Chloe Reed’s face went deathly pale. She shot to her feet. "Vomiting blood? Could it be something she ate?"

Aunt Woods’s voice was also filled with anxiety. "No, the madam said she didn’t have an appetite when she came back yesterday. She just had a bowl of soup and went to rest..."

A wave of dizziness washed over Chloe. She steadied herself against the edge of the bed, closed her eyes for a second, and said, "Call an ambulance. I’m heading over right now."

Aunt Woods said, "Okay, okay..."

After hanging up, Chloe frantically changed her clothes.

A groggy Iris Yates watched her and asked, "Chloe, what’s wrong?"

Chloe threw her hair into a messy ponytail and said, "Something’s happened to my grandmother. I have to get to the hospital."

"What!"

At her words, Iris shot out of bed. "I’m coming with you!" she declared.

The two of them hurried out of the bedroom, only to see Walker coming in through the front door with a large bag in his hand.

"What’s wrong?"

Walker glanced at them, his gaze finally landing on Chloe.

Chloe said, "It’s my grandmother!"

Her voice was trembling.

Walker set the bag aside. "I’ll drive you," he said.

He pulled out his phone and called his bodyguard, then led the way. By the time they got downstairs, the car was already there.

Iris held Chloe’s hand tightly. "Don’t worry," she said. "Maybe your grandmother just ate something that disagreed with her. It’s probably nothing serious..."

Chloe’s lips formed a tight line as her heart sank, a wave of foreboding washing over her.

They arrived at the hospital shortly after. As soon as they saw Aunt Woods, she told them, "The madam has been taken for tests."

Chloe forced herself to stay calm. "Was my grandmother acting strangely when she got back yesterday?" she asked.

Aunt Woods thought for a moment before replying, "She seemed a little distracted, but other than that, no."

Chloe called Daniel Hayes. The moment he picked up, she asked bluntly, "Were you with my grandmother the entire time yesterday?"

Daniel Hayes replied, "I had to use the restroom at one point, but I was gone for two minutes at most. I came right back. Nothing out of the ordinary happened the whole time."

When they got to the hospital room, Autumn Linton was very surprised, but also happy. She chattered incessantly with the old madam.

The old madam wasn’t overly enthusiastic in her replies, but she listened intently.

Daniel Hayes recounted everything that happened after they arrived at the hospital.

After a pause, he added, "The only thing was, when the madam was about to leave around noon, Autumn Linton insisted she stay for lunch. She started crying and acting pitiful, so the madam gave in and agreed. They ate lunch together."

Chloe gripped her phone tightly as an audacious theory took shape in her mind.

Daniel Hayes asked, his voice laced with apprehension, "Miss Reed, is something wrong?"

Chloe closed her eyes. "My grandmother suddenly vomited blood and collapsed," she said. "She’s in the hospital undergoing emergency treatment right now."

Daniel Hayes was completely stunned. "How could this happen so suddenly...?" he stammered.

Chloe said, "They’re still running tests. We’ll know more once the results are in."

"Understood," Daniel Hayes said. "I’m on my way now."

... 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

「Two hours later.」

The old madam was wheeled out. The sight of her made Chloe’s heart ache with a sharp, piercing pain.

Her already wizened face now wore a deathly, ashen color. The wrinkles seemed to have carved themselves deeper into her skin, her lips were purple, and she looked terribly sick and pale.

The doctor said, "The test results indicate poisoning, but we are still working to identify the specific toxin. For now, we’ve only used medication to temporarily inhibit its effects."