Chapter 167 The Incident
The butler rushed over to them the moment the door flew open. Nervously, he announced, “Mr. Hadley. something bad has happened! Old Mrs. Hadley, she…”
Upon hearing the butler’s words, Charlie immediately tensed up and hurried out of the room. When Linda heard that something had happened to Felicia, she immediately thought it was her chance to show off her filial piety. There was no way she was going to allow Julia to show her up.
Thus, she hurriedly threw a coat over her pajamas and ran after Charlie.
Charlie looked worried as he strode toward Felicia’s room. Wiping the lipstick that was smeared across his face with one hand, he said, “What in the world happened?”
“We currently do not know, but we have already sent for the doctor. She had a slight fever initially, but fainted later on,” the butler reported truthfully.
It was unclear what was the matter with Felicia as it was also the first time they had seen the former in such a condition.
Charlie’s uneasiness grew heavier. “Did she eat something that did not agree with her?”
“She was fine after the meal earlier. Nothing was out of the ordinary.”
It was all so strange.
Since nothing could be done by merely talking about it, they made haste and hurried toward their destination.
At that moment, everyone was gathered outside Felicia’s room.
Julia looked uneasy, and clenching her fists did nothing to abate the worry she felt.
Charlie went over and asked in concern, “How is Mom doing?”
The old woman had always been quite healthy. She was a vegetarian and often exercised. She had never experienced any complications throughout the years. Thus, it was strange that she would suddenly faint. Julia’s eyes fell on the lipstick stain that Charlie had failed to wipe from his face. She snorted coldly in response. “The doctor is with her at the moment.”
Her aloof manner made Charlie feel uncomfortable.
Just then, Linda arrived and went to stand next to Charlie. “How is Old Mrs. Hadley doing?”
“We’re clueless at the moment. We’ll have to wait for the doctor’s verdict,” Charlie said as he rubbed his face.
Nathaniel held Christina’s hand as they, too, rushed over. When they saw their elders waiting outside the door, they subconsciously fell silent as they waited with the others.
Half an hour later, the doctor finally came out of the room.
Concerned, Julia immediately asked, “Doctor, how is Mom doing?”
The doctor wore a peculiar expression. His gaze deepened as he surveyed the crowd that was gathered
there. “Old Mrs. Hadley is… Can we talk in private?”
The hearts of the people present lurched when they heard the doctor’s reply.
Is something seriously wrong with Old Mrs. Hadley?
Charlie, Julia, and the doctor went into the study nearby to speak in private. When Linda tried to barge in, she found herself shut outside.
The doctor’s expression did not lighten even after they entered the study.
“What’s going on with Mom? Say something!” Charlie panicked.
Sighing, the doctor replied, “Old Mrs. Hadley seems to have consumed some drug that would ‘liven things up. It made her body become hot and uncomfortable, as it is the kind of drug that speeds up a person’s heart rate. As you know, she’s quite old, so her heart couldn’t quite withstand it. That was the reason she fainted. I gave her an injection so she should be fine now. Make sure she has ample rest. You must also make sure not to subject her to this sort of stimulation again.”
The doctor was too embarra*sed to inquire as to how Felicia had accidentally taken such a drug.
With that said, he left.
Silence descended in the study as Julia and Charlie exchanged glances of disbelief.
They were shocked to find out that Felicia had accidentally taken that sort of drug!
The more they thought about it, the grimmer their expressions became.
Felicia’s food was normally prepared by the butler and housekeeper. Thus, they both deduced that the help must have done something to the old woman’s meal.
Charlie exited the study and summoned everyone to the living room.
A heavy atmosphere hung over the spacious and quiet living room. No one else knew what had transpired, but they knew that Charlie’s and Julia’s anger had coalesced after the doctor departed.
“Who was the person in charge of Old Mrs. Hadley’s meal today?” Charlie inquired icily.
Terrified, the butler’s body began to tremble when he heard Charlie’s stern tone. “It was me, Mr. Hadley.” Charlie glared at the other man with frigid anger. “Were you the one who drugged her food?”
The butler fell to the ground and waved his hands in distress. “No! It wasn’t me! I have served Old Mrs. Hadley faithfully every single day. How dare I try to poison her food?”
Those not in the know all a*sumed that Felicia was suffering from food poisoning.
The old woman was a kind person, and she treated the help well.
Also, they had all worked in Yeatder Villa for over ten years. They had a good relationship with their employer and would never dream of harming Felicia.
All of a sudden, a maid came forward and said, “Mr. Hadley, I saw Ms. Christina serve Old Mrs. Hadley dessert in the evening. Perhaps it was…” the maid trailed off as she turned her gaze to Christina.
Immediately, everyone turned to look at her.
Christina stood there in a white dress, looking soft and pliant. She looked as if she could not even hurt a fly.
However, one should never judge a book by its cover. There was a chance that she was the culprit.
Christina was stunned when the doubtful gazes fell upon her. Why are they suspecting me?
Just as Nathaniel was about to say something, Christina tugged at his hand, indicating that she wanted to speak for herself.
“I did serve Grandma a bowl of dessert in the evening, but it was actually meant for Dad. She spotted me when I was walking down the corridor and told me she wanted it. Hence, I gave the bowl to her and went into the kitchen to grab another portion for Dad. There was nothing wrong with the dessert. Nathaniel and I both had it as well. As you can see, we’re both perfectly fine.”
After explaining herself, Christina turned to Nathaniel for affirmation.
Nathaniel nodded in agreement. “Yes. Christina and I both ate some of the dessert too. We feel fine.” Charlie fell into contemplation. That’s right. I also had a bowl of dessert, but my body feels fine. What’s going on? Why was Julia the only one who had an adverse reaction to the dessert?
They were at a standstill as everyone fell into deep thought.
At that moment, Linda, who stood at the fringe of the group, began sweating profusely.
Her face turned incredibly pale, and she felt as if she was suddenly thrown into a bone–chilling snowfield.
So, the reason Charlie did not touch me despite eating the dessert was that Old Mrs. Hadley had eaten the drugged portion! D*mn you, Christina! Why can’t you even do such a simple thing? Stupid wench!
Now that the matter of the drug had been revealed, Linda could not afford to let anyone find out that she was the person who spiked the dessert.
Just then, Francis arrived. The man had come to visit when he heard that Felicia was not feeling well.
In the end, they did not manage to uncover anything, even after a round of questioning.
“Mom, you don’t look too good…” Francis said in concern.
Linda felt dizzy, and she had turned pale with fright. However, she dared not voice her thoughts. Holding onto Francis‘ hand, she murmured, “I feel dizzy. Francis, I want to go back to my room and rest.” “Okay,” Francis said as he helped her toward the door.
The further Linda got, the more relaxed she became. No one would know that she was the culprit if she managed to get away from there.
