Chapter 310
Boring.
“Did you not eat?” Yara frowned, clearly unimpressed with her son’s mumbled response. “You’re a young man, not some timid little girl-speak up p>
Harlan had no choice but to raise his voice. “I heard you, Mom p>
That finally seemed to satisfy her. She patted the back of his head and said, with a gentler tone, “See? That’s better. Don’t walk around like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders-you look half-dead when you do p>
As she finished, something else crossed her mind. “By the way, did you take your Heartsteady Elixir today p>
“Not yet,” Harlan replied, shaking his head.
On hearing this, Yara immediately called for a servant to bring the medicine. She stood by, watching closely as her son swallowed the Heartsteady Elixir, and only then did her tension ease.
The Gonzales Family.
Caitlin was in Stuart Gonzales’s bedroom, performing acupuncture on him.
One needle after another.
Her hands moved so quickly they seemed to blur in the lamplight.
Soon, Stuart’s body was covered in fine golden needles, each one glinting coldly under the light.
Half an hour passed.
Caitlin began to remove the needles.
As she pulled out the last one, her brow furrowed. Something about it seemed off. She opened the door and called to Lynn, who was waiting outside. “Lynn, can you fetch my grandmother for me p>
“Of course, Miss Freya p>
New Year’s was just around the corner.
The Richards family’s eight uncles, their wives, and thirteen cousins had all returned to Neon Spire.
Keira was making paper snowflakes with Keira and Fortune when Lynn arrived with the message that her granddaughter needed her. She quickly set down the scissors. “You two keep working-I’ll go see what Freya wants p>
Fortune and Hannah nodded. “Go ahead, don’t keep her waiting p>
A few minutes later, Keira arrived at Stuart’s wing of the house.
She pushed the door open, concern written on her face. “Freya, what’s going on p>
“Grandma.” Caitlin walked over and quietly closed the door.
Keira’s worry deepened. Her granddaughter was never so cautious unless something serious had happened.
Once the door was shut, Caitlin asked, “Grandma, all these years, who’s been taking care of my dad p>
“It’s always been me,” Keira answered, then added, “If I had to be away, your aunt would step in p>
“And the doctors responsible for his care? Who chose them?” Caitlin pressed.
“I did,” Keira said.
“Have you ever changed doctors?” Caitlin continued.
Keira nodded. “We’ve had three. The last one-Dr. Barrett-is our current family doctor p>
For some reason, Keira was starting to feel uneasy. “Freya, why are you asking all this p>
Caitlin’s expression was grave. “Grandma, I’m starting to suspect that not only was my father’s accident nineteen years ago no accident, but the fact that he’s been bedridden all these years might not be, either p>
Bang!
Keira felt as if something had exploded in her mind.
“You mean someone poisoned your father? That’s why he’s never woken up?” Her voice trembled. Though the room was warm, a chill crawled up her spine.
“The culprit wouldn’t be so obvious as to use poison,” Caitlin replied. “While I was doing acupuncture, I noticed a faint greenish film on one of the needles. It’s not toxic, but if it builds up in the body over time, it can neutralize the effects of medication. That means all the treatments and medicines Dad’s had would be rendered useless p>
That explained why, when Caitlin had checked Stuart’s pulse last time, she hadn’t found anything unusual.
Not just that—even blood tests would have missed it, because the substance wasn’t a toxin. In fact, it was something supposedly beneficial for the body.
But for someone like Stuart, who relied on medication and had been bedridden for years, it was far from harmless.
Keira staggered back a few steps, her voice shaking. “Who-who would do such a thing to your father p>
What kind of hatred could drive someone to keep tormenting Stuart, even when he was already incapacitated?
While Keira was frozen in disbelief, Caitlin remained composed. She steadied her grandmother and said, “Whoever had the most to gain from my father’s illness- that’s who we need to look at p>