Gary arrived at the mansion in no time. He practically skidded to a halt in his tracks as he spotted Claudia exiting Malcolm’s room with a middle-aged doctor in tow. A frown creased his brow as he watched them, their hushed conversation sparking a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
"Gary!" Claudia was surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Erm..."Just got a call from Theodore," he replied smoothly. "He said Grandpa was not well. He asked me to go see him."
Claudia’s posture stiffened, a flicker of anxiety crossing her features. Gary’s unexpected arrival threatened to disrupt her carefully laid plans. "He i alright now," she said quickly, her voice strained. "Just had Doctor Willis check him over."
With a pointed glance at the doctor, she subtly signaled Doctor Willis to say something.
Doctor Willis, catching on, cleared his throat and offered a reassuring nod. "Indeed. the senior Mr. Reid is stable. It’s not uncommon for someone his age to experience occasional illness. Stress and anxiety can be triggers. Just don’t give him tension and continue with his prescribed medications."
"Thank you, Doctor," Claudia said with a strained smile. She pivoted towards Gary, her tone turning dismissive. "Did you hear that? Now, if you wouldn’t mind, Father needs his rest. I don’t want anyone to disturb him."
Gary, however, wasn’t about to leave without seeing Malcolm for himself. He had promised Theodore he would stay until he arrived, and he intended to keep that promise.
"I won’t disturb him, I promise. I’ll just see him for a while and wait for Theodore."
Without waiting for Claudia’s response, Gary pushed open the door and stepped into Malcolm’s room.
A steely glint shot from Claudia’s eyes as Gary entered Malcolm’s room. A desperate need to stop him from potentially uncovering her scheme clawed at her. She couldn’t let Gary examine Malcolm. "Doctor Willis..." She turned to him. "You should leave now. I’ll reach out to you if necessary."
The doctor nodded and left. The moment the front door closed, Claudia whirled around and darted into the room, only to find Gary bent over Malcolm’s bedside. A knot of fear tightened in her stomach as she saw him perform some unknown action.
Hearing her frantic footsteps, Gary reacted with lightning speed. He surreptitiously slipped the vial of blood into his coat pocket, then gently pushed Malcolm’s eyelids open, feigning a concerned examination.
Claudia rushed to his side, her brow furrowed into a deep frown. "Are you done here?"
"Almost," Gary replied with a nonchalant shrug. He straightened up and met her gaze, a carefully constructed smile plastered on his face. "It’s great that Dr. Willis has given him a sedative," he said cooly. "He needs proper rest."
Claudia was relieved that Gary had not suspected anything. She crossed her arms defensively, puffing out her chest in a display of forced confidence. "Of course, a senior doctor like him would know what’s best for the patient."
"Certainly..." Gary agreed with her.
"You should leave now."
"Theodore won’t be happy if he arrives to find me gone," Gary countered, stepping out into the hallway, his smile disappearing.
He and Theodore were good friends since childhood and he knew all too well about how things were going on in the Reid family. The mystery of Theodore’s father’s sudden heart attack and death had not been resolved yet. Then Theodore’s accident happened. All these were quite fishy and the suspicion was on Claudia and Franklin.
Gary knew all this, and he was there for Theodore, ready to do anything to help him. As he settled down on the sofa, he noticed Claudia emerging.
"Where is Franklin?" Gary inquired, his gaze pointed.
"He is attending a banquet," Claudia replied with forced cheer as she approached him. "There is no need to wait for Theodore, it’s getting late. I’m sure your wife is expecting you."
Gary flashed a knowing smile. "Being a doctor comes with its fair share of late nights. My wife understands."
Claudia’s frustration mounted. She needed Gary out of the way to ensure her plans remained uncontested. The longer he stayed, the greater the risk of her schemes being uncovered. Every passing moment intensified her need to chase him out.
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps broke the tense silence. Theodore burst through the door, his eyes immediately scanning the room until they landed on Gary and Claudia. Ignoring Claudia altogether, he fixated on Gary.
"How is his condition now?" The question came out of his mouth in a rush.
"He is stable," Gary replied. "No need to panic. All he needs is to stay happy and calm."
"He is alright now," Claudia interjected sharply, her voice strained. "Thanks to Dr. Willis, who arrived promptly and gave him an injection to normalize his blood pressure. He is currently sleeping."
Theodore, unable to contain his concern, pivoted and hurried towards Malcolm’s room.
"Hey, Theo, wait a moment." Gary rose to his feet, a sense of urgency tugging at him.
"Just let him be with his grandfather, Gary," Claudia interjected, stopping him from following Theodore. "You know how close he is to his grandpa. He needs this time."
"I need to talk to him," Gary insisted.
"It’s quite late, Gary," Claudia countered, her tone turning firm. "Perhaps you should head home now."
Gary’s gaze flickered to Claudia, his mind racing. He understood the futility of trying to speak with Theodore in her presence. Raising suspicion now would only hinder his investigation. Thinking he should run the test of the blood sample first before concluding anything, he relented.
"Okay, I’ll leave now."
Claudia watched him depart with a sigh of relief, a sly smile twisting her lips. Reaching for her phone, she punched in a number and waited for the connection.
"You can come now," she said in a hushed tone as soon as the call logged in. "Yes, yes...everything is under control now. Just don’t mess up."
She hung up the phone and smirked, waggling the phone. "The game is just about to begin."
Rising from the sofa, she glided towards the kitchen, pouring some water into a glass. She peered toward Malcolm’s room to ensure Theodore was still inside. Once confident, she retrieved a small vial from her skirt pocket, discreetly adding a pinch of white powder to the water.
With a smirk, she stirred the water, ensuring the powder dissolved completely. "Let’s see how you handle this," she murmured, her eyes gleaming with malevolent delight.
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