Chapter 418 - 421: The Medicinal Powder Hidden in the Fingernail

A calm and composed figure strode into the VIP lounge.

He was the Flynn family’s personal physician, a man in his fifties with exceptional medical skills.

Mrs. Flynn had summoned him urgently. On the way over, his assistant had given him a brief rundown of the situation, so he entered with a professionally grave expression.

"Mrs. Flynn, Mrs. Sterling."

Dr. Foster gave a slight nod, his gaze finally landing on Wren Sutton, who was pale and breathing faintly on the sofa.

Without breaking stride, he walked directly to the sofa and set his medical bag aside.

"Dr. Foster, please, you have to examine Wren right away. Something’s not right with her," Mrs. Flynn said, her voice filled with urgency as she stepped aside to make room.

"She doesn’t have a fever, but she’s dizzy, weak, and feels unwell all over. We suspect someone slipped her something."

Claire Sterling also moved out of the way, saying politely to Dr. Foster, "Dr. Foster, we’re counting on you."

"Alright, let’s see what’s going on."

Without another word, Dr. Foster lifted Wren Sutton’s eyelid and carefully shone a penlight on her pupil. Then, he gently pressed her carotid artery to feel the frequency and strength of her pulse.

Next, he took out his stethoscope and listened carefully to Wren Sutton’s heart and lungs.

"Besides the dizziness and weakness, are you experiencing any chest tightness, nausea, or blurred vision?"

Wren Sutton nodded, responding intermittently in a hoarse, faint voice, "Yes... my stomach is churning... I feel nauseous... and I’m seeing double."

Dr. Foster nodded, his expression remaining composed.

He opened his medical bag, took out a needle and a special collection vial, and skillfully disinfected the inside of Wren Sutton’s elbow to draw blood.

Bright red blood slowly filled the vial.

Dr. Foster carefully sealed it and turned to Mrs. Flynn and Claire Sterling.

"Based on the initial examination, Mrs. Lancaster has no organic lesions. Her temperature, heart, and lung indicators are all normal."

"Dilated pupils, limb weakness, drowsiness accompanied by nausea... these symptoms are completely inconsistent with a normal reaction to red wine. I highly suspect she has ingested a small amount of a prohibited sedative. The dose isn’t fatal, but it will cause a continuous state of weakness and dizziness, which can cause underlying harm to the body."

When Dr. Foster finished, Claire Sterling was so furious she wanted to tear Claire Bennett to shreds.

"That Claire Bennett! How dare she actually do something so vile to my daughter-in-law, right under everyone’s noses."

Mrs. Flynn’s expression darkened completely, a mixture of guilt and anger.

"Claire, this was my oversight. I didn’t pay attention to that menace, Claire Bennett, and now Wren has suffered so much because of it."

"Don’t say that. This has nothing to do with you. That woman is just malicious and a good actress. She fooled all of us," Claire Sterling said, not blaming Mrs. Flynn.

"Dr. Foster, is there anything you can do to alleviate my daughter-in-law’s suffering? I’m sorry to trouble you."

"Don’t worry, the dosage was small and we caught it early. There’s no major danger," Dr. Foster said reassuringly as he took out a pre-mixed IV drip.

"I’ll start her on an IV drip to neutralize the trace amounts of the substance in her system. The dizziness and weakness should start to subside in about half an hour."

"Afterward, we’ll send this blood sample to a specialized lab for precise analysis. That will allow us to identify the exact substance and obtain conclusive evidence."

With that, Dr. Foster skillfully performed the venipuncture, and the clear fluid from the IV bag began to flow slowly through the tube and into Wren Sutton’s body.

Wren Sutton leaned back against the sofa. Feeling the faint coolness on the back of her hand and hearing Dr. Foster’s words, her tense heart slowly began to relax.

Claire Sterling leaned over, took her daughter-in-law’s hand, and looked at her with heartache.

"Wren, you just rest here and sleep for a while. By the time you wake up, the drip will be finished, and you won’t feel so bad. Mom is going to go have a word with that Claire Bennett. I will get you justice for what happened today."

Wren Sutton nodded. Too exhausted to speak, she let go of everything, closed her eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Claire Sterling stood up. Mrs. Flynn walked over, and the two women exchanged a solemn look.

"Claire, don’t worry. This happened at my family’s banquet, so I’ll stand with you and help Wren get justice. Until this is investigated, that Claire Bennett isn’t leaving The Zenith Hotel."

"Thank you. I appreciate you going through this trouble."

...

Meanwhile, back in the banquet hall, security had quietly secured the perimeter under Mrs. Flynn’s orders.

All exits were firmly guarded. No one was leaving without Mrs. Flynn’s permission.

The atmosphere was thick with unspoken tension.

