She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 277

“No need,” Loyce said flatly. “I’m only staying three days.”

Antonio blinked, genuinely thrown. “You’re telling me you can fix my father in three days? Do you have any idea how many underlying conditions he has? Every specialist we’ve brought in has hit a wall.”

“Who knows,” Loyce said with a shrug. “Worth a try.”

He couldn’t tell if she was bluffing or if she simply didn’t care enough to dress it up. Antonio led her into a private dining room—his own loyal people only. It was quieter here, safer for the kind of conversation that didn’t belong in public.

One of his men brought him a cane. Antonio pushed himself upright and, with practiced elegance, pulled out a chair for her. His fingertips brushed her shoulder as if by accident.

Once she sat, he poured her a glass of amber tequila himself, a show of “sincerity.” His voice came out smooth as satin. “My father’s condition… I’m sure you understand it better than I do.”

He swirled his drink. Ice clicked against glass.

“Even if the surgery works, at his age, with his body… how long does he really have?”

Loyce took a small sip. Not bad. She cut into her steak and said, “That’s not a doctor’s problem. I save people. That’s it.”

Antonio leaned forward. His prosthetic made a faint mechanical sound. “But it is a son’s problem.”

His eyes sharpened. “Do you know how much my father spends on medical care every year? Enough to feed every kid in the slums.”

When he spoke about those kids, his tone softened. “Every time I go down there handing out bread, doing charity… I think, wouldn’t it be kinder to let the dying die? Why burn mountains of money just to keep my father suffering one more day? He’s been in pain for years.”

The light in the room cast shadows across his face. The servers had long since retreated to a distance where they couldn’t overhear.

Loyce’s mouth curved. “You’re in the mob and you do charity? That’s new.”

“I have a conscience,” Antonio said, pressing a hand to his chest as if it hurt. “So will you help me? I don’t want my father to become a casualty of a power struggle. And I want to put more money into charity.”

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