Chapter 1918
“Foodborne illness?” Balfour turned his head and looked at Talia who stood beside him.
Talia had always been the caregiver for the elderly couple, managing their meals and tending to their needs.
Feeling the weight of Balfour’s scrutinizing gaze, Talia quickly stood up and waved her hands in defense, “Mr. Balfour, I swear I had no idea! I know how fragile Senior Mr. and Mrs. Howard’s health is. I’ve always been very careful with their diets, never letting them have any takeout or anything. How could they possibly be poisoned?”
Talia was frantic, trying to clear her name, but without proof, all she could do was waving hands in desperation.
“Food?” Ivy suddenly thought of herself. She had prepared breakfast that morning. Could Dean and Alyssa’s current condition be because of her cooking?
Watching Talia’s anxious demeanor, Ivy hesitated before standing up and speaking softly, “Um… I was the one who made breakfast this morning, and last night’s dinner too. It has nothing to do with Talia.”
With his eyebrows raised, Balfour fixed his gaze on Ivy without saying a word for a moment.
He trusted Talia; after all, she’d been by Alyssa’s side for years, deeply bonded with the old couple. It wasn’t likely she’d poison them.
But Ivy, he couldn’t be totally certain about her.
After entrusting the care of the elderly to Talia, Balfour led Ivy out of the sickroom and into the hallway.
Leila was also there, having come to help with the elderly and waiting outside.
Ivy timidly followed behind Balfour. Once they had moved a bit away, she spoke up, “Um… Mr. Howard, I know your family has staff for cooking, but I just arrived and wanted to fulfill our agreement by being a considerate granddaughter-in-law, so I thought I’d cook a meal
for them.”
Balfour turned around and looked at her coldly, “So, what exactly did you put in the breakfast?”
It seemed from Talia’s account that there was nothing amiss after last night’s dinner, so the problem must have been with this morning’s meal!
Ivy furrowed her brows, thinking hard, “I didn’t add anything strange, just regular ingredients. Mr. Howard, I know you suspect me, but I really didn’t put anything that shouldn’t be there.”
Balfour scrutinized her; she didn’t seem to be lying and had no apparent motive to harm the elderly.
“1… I think I saw something.”
At the voice, they both turned to see the maid, Leila, who had timidly approached.
Balfour addressed Leila, “What did you see?”
Leila glanced fearfully at lvy, as if terrified, “I was there when Ms. Dunhill was making breakfast. I saw her add some white powder to the oatmeal. I asked her what it was, and she said it was a special ingredient in her secret recipe, so I didn’t question further.”
Ivy was stunned, looking at Leila who was blatantly lying. She didn’t know how to react, but one thing was clear to her now.
This maid had disliked her from the start, harboring hostility; that was certain!
“Leila, what nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever add white powder to the oatmeal? I have no quarrel with you, and why are you slandering me?
