Juliana nodded. "I will."
Old Mr. Leach thought she would talk back and act defiantly, but since she was quiet, he became even more satisfied. "Let's have dinner."
Juliana was a little surprised when she saw Old Mr. Leach stand up. Was he waiting for her to eat?
At the table, Juliana confirmed it. There were two spicy dishes prepared, clearly for her.
She was touched. It had been a long time since anyone had waited to eat with her.
After the quiet meal, Old Mr. Leach took Juliana to see Benson.
On the way, his voice grew heavy.
"You know about Benson. You're the last one, and I won't let him hurt you."
Juliana only answered lightly.
Everyone in Ocean City knew that Benson Leach was violent, crazy, with a short live span.
Rumor had it he wouldn't survive past the age of twenty-eight.
The Leach family had found many women for Benson, but all of them ended up beaten and fleeing.
Several were even hospitalized from serious injuries.
From then on, whenever women heard Benson's name, they felt nothing but fear and avoided him at all costs.
The only reason the Leach family came to Juliana was because her horoscope perfectly matched his.
And Juliana… had been sold off by Jermaine Lewis just to curry favor with the Leach family.
Old Mr. Leach pushed open Benson's door, and Juliana stepped inside.
She saw a tall, straight figure. Just looking at his back made her feel he was inviolable.
Old Mr. Leach said, "Benson, this is Juliana. She is your wife from now on. She's the last one."
Benson didn't turn around or speak.
Old Mr. Leach sighed softly, then said to Juliana, "Spend some time with him."
He left the room and turned off the lights. Only the faint glow from outside seeped in.
The moment the door closed, Benson moved. A cold, murderous wind struck Juliana straight in the head.
She tilted her head quickly, clenched her fists, and fought back.
In the hazy light, the two exchanged blows fiercely.
But Juliana was still a woman, weaker than a man, especially now, in a body that wasn't her original one.
Her strength was much less, and soon she was at a disadvantage.
Still, she used her smaller size to her advantage.
Dodging swiftly, she grabbed his tie, yanked it back, twisted it, and tightened it around his neck.
With a sharp move, she forced him down onto the ground before the floor-to-ceiling window, pressing him from behind.
She leaned in close to his ear and whispered:
"Mr. Leach, I can detox you."
It was her final trump card. She had no chance otherwise.
But Benson didn't panic, nor did he fear being strangled. His icy voice cut through the darkness. "Detox?"
Did his grandfather really put aphrodisiacs in her food just to force him to have a child?
Clearly misunderstanding
Benson sneered.
In one swift move, he grabbed Juliana's wrist, spun her around, and slammed her against the wall, his arm pinning her neck.
In the night, his glare was sharp and merciless. "I don't mind doing it to a dead body."
The meaning was obvious.
If he truly needed a woman to detoxify himself, he wouldn't mind killing her first and then using her afterward.
Ruthless pervert!
Juliana struggled to breathe, but a smile curved on her lips. She raised her eyebrow.
"Mr. Leach, let's see who's faster, you or me?"
Benson froze slightly when he felt a sharp, cold point pressing against the back of his neck.
This woman was different. Not like the ones Old Mr. Leach had sent before.
Wild enough. Ruthless enough.
Juliana tilted her head, her red lips brushing close to his.
"Mr. Leach, how about an antidote first?"
Juliana's soft lips moved as she spoke, like a feather gently brushing against Benson's lips.
That gentle tickle spread from his lips all the way into his heart.
Benson was distracted.
At that very moment, Juliana struck him hard with her knee.
"Ouch!"
As soon as Benson's crotch was hit, his face turned pale. His hand that was strangling Juliana loosened, and he bent over in pain.
"Juliana!" Benson shouted, covering his crotch and gritting his teeth.
He had never been defeated by anyone before, let alone by a woman.
But today, he had already lost to her twice!
Juliana was already sitting on the sofa, playing with the fork in her hand.
She raised her eyes and looked at him blandly: "I'm the only one who can give you the cure for the poison. Are you sure you still want to kill me?"
She had secretly brought this fork up after dinner to defend herself.
Benson looked at her coldly. "This is how you detoxify me?"
Juliana glanced down at Benson's hand still covering his crotch.
It showed just how hard she had hit him just now.
Juliana said, "You can be a little more pure-minded. The poison I'm talking about isn't an aphrodisiac. It's the neurotoxin inside your body."
Old Mr. Leach hadn't put any aphrodisiacs in Benson's food.
Benson straightened up despite the pain and looked at Juliana with cold, dark eyes.
Juliana, not afraid of him, lifted her head and met his gaze. "Your mania, insomnia, and nightmares all come from the neurotoxins in your body."
"You'll die within a year if your poison isn't detoxified."
Benson stepped forward and stood in front of Juliana, his tall figure looming over her like a small mountain.
He looked down at her coldly. "You're not Juliana!"
Everyone knew that Benson had been crazy and violent since he was twelve years old. The doctors even concluded that he wouldn't live past twenty-eight.
But what others didn't know was that Benson also struggled to fall asleep, and even when he did, he was tormented by endless nightmares.
It could only be controlled with medication, but the more medicine he took, the less effective it became.
Benson's health was getting worse, and this time, he hadn't slept for three days.
That was why it was so strange that Juliana knew he couldn't sleep and he's plagued with nightmares whenever he does.
Juliana raised her eyes to him. "Does it matter who I am? What matters is that I can detoxify you, doesn't it?"
Benson didn't respond, but his cold gaze sharpened as if trying to see right through her.
Juliana didn't look away. She met his eyes calmly.
Her slanted eyes were delicate, and in the dim light, they sparkled as bright as the stars.
Benson believed her because of that frankness.
But he still questioned her: "My family has brought the world's best doctors to me, yet none of them could cure me. How can you, a young woman with neither learning nor skill, do that?"
Juliana looked up at him. "You assume I can't, without even trying?"
Benson asked coldly, "How do you intend to cure me?"
Juliana's voice was soft but firm. "I'll need some medicinal herbs and silver needles. I can make you sleep without nightmares. How about it?"
Benson stared at Juliana coldly, and after a long silence, he finally nodded. "Okay."
There was something about her that made him want to trust her.
Juliana said, "I'll need cortex albizia, jujube seeds, polygala root…"
As she listed the medicines, Benson wrote them down. But when she mentioned the last one, his face immediately darkened.
He looked at her coldly. "Deer pizzles?"