Chapter 1917


    Ivy had been up since the dawn broke, busy in the kitchen preparing a hearty breakfast. After baking


    some scones and frying up a batch of eggs, she decided to finish off with a pot of oatmeal.


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    While the oatmeal simmered gently on the stove, Ivy’s stomach gave an unexpected lurch. She


    nced over at Le, her expression a mix of difort and urgency. “Le, I gotta go to the


    bathroom. The oatmeal’s not ready yet. Could you keep an eye on it for me?”


    “Sure thing, Miss,” Le replied, watching Ivy rush off, and a cryptic smile crept over her face.


    When Ivy returned, she noticed that Le had already served the oatmeal. “It’s ready, huh?”


    “Yes Miss, all set.” Le was setting the table with three breakfast tes. “I’ll go fetch Mr. and Mrs.


    Howard for breakfast.”


    Ivy nodded with a smile and took a seat in the dining room.


    Something made her uneasy though – the way Le looked at her seemed strange, almost as if she


    harbored some dislike. But Ivy shook off the thoughts, hoping she was just being paranoid.


    Soon after, Dean and Alyssa made their way into the dining room.


    Their eyes lit up at the sight of the spread. Alyssa, with her grandmotherly warmth, beamed at Ivy. “Did


    you prepare all these up, Ivy?”


    “Yeah, I woke up early and thought I’d whip up something special for you and Grandpa!” Ivydled


    some oatmeal into bowls for them. “Grandpa, Grandma, I made this oatmeal specially for you. Tell me if


    it’s to your liking?”


    Alyssa adored the thoughtful girl and dly took the bowl from Ivy, tasting a spoonful. “Mmm, that’s


    quite tasty.”


    Dean also took a sip, giving Ivy a thumbs-up with a chuckle.


    ted by their praise, Ivy’s spirits soared, and she even ate more than usual.


    After breakfast, Ivy brewed some tea for the old couple before heading back to her room to unpack her


    luggage and put her clothes into the wardrobe.


    Suddenly, there was a frantic knock at the door. Ivy opened it to find Talia, the maid in charge of caring


    for Alyssa and Dean Howard, with a panicked expression. “Miss, emergency! The master and mistress


    are both terribly sick. They’ve got the runs. The butler’s already arranged to have them taken to the


    hospital. You shoulde too!”


    Ivy was startled and quickly followed Talia out. “What happened? They were fine just a moment ago!”


    Talia exined as they hurried, “Right after breakfast, Mr. Howard started feeling ill, then Mrs. Howard


    too. After several trips to the bathroom, they could barely stand. I rushed to get the butler, and he had


    the chauffeur drive them to the hospital.”


    They jumped into the car, and the driver sped towards the hospital.


    On the way, Ivy texted Balfour: [Grandpa and Grandma have serious diarrhea. We’re on our way to


    hospital. I’ll send you the address,e when you can.]


    Arriving at the hospital, Ivy and Talia found the emergency department and saw the elderly couple lying


    on the beds, looking pale and getting IV fluids.


    Ivy’s heart sank with worry at the sight.


    Meanwhile, Balfour, having finished his meeting, rushed to the hospital as fast as he could.


    As he entered the room, the doctors and nurses arrived with news. “Family of the patients, we’ve


    conducted a thorough examination. It appears they’ve ingested something contaminated, which led to


    foodborne illness and diarrhea.”