Chapter 538
Melody didn’t rush to respond but instead took another moment to observe Shindy’s condition.
Shindy still appeared drowsy and lacked any vitality. Her lips were pale, yet her cheeks were unnaturally flushed. Melody checked her temperature, but there were no signs of a fever.
“Strange…” Melody murmured. This was indeed a condition she hadn’t encountered before.
Shindy wasn’t pregnant or ill, yet she was constantly sleepy. There was no smell of alcohol, but her symptoms resembled those of someone who was intoxicated.
Owen’s expression turned somber. “Miss Knowles, are you unable to determine what illness my daughter has?”
Melody hesitated for a moment before answering, “Miss Nathan’s condition is indeed unusual. She has no trace of alcohol on her, but her pulse and complexion suggest symptoms similar to someone who is intoxicated or has food stagnation. The pulse is sometimes rapid but overall steady. I suspect she may have ingested something that caused this condition.”
Owen didn’t fully understand Melody’s explanation, but he did catch the word “intoxicated.”
He quickly responded, “But Shindy never drinks because she and her mother have a very low tolerance. She only drinks when necessary. Besides, this condition has persisted for quite some time. Even if she had been drunk, she shouldn’t still be like this after a month or two.”
“That’s the problem,” Melody said with a frown. “Who has been responsible for Miss Nathan’s meals during this time? Has she been eating anything new lately?”
Owen’s face darkened as he lowered his voice. “Miss Knowles, are you suggesting… my daughter might have been poisoned?”
“That’s what it seems like based on her condition. Otherwise, her symptoms don’t make sense. I believe that rather than focusing on treating the illness directly, we should first identify the cause of her condition and address it.”
Owen clenched his fists in anger. “Damn it! Who could have done this to Shindy…”
As soon as he said that, a name suddenly popped into his mind. His eyes darkened, and he gritted his teeth. It was Ulric.
Ulric had coerced him into cooperating against Ken. He promised that once it was done, he would find a renowned doctor to cure Shindy.
But over these past weeks, there had been no sign of any doctor, not even a single lead. It was laughable that Owen had foolishly believed Ulric would help once Ken was out of the picture.
Now, he realized Shindy’s condition had started at a suspiciously convenient time. It was highly likely that Ulric had orchestrated this situation.
Ulric could have deliberately poisoned Shindy and given Owen a deadline. Owen, desperate to save his daughter, wouldn’t dare betray him. Once that deadline passed, the Nathan family would lose all value to Ulric. At that point, Ulric wouldn’t care whether they lived or died.
Fortunately, Owen had grown impatient and continued searching for doctors, leading him to call in “Wilona” today. Eventually, he realized he had been fooled all along.
“Mr. Nathan? Mr. Nathan?”
Melody’s voice pulled Owen back to reality from his thoughts of anger and suspicion. He regained his composure and apologized, “I’m sorry, I was just thinking about something…”
Melody could guess that Owen was beginning to suspect Ulric, but she pretended not to notice and continued, “Mr. Nathan, if you don’t mind, I’d like to stay and help you investigate what might be causing Miss Nathan’s unusual drowsiness.”
Owen said, “Of course, I can’t thank you enough for helping me…”
“Alright then. Let’s get started. Where is your kitchen located?”
“It’s in the backyard,” Owen said, leading the way. As they walked, he explained, “I have tonsillitis. I can’t stand strong smells, so I moved the kitchen to the backyard.”
Melody nodded, and in less than three minutes, they reached the backyard.
“This is the kitchen,” Owen said, pointing to a small detached building. “There are five people assigned to the kitchen. Besides the head chef and assistants, some handle the daily purchasing of food and some other tasks.”
Melody asked, “How long have they all been working here?”
Owen answered, “For many years. They’ve practically watched Shindy grow up, so I don’t think they’d harm her…”
Melody gave Owen a pointed look and said, “Never underestimate human nature.”
Owen paused in his steps. “You’re right. I’ve lived this long and still haven’t grasped that as well as you have.”
Melody shrugged. She had learned the hard way about the dangers of trusting people too easily. This was why she always kept her guard up.
Even with someone as pure as Zara, she hadn’t opened up completely right from the start.
Before long, they arrived at the kitchen door. But just as they were about to enter, Owen’s phone rang.
“It’s a call from the office…” Owen said with a hint of frustration, “The company is about to go through an acquisition process, and I have a lot of documents to sign. I’ll need to leave for a bit.”
Melody replied, “Go ahead. I’ll look around on my own.”
Owen nodded, instructed the staff to cooperate with Melody’s investigation, and quickly left.
The head chef soon received the message. With some trepidation, he began showing Melody around the kitchen.
“This is the vegetable section, and over there is the freezer section… We’ve always maintained high standards of hygiene. The ingredients are either airlifted from overseas or bought fresh on the day. There’s no way anything here could have caused Miss Nathan to fall ill…”
Melody’s gaze swept over the kitchen staff, noting each of their expressions.
After a brief observation, she was convinced that none of the five could have been responsible for poisoning Shindy.
They seemed too simple and timid, their thoughts transparent and easy
to read. There was no way they could hide such a thing.
Melody retracted her gaze and said calmly, “Don’t be nervous. I’m just following standard procedures, not accusing anyone.”
However, her words only made the five more anxious.
“Dr. Knowles, please believe us!”
“We’ve watched Miss Nathan grow up. We could never harm her!”
Seeing their distress, Melody sighed and decided to let them leave the kitchen while she continued to search for suspicious items.
But just as the kitchen staff were about to exit, a middle-aged woman pushed the door open. The moment the door swung open, Melody’s sharp senses detected the scent of alcohol in the air.
Her eyes immediately focused on the woman.
The woman, however, seemed oblivious to the presence of Melody, Lucas, and the others. With an air of superiority, she asked, “Where’s my lamb stew? Why haven’t you started cooking it yet? If my milk supply runs low, you’re done for!”
The head chef subtly motioned towards the woman, signaling that outsiders were in the kitchen.