Edward, who had been upset earlier, now suppressed a smile as he asked, “Nanci, which of your friends sent this? Do they think you…”
Nanci replied helplessly, “I have no idea what this means. I really just had a stomach ache. But I should post about these fruits on social media to find out who sent them so I can thank them properly.”
“Knock knock knock!”
The doctor, passing by the room and hearing voices inside, decided to come in and check on the situation.
Nanci said, “Come in.”
Edward, seeing it was the doctor who had examined her earlier, said, “She’s awake now. Can you conduct a more thorough examination? Please be extra careful.”
The doctor nodded perfunctorily, walked to Nanci’s bedside, and began asking, “Ma’am, please answer all my questions truthfully. Otherwise, the results won’t be accurate, and your husband might blame me again.”
Nanci touched her forehead, looking at Edward with exasperation. She knew he must have given the doctor a hard time while she was unconscious. She quickly said, “Yes, doctor. Please ask, I’ll answer everything.”
“Are you aware that you have a weak digestive system? Your fainting was likely caused by consuming cold or irritating foods, which led to your collapse.”
This question caught Nanci off guard. She carefully observed Edward’s expression, unsure of his reaction. She had always enjoyed spicy foods, and now that he knew about her weak stomach, she worried she wouldn’t be able to eat her favorite dishes for a long time.
Seeing her hesitation, the doctor continued, “I’m a professional doctor. You don’t need to be afraid. Your other physical conditions are quite healthy. Just answer my questions.”
Hearing this, Nanci recalled that she had indeed indulged in some seafood a few days ago, unable to resist her cravings. She hadn’t expected it would cause stomach pain. She had thought it was her period coming.
She nodded at the doctor and said awkwardly, “I understand. Thank you, doctor. I’d like to apologize for my husband’s attitude earlier. He was just too worried about me and meant no harm. Please don’t take it personally.”
Seeing her polite response and apology for her husband’s behavior, the doctor’s expression softened. “I won’t take it to heart. Rest well. I’ll be leaving now.”
After the doctor left, Edward said indignantly, “Why did you apologize to him? What did I do wrong? I just wanted him to examine you more thoroughly for a more accurate diagnosis…”
Nanci took his hand and explained, “I know you were worried about me. Don’t be upset. Look at me-don’t you see I’m completely fine? Aren’t you happy that nothing’s wrong?”
“Of course, I’m glad you’re okay!”
Nanci smiled and said, “Then that’s good. I’m hungry now, and the IV is finished. Let’s get some food and find Olivia at the company. She must be worried about us.”
Edward didn’t agree. “You just woke up. Stay here and rest a bit longer. Issac and the others are there with Grandma, so don’t worry about her. Tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll get it for you.”
“I really am fine. You heard what the doctor said. I just…”
Edward said with resignation, “What have you been eating behind my back? Should I keep you by my side at all times to prevent you from eating inappropriate food?”
Nanci looked at him with a pitiful expression. “I really only ate a little bit. I don’t know why it caused stomach pain. Now that Olivia is living with us, you won’t need to worry about me anymore!”
Edward gently tapped her forehead and said, “You’re impossible. Do you know how scared I was?”
“I promise it won’t happen again. Please don’t be angry, okay?”
Edward looked at the fruits someone had sent, cut some pieces for her, and said, “Eat some fruit first to regain your energy. You’ll need strength to go back.”
“So after I eat, can we leave?”
Seeing that Edward was about to refuse, she added, “I can rest at the company, and we can have dinner with Olivia. Don’t you think it’s a good idea?”
At that moment, Edward received a message from Jacob.
“Sir, we’ve found the cause of Mrs. Clarkson’s incident. We’ll explain the details at the company once you’re back.”
Edward put away his phone and said, “Alright, eat something and we’ll go back.”
Meanwhile, Issac was trying to persuade Olivia to eat, but despite his best efforts, she insisted she had no appetite. When she saw the couple enter, Olivia quickly stood up, took Nanci’s hands, and examined her with concern. “Nanci, how are you? It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have left the restroom door. You got hurt because of me…”
“How could this be your fault, Olivia? I fainted because of my own health issues, not because of you. Look, I’m perfectly fine now!”
Olivia still looked at her worriedly. As Nanci continued to comfort her, Edward said, “I have something to take care of. Wait here, and we’ll eat together when I return.”
