Chapter 261
However, the thrill of stirring up trouble was undeniably entertaining.
Haynes was not the type to waste words explaining himself.
He turned to Jasper and said, “Jasper, apologize to Stella.”
Jasper was reluctant, his discontent clear, yet he was mindful of Rachel’s illness. Begrudgingly, he spoke up.
“Stella, I was only joking with you… Why be so sensitive, right?”
Stella wasn’t bothered by Jasper’s dismissive attitude. She smiled slightly.
“If you don’t want to apologize, that’s fine. Since you’re so close with Ms. Pearce, perhaps you wouldn’t mind testing the medicine for her?”
Jasper was suspicious, “Didn’t you say that all medicine has side effects? I don’t have this illness. Wouldn’t taking this medicine do more harm than good?”
Stella coaxed, “You may not have a terminal illness, but haven’t you been poisoned in a way? The first course of treatment is mild, with detoxifying properties. It won’t harm your face; in fact, it might even help.”
She waved the bottle of pills in the air. “The ingredients are rare and valuable, each pill worth a fortune. It took a full week to make just these few, going through complex processes.”
Jasper was taken aback by Stella’s persuasive words.
“Is it really that miraculous?”
Stella replied, “Not miraculous enough to cure Ms. Pearce’s terminal illness, is it?”
Skeptically, Jasper took the pill from Stella’s hand and was about to pop it into his mouth.
Just as he was about to swallow, he paused.
He threatened fiercely, “Stella, if something happens to me, you’re done for!”
Stella smiled reassuringly. “If you have any issues, you can come to me.”
The concoction, made from soaking water typically used for foot baths, was mostly harmless. As for the rat droppings and cockroach bits-well, Mr. Burton assured her they weren’t too problematic. After all, it’s not like rat droppings are consumed daily. And cockroaches are high in protein.
With Stella’s confident assurance, Jasper swallowed the pill whole.
After taking it, nothing out of the ordinary happened to him.
Half an hour passed, and he still felt perfectly fine.
Finally, Jasper relaxed and turned to Rachel. “Seems fine, Rachel. You should take it too. The sooner you start treatment, the sooner you’ll recover!”
Rachel looked at the dark, uninviting pill in her hand, hesitant to consume it. But refusing would be too suspicious.
Steeling herself, she took a sip of water and swallowed the pill.
Stella chuckled inwardly. She needed to think carefully about the second course of treatment.
Once they finished, Stella collected the remaining pills.
Jasper couldn’t help but voice his concern, “Stella, didn’t you say Rachel could complete a full course of treatment? Why are you taking the pills away? How will Rachel get better?”
Stella explained, “Ms. Pearce needs to take her medication every three days, but for this month, she must come here for it. The first treatment phase is crucial. If she doesn’t take the pills and secretly disposes of them, you might blame the medicine for not working.”
Jasper protested, “How could that be?! This is Rachel’s lifesaving medication. Why would she not take it and throw it away?!”
Stella gave Rachel a knowing look, one that sent chills down Rachel’s spine.
Could Stella possibly know she was faking her illness?
But no, that couldn’t be, right?
If Stella knew, she would have already exposed her to Haynes.
But Stella wasn’t afraid. Because…