out into the open."

"My brother's phone didn't stop ringing all night — The Morris Family, The Gonzalez Family, the Lumaria people, one call after another."

"He's probably got a splitting headache right now."

He clearly understood how difficult Matthew's position was.

If Matthew followed procedure, he'd end up offending a lot of people. But if he didn't handle it properly, James would lose all respect for him.

After all, James had been locked up for quite a few days over the John case.

If Matthew couldn't be fair, his reputation would be finished.

James finished his milk in one go. "I trust that Chief Yang will handle this by the book."

Knock knock knock —

Almost as the words left his mouth, Ember walked in with a document in hand.

"James, you're cleared for bail."

She grabbed a piece of bread off the table and started eating — she'd been up all night and was starving.

Scott was caught off guard. "The results are already in?"

Since James was involved, Scott had worried that his brother might dig in out of stubbornness, so he'd kept his distance to avoid making things harder for James.

So hearing that James could be bailed out, he couldn't hide his surprise.

"What happened to everyone else?"

James looked up, curious too.

"Keith's group is being released. Blood Medical Sect is being released on Lumaria's guarantee to stay at the hospital and look after Paxton, but they can't leave the country and must be available when called."

Ember didn't hold anything back. "Valencia is being held on multiple charges."

"Paxton suffered heart damage and may end up in a vegetative state. No official action for now."

"James gets credit for saving lives, and the killings were self-defense, but the methods were considered excessive — so bail is approved, but not a full acquittal."

"He also has to remain available for the ongoing investigation."

Ember laid out the preliminary results in one breath. "Oh, and the bail is one million."

"Chief Yang's solid."

James nodded approvingly. "He's going by the facts, not personal feelings. At least he didn't let me down."

Scott gave a wry smile. "But he's made enemies of both Blood Medical Sect and The Gonzalez Family. That's going to cause him real trouble down the road."

"Don't worry. The fact that Chief Yang was brought in to take charge means someone needs him as their blade."

James patted Scott on the shoulder. "The Gonzalez Family can't touch him."

"Anyway, I'm heading back to JZL Medical Clinic to study. The city-level competition is in a week."

With that, he grabbed his jacket and walked out.

Scott watched James go, wanting to bring up his niece's injuries, but knowing his brother still hadn't budged, he could only manage another wry smile.

For his brother and James to get along, it seemed like there were still rough patches ahead...

James was about to pay his bail when Ember told him it had already been taken care of. He looked at the receipt — it was Wendy who had paid.

He smiled, patted his face, and walked out the door. A rush of fresh air hit him as he stepped outside.

Then a bright, cheerful voice called out:

"James!"

Wendy, who had been waiting for a long time, let out a squeal and ran straight at him without any hesitation, throwing her arms around him and pressing close, absolutely overjoyed.

"You're really out, you're really out — I'm so glad!"

She'd been worried that The Gonzalez Family would crush James, since their resources were on a completely different level, and James had actually killed people.

She never expected he'd be able to walk out on bail.

And Valencia had been locked up.

"I was acting in someone's defense — of course I'd get out."

James laughed and gently pulled her off him. "Besides, with you watching my back, Miss Wang, nothing was going to happen to me."

"Stop flattering me — the more you say that, the more embarrassed I feel."

Wendy gave him a look and reached up to touch his cheek.

"You saved me last night and punished the people who hurt me, but I couldn't protect you. I'm useless."

Thinking about how James had been 'handed over' by her own side — even if Keith had forced her to leave — Wendy felt terrible about it.

It also left her with a deep resentment toward Keith.

"Don't overthink it. You did everything you could last night."

James said gently. "The situation was out of your hands, so you have nothing to feel guilty about."

He could tell Wendy's feelings for him were genuine. If something had happened to him last night, she probably would have taken her own life to make it right.

For someone so pure yet so fierce in her loyalty, James felt a deep, sincere admiration.

"I still feel guilty, and I've made up my mind — I'm giving you half the company."

Wendy lifted her chin. "From now on, we share the hard times and the good times."

After everything that had happened last night, Wendy had made her decision. She was going to stand by James through whatever came next.

James gave a wry smile. "We can talk about all that later..."

Wendy linked her arm through his. "Come on, you haven't eaten all night. I'm taking you to get breakfast."

Feeling her warmth, James tensed up. "It's fine, I already ate. I'll just call a car..."

He reached over to ease her fingers away.