Nanci gave him a reassuring look, helped Olivia back to the sofa, chatted with her, and offered her some of the fruit they had brought from the hospital.
Edward quickly went to Jacob’s office, sat on the sofa, and said, “Tell me what happened. Who did this?”
Jacob glanced at Maggie, who took out her phone and played the recording from the stairwell.
After it finished, she said, “These two women should be from our packaging department. One of them, I know, is named Ada. She’s usually quite ambitious and hardworking. I don’t know why she would get involved in this…”
Edward slammed the table and said, “Call them both to my office right now! I want to ask them why they harbor hostility toward Nanci. How dare they have the audacity to act against her right under my nose. They’re quite bold.”
Maggie nodded and left to summon them. Jacob asked, “Sir, should we invite Mrs. Clarkson to join? She might want to know the reason too.”
“Let Nanci rest a bit longer. I’ll handle this first. Go buy some food and send it to my office. Tell her I went out to deal with something and will be back soon.”
“Yes, sir.”
The woman and Ada were at their desks working when Maggie suddenly approached, saying Mr. Clarkson wanted to see them. They exchanged nervous glances, sensing trouble. The woman spoke first, “Maggie, do you know why Mr. Clarkson is looking for us?”
Maggie gave her a meaningful look and replied, “No, I’m just delivering the message. You’ll find out when you get there.”
Ada grabbed the woman’s hand anxiously and asked, “Do you think Mr. Clarkson found out that you locked Mrs. Clarkson in the restroom?”
“Stop it! Don’t panic! Remember what we agreed on before lunch? Just stick to our story. Do you want me to lose my job? Who will you talk to after I’m gone?”
Ada shook her head vigorously. “I don’t want you to leave, but what about Mrs. Clarkson’s condition… are you sure you didn’t harm her?”
The woman angrily snapped, “Don’t you believe me? I told you I just locked the door and nothing else!”
Ada, frightened by her sudden outburst, said, “Alright, I believe you. Let’s hurry to Mr. Clarkson’s office. Maggie said he was in Jacob’s office. If we’re late, he’ll be even angrier.”
At the door, the woman gestured for Ada to knock. Ada hesitated, unsure how to act naturally when facing Mr. Clarkson. Seeing her hesitation, the woman knocked on the door herself.
“Come in.”
Both women greeted Edward simultaneously, “Mr. Clarkson.”
Edward sat with his legs crossed, toying with a fruit knife in his hand, and asked, “Do you know why I called you here?”
Ada honestly shook her head. “No, sir.”
“What do you think of my wife?”
“Mrs. Clarkson seems very intelligent and must be a wonderful wife. I heard she fainted and was taken to the hospital today. How is she feeling now?”
Edward gave a cold laugh. “Today, I found her in the restroom. Someone had deliberately locked the door from the outside. The security footage shows that only you two passed by there. Did you notice anything? Tell me so I can find that person and give them a proper reward!”
The woman felt a chill run down her spine but still tried to deny it. “Ada and I did pass by there today. We were going to use the ladies’ room, but we saw a “Cleaning In Progress” sign, so we left.”
Edward’s gaze shifted to Ada. The woman was desperately tugging at the back of Ada’s shirt. Ada nervously said, “Yes, Mr. Clarkson. We were just passing by and didn’t go in.”
“What do you take me for, an idiot? I’ll give you one more chance to tell the truth. If your answer still doesn’t satisfy me, both of you can pack up and leave the company.”
The woman, convinced that Edward had no solid evidence, continued to deny everything until Edward angrily threw the knife, missing her face by just a few centimeters. She trembled in disbelief as she stared at him.
Edward said coldly, “You have the courage to do it but not to admit it, right? You think I don’t have evidence, don’t you? Well, I happened to have an interesting recording. Let’s listen to it together.”
The recording revealed their conversation in the stairwell. Both women panicked, realizing someone had recorded their conversation. There was no way to deny it now.
The woman, growing desperate, decided to betray Ada. She hastily pushed all responsibility onto her colleague, saying, “Mr. Clarkson, I confess! It was all her idea. Ada said she had disliked Mrs. Clarkson for a long time and was jealous that she could enjoy life by your side! Please forgive my momentary confusion.”
Ada was stunned by this betrayal and exclaimed loudly, “How can you do this? It was clearly you who-”
“Ada, please stop making mistakes. Admit your fault early, and perhaps Mr. Clarkson will forgive you.”