Dr. C was a woman? Sonia and Tracy's faces instantly shifted with shock.

“Mr. Marshall, what are you talking about? How could Dr. C be a woman? He’s dating me; he’s a man,” Sonia exclaimed.

Perry raised an eyebrow. “Not only do I know Dr. C, but we’re on great terms. If I say she’s a woman, then she is.”

Tracy stood rooted in place, her mind racing. Shaking her head in disbelief, she stammered, “That’s impossible, Mr. Marshall. You must be lying.”

Sonia, unwilling to accept the claim, scoffed. “Mr. Marshall, even if you’re Celine’s boyfriend now, there’s no need to make jokes like this, is there?”

Their disbelief didn’t faze Perry. He simply shrugged. “Dr. C is a woman. Whether you believe me or not is your choice. Come on, Celine. Let’s go.”

“Sure.” With that, Perry and Celine left the room, leaving Sonia and Tracy frozen in place.

Sonia grabbed Tracy’s arm, her voice trembling. “Tracy, why would Mr. Marshall say Dr. C is a woman? What’s going on?”

Just then, Carly emerged from the sitting room, with Lucy following close behind. Both of them wore serious expressions.

“Tracy, the person you’re dating—is it really Dr. C? Are you sure there’s no mistake?” Carly asked. "Tracy, you can't afford to get this wrong. We’ve staked everything on this. Grandma even mortgaged Tate Manor. If we’ve been scammed, the Tates are finished.”

Tracy’s face tightened, anxiety clouding her features. Up until now, she’d been convinced she’d found the real Dr. C. When Celine had called Dr. C a fraud before, none of them had believed her. But now, with Perry’s assertion, doubt began to creep in.

Even so, Tracy forced herself to remain composed. “Why would you believe anything Mr. Marshall says? He’s Celine’s boyfriend now; of course, he’s helping her mess with us. Don’t trust him!”

Carly turned to Adam. “Adam, what do you think?”

Adam’s gaze followed the direction where Celine and Perry had disappeared. After a moment of silence, his deep, magnetic voice broke the tension. “I don’t know Dr. C personally. We’ve missed each other a few times. But Perry isn’t just some nobody. He’s a big name in Fustain, with connections in both legitimate and underground circles. If he says he knows Dr. C and claims Dr. C is a woman, it’s probably not baseless.”

Tracy’s confidence wavered further at Adam’s words.

Carly’s face turned pale. The Tates had already seen their assets increase tenfold, but now the possibility of being scammed loomed large. No one in the room could fully accept such a devastating possibility.

At that moment, Adam’s phone rang. He glanced at Carly briefly before saying, “You all take your time shopping. I need to get back to the office.”

Without waiting for a response, Adam turned and walked away.

Sonia grabbed Carly’s arm. “Carly, what do we do now? Ask Mr. Alvarez for help!”

Carly frowned, frustration flickering across her face. “Grandma, Adam didn’t agree with us investing in Dr. C from the start.”

“What?” Sonia’s face turned pale.

Tracy decisively stepped in. “Let’s not panic just yet. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll call Dr. C tonight and ask him to transfer the money back to us.”

“Alright then. We’ll wait for your call.”

That evening, Tracy returned home, her thoughts a tangled mess. The moment she stepped through the door, Wayne and Hazel rushed to greet her. “Your engagement with Dr. C—when are you two planning to get married? We’ve been dreaming of you and Carly having a grand double wedding and shocking all of Mercity! Your dad and I have been bragging about it to everyone. We’ve been strutting around, flaunting their cases than to Mr. Alvarez as their future son-in-law. Tracy, you have to hold on to your ground!”

Without a word, she dialed Dr. C’s number.

A recorded message: “Sorry, but the number you have dialed is no longer in service.”

No longer in service? Tracy’s heart sank as dread spread through her chest. Frantically, she tried calling the number again.