"Get your hands off her!"

Just then, an angry shout came from behind.

Keith came charging over, snatching a knife from one of his bodyguard's waists and pointing it at James.

"Don't touch my sister!"

Smack —

Keith only meant to use the knife to scare James, but Wendy's expression tightened instantly, and on pure instinct, she shot out her left hand and grabbed the blade.

"Ngh—"

The blade sliced into her palm the moment she grabbed it, and blood began to flow.

Wendy let out a muffled groan. "Don't you dare hurt James!"

"Wendy!"

Keith immediately let go of the handle. "Get a doctor — now!"

James spun around and caught Wendy to steady her.

"Hah—"

Wendy flipped the knife around, switched it to her other hand, and pressed the blade against her own throat.

"Everyone back off. Anyone who tries to hurt James, I'll do it right here."

She bit her lip and snapped at Keith. "Get lost, Keith. What's between me and James is none of your business."

Keith and his men froze, afraid that any sudden move might startle her into cutting her own throat.

"Calm down. Let me take care of that wound."

James quickly took hold of Wendy's bleeding hand and carefully dabbed at it with a tissue.

"James, you piece of work — if you've got a problem, come at me."

Keith glared at James. "Using my sister as a pawn — what kind of man does that?"

"Keith, shut your mouth!"

Wendy stepped in front of James and faced her brother head-on.

"Without James, I'd have died in that haunted house."

"Without James, I would have been assaulted last night."

"Without James, there'd be no justice for Yves and Paxton."

She didn't hold back.

"Keith, James is more of a man than you'll ever be. You're the useless one — you can't even protect your own sister."

"Wendy, you're beyond saving."

Keith looked at her with frustrated despair.

"I'm telling you right now — I will never allow you to keep running around with James."

"Stay with him, and you won't just get yourself killed. You'll get him killed too."

He made the threat plainly.

Wendy didn't flinch. "And I'm telling you — I may not be able to protect James, but I can die alongside him. If something happens to him, it happens to me."

"You're an idiot!"

Keith was nearly shaking with frustration.

"James, I'm warning you — stay away from her, or I won't let this go."

Seeing Wendy ready to go down with the ship, Keith didn't dare turn his anger on her, so he directed it all at James.

"If I catch you near her again, I will end you."

He couldn't let James stay close to Wendy — couldn't let him use his sister to strike at The Morris Family.

"How close I am to Wendy is not your call, and it's not The Morris Family's call either. It's Wendy's."

James glanced at Keith. "As long as she doesn't tell me to get lost, I'm not going anywhere."

"Wendy is my friend, and that's not changing."

Keith's fists clenched, and he wanted to act — but he held himself back. Between his sister, the police presence, and James's fighting ability, he wasn't about to end up like Ingrid.

He ground his teeth. "James, you're going to regret this."

"Mr. Morris, don't assume the worst of people. Just because you got close to Mary to hurt me doesn't mean I'd use Wendy to hurt The Morris Family."

James didn't bother responding to Keith's anger anymore. He pulled a half-empty bottle of Mary White Ointment from his pocket and poured some carefully over Wendy's wounded palm.

Wendy looked up instinctively. "James, what is this? It smells so nice."

James answered honestly.

"It's a wound treatment I made myself. I call it Mary White Ointment."

"Stops bleeding in three seconds, kills the pain in ten, and closes the wound in a minute."

His voice was gentle. "Once it's on, you'll be fine quickly — and it won't leave a scar."

Wendy's eyes lit up. "Really? That's incredible — you actually made something like this? It's way better than anything we have."

James smiled. "I got lucky — came across a formula by chance and decided to try it out."

"If the results hold up, I'll file for a patent in a few days and look into mass production."

He blew softly on Wendy's hand. "I think it could make a lot of money."

"Closes in a minute — what, you'll die if you don't show off—"

Keith was about to call James out for putting on a show, but his eyes went wide.

To his shock, a minute later, when James wiped her palm with a damp cloth, the wound had stopped bleeding entirely — and a dark red scab had already formed.

This stuff was unreal.

A chill ran through him.

Keith swallowed his anger, said nothing, and walked away with his men, sliding into his stretch Lincoln.

The moment he was inside, he pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Leila, James has a formula for a wound treatment — he calls it Mary White Ointment. It's a hundred times better than anything we've got."

"Whatever it takes, however you have to do it — get me that formula."