A Maid Can't Manage This  

"Black market?" I looked at Inara in shock.

Inara nodded, "Yes, only available on the black market. It's a slow-acting poison, colorless and tasteless, and it's hard to detect when added to food. Small doses are unnoticeable but cause significant damage, gradually eroding organs until they fail, with no clear cause of death. The traditional medicines we tested were perfectly fine! The poison must have been added later! This proves Anna's involvement. She brewed and delivered the medicine—this vile woman can't escape this!"

"But she doesn't have the capability or connections to acquire this from the black market!" I said deliberately, shivering involuntarily.

Involving the black market meant this was beyond what Anna, a mere maid, could manage.

"Chloe, my biggest concern is whether she still has more of this poison. If she does, it's a ticking time bomb. Be very cautious with anything she prepares for you!" Inara warned, "Especially when Sean isn't around, avoid anything she gives you."

"I can manage, but what about the children?" I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and tears rolled down. I choked out, "Inara, how did my life turn into this? Why? What are they trying to achieve?"

"Stay calm…! Don't act rashly. Always protect yourself! Living gives you a chance to win!" Inara advised softly.

Yes, staying alive was the key.

I sniffed, "They're all at the hospital now. Kyle caught a chill last night without his blanket. Sean rushed back overnight. I suspect John called him. I don't know what was said, but Sean's sudden return isn't normal. Oh, and Inara, we need to handle the hospital's surveillance."

"Don't worry! Gabriel already arranged for the surveillance at the hospital to be handled as soon as we left!" Inara reassured me, "He's meticulous and won't leave any loose ends. Rest easy!"

"That's good!" I sighed in relief, "Sean made a call when he got back, and I think I heard 'Red River City.' Inara, if you can, you really should go to Red River City."

"What are you talking about? I told you, I'd drop everything for you. I've been working too hard these past years; I could use a break!"

Her words warmed my heart immensely. "Inara, I'm so grateful to have you!"

Inara cursed angrily, "Sean, that bastard, to do this for a maid…"

"No…!" I voiced my suspicion, "No, my gut tells me Anna is just a puppet. Sean has another agenda!"

"What makes you say that?" Inara asked.

"His attitude!" I said without hesitation. "Sean's attitude towards Anna isn't right."

"You mean they're not having that kind of relationship?" Inara asked, skeptical.

I shook my head, pondering, "They definitely have some relationship. But... it's strange. I can't pinpoint it exactly, but it's not the main factor. Anna might be his plant to monitor me or perhaps his accomplice."

"He's truly despicable if he's stooping to a maid! Men like him! Don't worry, Gabriel is investigating their backgrounds!" Inara said disdainfully, "Once we know who's connected to the black market, we'll act. Finding the remaining poison is crucial—it's our evidence against them."

"Colorless and tasteless!" I muttered, the thought terrifying me. If such a substance was in my home, what about my children? If she targeted them, I wouldn't be able to prevent it.

"No, I need to search for it while they're all out. Can you access Sean's computer now?" I asked Inara.

"Hold on, I'll send you the info in a bit!" Inara ended the call. I grabbed my old phone and quickly checked the surveillance status. As I suspected, Sean, wary of arousing my suspicion, had turned off all the surveillance.

I scoffed, predicting Sean would shut off the cameras after returning my phone, never to turn them on easily again.

I went straight to the kitchen and meticulously searched every corner but found nothing unusual.

Strange, where could she have hidden it? She wouldn't carry it with her, would she? The kitchen seemed the most logical place for her to store it for easy access.

I even opened all the unprepared herbal packets, comparing the ingredients.

Indeed, the traditional medicines were clean.

Unyielding, I went to Anna's room. I rarely entered her room, and it was packed with things. Her wardrobe was full of clothes. I looked through them but didn't find anything belonging to Sean.

She had been here so long, becoming part of the household, even ambitiously aiming to be its mistress. On her dresser, I saw a collection of high-end cosmetics, including a bottle of perfume identical to mine.

I was sure these were gifts from Sean.

I had no time to inspect these further and continued to search every corner of her room meticulously but found nothing suspicious.

Exhausted and dizzy, I collapsed to the floor, my heart pounding as if about to explode.

Could the poison be gone? Otherwise, why didn't the herbal packets contain the compound?

From recent events, it didn't seem like they knew I was aware of my condition. I had been very careful, not revealing anything! To be safe, I shakily called Sean. He took a while to answer, and I asked about Kyle's condition. He said it was acute pneumonia and he was on an IV. I asked how long the IV would take and if hospitalization was necessary.

Sean said the doctor wanted to observe for a while and told me not to worry.