Walking over to the wheelchair, Maeve firmly pressed against a few pressure points on Sofia's legs.
"Here, here, and here. What do you feel?"
With every press, Sofia winced.
"Pain!" Maeve let out a helpless sigh.
"Do you know why it hurts?"
Sofia looked down like a child who knew she had misbehaved.
"I was too eager for results."
Meanwhile, Andres had been completely frozen in shock from start to finish.
Could someone please explain what was going on?
"Mom, Maeve... what is all this?"
Because he had been buried in work lately, he hadn't been able to visit the manor as often as he wanted.
How had such a miraculous transformation happened right under his nose?
He sharply deduced from their conversation that the two of them had been in frequent contact.
More than that, Maeve had likely been visiting the White Manor multiple times completely behind his back!
Maeve wasn't one to build unnecessary suspense.
She looked directly at Andres and laid it all out.
"I told you I was going to give you a gift, didn't I?"
She tilted her chin toward Sofia.
"Since you weren't interested in the gold mine I offered, I swapped it out for something else."
"I promised Sofia that within three months, her legs would recover enough to walk freely."
"As long as she doesn't deviate from my treatment plan, she'll even be able to go for light jogs in a year, stamina permitting."
"So, Andres, are you satisfied with this gift?"
Not only did Andres feel a rush of sheer adrenaline.
Using Sofia to test her experimental treatments was one reason.
The other reason was entirely out of respect for the deep friendship Sofia had once shared with Maeve's own mother.
"There's no need to thank me. We're partners with shared interests."
"When things go smoothly for you, I benefit too."
Not giving Andres a chance to get sentimental, Maeve turned her attention back to Sofia, repeating her strict instructions.
"Sofia, you need to listen to me and follow the treatment. No secret workouts without my permission."
"The medication I'm using forces rapid bone healing and growth, but if you push it too fast, there will be long-term side effects."
"I said three months until you can walk normally, and that timeline is strictly three months."
"If you try to rush it, you'll ruin my treatment plan."
Before Sofia could even promise to behave, Andres, having caught onto the severity of the situation, immediately stepped in to scold her.
"Mom, when it comes to your treatment, you must follow Maeve's orders unconditionally."

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