Chapter 1917
Ivy had been up since the dawn broke, busy in the kitchen preparing a hearty breakfast. After baking some scones and frying up a batch of eggs, she decided to finish off with a pot of oatmeal.
While the oatmeal simmered gently on the stove, Ivy’s stomach gave an unexpected lurch. She glanced over at Leila, her expression a mix of discomfort and urgency. “Leila, I gotta go to the bathroom. The oatmeal’s not ready yet. Could you keep an eye on it for me?”
“Sure thing, Miss,” Leila replied, watching Ivy rush off, and a cryptic smile crept over her face.
When Ivy returned, she noticed that Leila had already served the oatmeal. “It’s ready, huh?”
“Yes Miss, all set.” Leila was setting the table with three breakfast plates. “I’ll go fetch Mr. and Mrs. Howard for breakfast.”
Ivy nodded with a smile and took a seat in the dining room.
Something made her uneasy though – the way Leila looked at her seemed strange, almost as if she harbored some dislike. But Ivy shook off the thoughts, hoping she was just being paranoid.
Soon after, Dean and Alyssa made their way into the dining room.
Their eyes lit up at the sight of the spread. Alyssa, with her grandmotherly warmth, beamed at Ivy. “Did you prepare all these up, Ivy?”
“Yeah, I woke up early and thought I’d whip up something special for you and Grandpa!” Ivy ladled some oatmeal into bowls for them. “Grandpa, Grandma, I made this oatmeal specially for you. Tell me if it’s to your liking?”
Alyssa adored the thoughtful girl and gladly took the bowl from Ivy, tasting a spoonful. “Mmm, that’s quite tasty.”
Dean also took a sip, giving Ivy a thumbs-up with a chuckle.
Elated by their praise, Ivy’s spirits soared, and she even ate more than usual.
After breakfast, Ivy brewed some tea for the old couple before heading back to her room to unpack her luggage and put her clothes into the wardrobe.
Suddenly, there was a frantic knock at the door. Ivy opened it to find Talia, the maid in charge of caring for Alyssa and Dean Howard, with a panicked expression. “Miss, emergency! The master and mistress are both terribly sick. They’ve got the runs. The butler’s already arranged to have them taken to the hospital. You should come too!”
Ivy was startled and quickly followed Talia out. “What happened? They were fine just a moment ago!”
Talia explained as they hurried, “Right after breakfast, Mr. Howard started feeling ill, then Mrs. Howard too. After several trips to the bathroom, they could barely stand. I rushed to get the butler, and he had the chauffeur drive them to the hospital.”
They jumped into the car, and the driver sped towards the hospital.
On the way, Ivy texted Balfour: [Grandpa and Grandma have serious diarrhea. We’re on our way to hospital. I’ll send you the address, come when you can.]
Arriving at the hospital, Ivy and Talia found the emergency department and saw the elderly couple lying on the beds, looking pale and getting IV fluids.
Ivy’s heart sank with worry at the sight.
Meanwhile, Balfour, having finished his meeting, rushed to the hospital as fast as he could.
As he entered the room, the doctors and nurses arrived with news. “Family of the patients, we’ve conducted a thorough examination. It appears they’ve ingested something contaminated, which led to foodborne illness and diarrhea.”
