Celeste, who was as quick-witted as ever, immediately understood what was going on from Ava's reaction."I'll call you back later," she said before abruptly ending the video call."Kayden, do you know Ava?" This wasn't a question to ask Ava. It needed to be asked of Kayden.Kayden seemed surprised that Celeste was unaware. "Ava is a relative of ours. Ava's mother was my brother and I's great aunt."Celeste was taken aback. She remembered meeting Damon's aunts and cousins at Serena's birthday party, but she hadn't met Ava. Even Megan, a prominent socialite, wasn’t aware of Ava’s relationship with Damon!"Do you not interact often?" she asked."We interact privately, but given my uncle's sensitive position, Ava's family avoids public appearances."Celeste did some research and found that Ava's father held a high-ranking position in the South Sea, which he indeed held a sensitive status. He must be a significant person since he wasn't allowed to retire in his seventies. The fact th
Celeste didn't dare delay. The journey from her office to the hospital usually took over half an hour. However, it took her less than twenty minutes this time."Hello, you must be one of the parents. Please, come with me." A person arranged by the kindergarten was waiting at the entrance, and Celeste knew from this setup that the situation was serious."What happened?""The children in the junior class have all suffered from nitrate poisoning today. We suspect someone in the kitchen staff tampered with the food. The police have been notified."The hospital had reserved a reception room for the kindergarten, and the staff member led Celeste upstairs.In the reception room, there were already about a dozen parents with worried expressions."Ms. York, Leo's symptoms are the mildest. He only suffers some dizziness and vomiting. The doctor has administered him an antidote. There's no need for worry." Leo's teacher hurriedly informed Celeste upon seeing her."Show me the lunch menu."
Celeste had picked Leo up from school many times before, and she remembered the kid named Jordan as a chubby little guy with dimples when he smiled. He was a gentle boy and loved to smile. His nickname was either Little Burger or Fries."I will hold your kindergarten accountable for this!" The young father of the child roared in agony.Celeste's heart trembled along, and she clenched her fists tightly.The poisoner deserved to die! Such people should be locked away forever!It was only because Leo knew about his pineapple allergy and avoided that dish. Otherwise... Her face turned frightfully pale, and she trembled.There were thirty children with varied degrees of poisoning. Jordan died despite attempts to save him. Several other children were in intensive care."I want to see Leo," Celeste said.She seemed so fragile that it tightened Damon's heart. He reached out and pulled her petite shoulders close while soothing her in a deep voice. "Don’t be afraid. I’m here."It was rar
At that moment, Damon felt as though an earthquake had struck within his heart.His beloved son changed his way of addressing him during an unlikely event."What did you call me, Leo?""It's fine if you didn't hear it." Leo felt somewhat awkward. He looked away with a pout and was unwilling to make eye contact."My dear boy. It's my fault for not taking good care of you these past few years." Damon said as he moved closer, lifted Leo into his arms, and their foreheads touched."From now on, I will make sure to take good care of you." And the boy's mother as well.He left the last sentence unsaid.The seriousness of Leo's poisoning brought many visitors to the hospital room in less than a day. Jane came first, followed by Winston and Megan, and then Jasper and Kayden.Serena arrived slightly later. By then, everyone had left, and Leo had just fallen asleep.Damon sat by the bed. He turned off the air conditioning to avoid the harsh breeze and began fanning Leo gently. Meanwhile
Damon's eyes darkened. Vera was undoubtedly a servant of the Bishop family. There couldn't be anyone else!Just as Celeste had suspected. The poisoning incident was indeed targeted at Leo!Fortunately, Leo was allergic to pineapple and hadn't eaten it. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable."Any news on Vera?" Damon dialed Ruben's number."Don't worry. I've contacted all major transportation hubs. Unless Vera hides out somewhere and doesn't show her face, whether she takes a car, drives herself, or even flies, she won't be able to get anywhere," Ruben had experience in handling such matters. He sounded steady and confident.That day, a warrant for Vera's arrest was posted on major platforms."A major criminal case has occurred in our district. The suspect, Vera, is at large. The following are her physical characteristics. She was about 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighed approximately 95 pounds." Attached was Vera's ID and her photo from the kindergarten."Anyone wi
Vera's eyes were ringed with blue, and her face darkened. There was white foam frothed from her mouth. This clearly indicated she had been poisoned for a while."Who did this to you?" Ruben had seen many tragedies, but the scene before him shocked him deeply."No one, it was me. I poisoned them with sodium nitrite. These two have been draining me my whole life. To think that in the end, they planned to betray me for 500,000 dollars. Betrayers... Now, nobody gets to live!" Vera held a despairing look, and her tone was filled with sorrow. It startled Ruben.As Vera's condition worsened, she began to gasp for air and was barely breathing in."Take her away!" Ruben commanded with a dark expression.As soon as Vera was admitted to the hospital, Nicholas arranged for her to be taken to the ICU for emergency treatment.Celeste and Damon left Leo in Serena's care and met with Ruben in an office at Davidson Hospital to discuss the situation.Ruben detailed everything to the two."Ther
Celeste didn't struggle. She was now feeling utterly lost and anxious.She thought she might need a drink or a cigarette to calm her nerves.When people felt overwhelmed, one would sometimes resort to slightly self-destructive behaviors that brought her temporary solace. She often dug her nails so deeply into her palm that an unnatural indentation formed on her right hand. Similarly, she had a tendency to drink strong liquor, relying on the alcohol to dull her normally sharp senses.It was exactly because of this that she, being part of a sensitive demographic, maintained her composure and never panicked in public.She leaned her head barely against Damon's shoulder. She was just resting against him and not embracing him back or speaking.Damon cooed a few words. Noticing there was no response from Celeste, he, too, fell silent. He held her and sensed as time passed second by second. He wished it would slow down, even just a little.About five minutes passed."Give me a cigarett
Vera died. The worst had happened.Damon and Celeste waited outside the ICU while initially holding onto a sliver of hope. However, now their expressions turned serious."Vera took a lethal dose of sodium nitrite. This is unexpected," Nicholas said."Are your people reliable?" Damon asked.Nicholas responded after a moment. "Of course. Do we need to keep this strictly confidential?"Damon nodded slightly, then contacted Liam straight away."Spread the word that Vera has been detained in the detention center at Southlake and that the parents of the poisoned children will surely pursue this matter. Especially Celeste and the Belasco family."He intended to mention the Bishop family specifically, as Leo was the child of the Bishop family. However, only a few were aware of this. He had to consider Celeste's feelings.Being a longtime acquaintance and a clever one at that, Celeste immediately understood Damon's thoughts."I can pretend to be Vera'."Since the goal was to use Vera