Chapter 6

The accusation came out of nowhere, leaving Mia feeling helpless. “If I haven’t stepped into the kitchen all day, how could I have had the chance to drug Miss Quinn?” she said calmly.

“Just because you didn’t go into the kitchen doesn’t mean you couldn’t bribe someone who did,” Jenna sneered. “When I came over this morning, I saw you and Mrs. Zimmer acting all secretive in the garden. Now that I think about it, you were probably plotting to poison Xena!”

“Heavens, Miss Ford! You can’t just make baseless accusations like that!” Mrs. Zimmer exclaimed, panicked. “I’m just a housekeeper. How could I dare poison someone?”

“Then what were you and Mia whispering about in the garden this morning?” Jenna pressed, unwilling to let it go.

“I…” Mrs. Zimmer glanced at Mia nervously, unsure of how to respond. With Nick and Xena present, she couldn’t possibly repeat the conversation from that morning.

“Can’t answer, can you? I knew it! You two are definitely up to something!” Jenna declared smugly. “Xena, should I call the police for you? Tampering with food is practically attempted murder!”

The mention of calling the police made Xena’s face contort with even more pain. Clutching Nick’s hand, she cried out, “Nick, it hurts so much! Am I going to die? I’m so scared!”

Seeing Xena in such agony, Nick didn’t hesitate. He scooped her up into his arms and rushed toward the door. “Get the car ready! We’re going to the hospital now!”

Before leaving, he shot Mia a furious glare. “I’ll deal with you when I get back!”

Mrs. Zimmer, completely shaken, started to cry. “Ma’am, what are we going to do? I didn’t poison Miss Quinn. I swear I didn’t! I’m just trying to make an honest living. I would never do something like this!”

Mia knew Mrs. Zimmer couldn’t have been the one to poison Xena.

But Mrs. Zimmer was the one who cooked the meal, and unless she implicated someone else, Nick would never let her off the hook.

“When Nick comes back, just say I was the one who told you to do it if he interrogates you,” Mia said calmly. “It’s fine, don’t be afraid. Blame everything on me.”

“But how could I do that?” Mrs. Zimmer exclaimed, panicking. “Ma’am, we didn’t do anything wrong! We can’t just confess to something we didn’t do!”

Mia gave a bitter smile. She had already realized over the past few days that whether she admitted to it or not didn’t matter. Nick had already decided she was guilty. Her outcome would be the same either way.

Since that was the case, it was better to sacrifice herself and protect someone else. She couldn’t let an innocent person take the blame.

“Do as I say,” Mia said firmly, her tone unusually resolute. “Don’t worry. I have a plan. Nothing will happen to me.”

After an entire night at the hospital, Nick finally returned home with Xena in the early hours of the morning.

The moment he stepped through the door, he launched into an interrogation. “Mia, you’re pretty clever, aren’t you? You knew Xena was allergic to peanuts, so you ground them into powder and sprinkled them in her soup. Do you have any idea that if I hadn’t rushed her to the hospital in time, she could’ve died tonight?

“Mrs. Zimmer already confessed that you ordered her to do it. So, what do you have to say for yourself? I’m giving you one chance. Why did you do it?”

Mia lifted her head and glanced at Xena.

Xena’s pale face looked even more fragile as she lay on the bed, weak and pitiful. “Mia, I don’t believe you’d try to hurt me. You must have had your reasons, didn’t you?”

Mia let out a quiet laugh. Looking Xena straight in the eyes, she spoke calmly.

“Thank you for trusting me. I didn’t hurt you, and I have no idea why Mrs. Zimmer would accuse me. Why don’t we call the police? Let them investigate thoroughly. My words might not hold weight, but the findings of the police surely will.”