At this point, Patricia had no choice but to toss her momâs dignity under the bus to keep her own innocent image intact.
Otherwise, theyâd have no place in the Howard family While Patricia wasnât sure what was going on in Ellinorâs head, the story sheâd just spun was the most plausible one that could get Patricia off the hook. So she agreed with Ellinorâs version for now Ellinor reached out with a sympathetic hand, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Patriciaâs ear. âYeah, I think so too. Ms Howardâs such a sweet and kind person. She nearly gave her life to save Theo and ended up being unable to have children. I canât believe someone as selfless as her would get involved in something so harmfulâ
After hearing Ellinors veiled praises. Patricia felt a chill running down her spine. Ellinors sudden defense felt a bit off Ellinor frowned deeply, looking worried âMs. Howard, I just remembered! You also chugged a big glass of pomegranate juice spiked with way too much saffron without knowing it. Are you okay? Do you feel unwell anywhere?!
Patricia hadnât let her guard down around Ellinor, but for now, she had to play along. She shook her head innocently. Tim sorry to worry you, Ellinor, but Iâm fine. I donât feel unwellâ
But Ellinor still looked unconvinced, âYou canât be too careful! After hearing about the side effects of saffron from the doctor, I did some googling. Turns out, even girls who arenât pregnant can get seriously harmed from too much saffion! Ms. Howard, I suggest you get yourself checked out to see if your bodyâs been affected Patricia knew full well that Ellinor wasnât genuinely concerned for her. She politely declined, âThank you for your concern, Ellinor. But Iâm really okay, thereâs no need for a check up.â
Ellinor shook her head, âHow can you not get checked? You drank a whole glass, not just a sip! Look at your brother, Byran. He only had half a glass, and he started bleeding from his stomach! For safetyâs sake, I think you should get checkedâ
Patricia instinctively didnât want to get checked. She refused again. âNo need! Iâm really okay! Actually, I didnât drink much, I threw upâ¦
Her mind was a mess, and she accidentally let slip something she shouldnât have said, When she realized her mistake, she immediately shut up.
But the cat was already out of the bag, and Ellinor caught it Ellinor raised an eyebrow, lilting her head in confusion, âHuh? Threw up? Ms. Howard, didnât you tell me that you didnât throw up the juice? If you did, why would you? Could it be that you knew the juice was poisoned from the beginning?â
Patriciaâs face froze She quickly racked her brain for an excuse. No. I didnât throw up⦠I mean, I just needed to use the bathroom after drinking the juice, so I went. I think the toxins from the saffron mustâve been flushed out then, so they didrit affect me Ellinor furrowed her brows with concern, âIf you didnât throw up, then you should still get checked! Ms.
Howard, youâve already got a weak body from saving Theo back then Itâd be bad if you hurt yourself again itâs always better to catch things early right?â
Patricia was frustrated inside but she had to keep a calm face. Ellinor had pushed her into a corner, but she still didnât want to agree to the check-up.
Ellinor didnât wait for her to agree. She made the arrangements addressing the doctor who was still present.
âDoctor, could you please take Ms. Howard to get checked for any issues from consuming excessive saffron, especially any gynecological issues? We need to make sure the saffron isnât causing any menstrual irregularities or excessive bleeding The doctor was about to leave and nodded, âAlright Ms. Howard, come with me. Iâll arrange for a thorough check-up for you.â