Claire Bennett was holding a glass of wine, making fake small talk with a few socialites beside her.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a line of security guards walking toward the doors of each hall.

Claire Bennett’s heart skipped a beat. A bad feeling suddenly washed over her.

She made an excuse to leave the conversation and returned to her seat. Leaning in to her mother’s ear, she whispered, "We can’t stay here. Let’s go."

A flash of panic crossed Mrs. Bennett’s eyes. Thinking their plot had been exposed, she didn’t have time to ask any questions before Claire Bennett pulled her up from her chair.

The two of them supported each other as they walked briskly toward the banquet hall’s exit.

"Did they find out?" Mrs. Bennett asked uneasily.

Claire Bennett’s tone was cold and impatient. "Don’t talk. Let’s just get out of here first."

"That... Wren Sutton... nothing bad will happen to her, right?"

"She won’t die. For now."

"..."

Just as the mother and daughter were about to reach the main entrance of the banquet hall, two uniformed bodyguards approached and blocked their path.

"Stop."

Claire Bennett steadied herself, a gentle smile playing on her lips.

"Hello, sirs. My mother and I just got a call about an emergency at home. We need to get back right away. Please, if you could let us through. Thank you."

The guards’ expressions didn’t change. Their voices were cold and hard. "Anyone else can leave. You two can’t."

"Why not?" Claire Bennett put on an innocent expression.

"Is it against the rules for guests to leave the Flynn family’s hundred-day banquet early?"

Just then, Mrs. Flynn’s voice came from behind them.

"It’s not that guests aren’t allowed to leave early. It’s that *you* aren’t allowed to leave."

Claire Bennett’s heart leaped, but she still managed to maintain a proper smile as she turned to face her.

"Mrs. Flynn, what do you mean by that? Claire doesn’t understand."

The moment she finished speaking, Claire Sterling stepped out from behind a nearby pillar.

Her high heels made a sharp, crisp sound on the polished marble floor.

Claire Sterling stared at Claire Bennett with a cold, piercing gaze. She said nothing, but her aura alone was enough to intimidate.

Claire Bennett felt a surge of fear, and the hand hanging at her side trembled slightly.

But she forced a smile, pretending nothing was wrong.

Panic makes one prone to misspeaking, their denials only confirming their guilt.

"I heard Mrs. Lancaster wasn’t feeling well. I wonder if she’s any better now? I’m quite worried about her. I was hoping to go see her, if that’s convenient."

"Worried?" Claire Sterling sneered, her gaze fixed on Claire Bennett’s face like a dagger, all pretense of courtesy gone.

"How thoughtful of you. But whether that thoughtfulness is genuine concern or a mask for ulterior motives is something we need to clear up today."

After speaking, Claire Sterling gave a look to the security guard at her side.

The guard understood immediately. He stepped forward, pulled Mrs. Bennett away, then grabbed Claire Bennett’s arms and pinned her by the shoulders, holding her firmly in place.

The smile on Claire Bennett’s face froze completely. She wore an expression of innocent shock, her eyes reddening as if she were wronged and confused.

"Aunt Sterling, what is the meaning of this? Why are you doing this to me? What have I done wrong?"

"Who are you calling Aunt Sterling!" Claire Sterling snapped coldly.

"You know full well what you’ve done," Mrs. Flynn added, stepping forward with an icy expression.

"How dare you commit such a malicious act at my family’s banquet, creating chaos and nearly causing a disaster. I won’t let you get away with this."

Claire Bennett looked like she was about to burst into tears. "I don’t understand what you’re talking about. I didn’t do anything."

"Didn’t do anything?" Claire Sterling cut her off, her voice sharp. "Wren showed symptoms of poisoning right after drinking the wine you toasted her with. We’ve already confirmed that she was drugged. During this entire banquet, you were the only one who approached her for a personal toast. Are you telling me this has nothing to do with you?!"

Hearing this, the surrounding guests gasped, and all eyes snapped to Claire Bennett.

Looks of shock, suspicion, and curiosity intertwined.

Claire Bennett’s face paled instantly, but she still forced herself to look calm, shaking her head repeatedly. Her voice, choked with tears, was full of grievance.

"Impossible. That’s absolutely impossible. I just toasted her with a normal glass of red wine, how could it have been drugged? Mrs. Lancaster, Mrs. Flynn, you can’t just accuse me without proof. I have no grudge against Mrs. Lancaster, why would I do something like that?"

"No grudge?" Claire Sterling pressed forward, her sharp gaze fixed on Claire Bennett’s hands.

"You pretended to be a distant cousin of the Lancaster family to go to the hospital and drive a wedge between Wren and my son. Did you really think we wouldn’t find out? You schemed and plotted, and then you deliberately made that toast today. If it wasn’t you who harmed her, who could it be?"

Claire Bennett trembled. A flicker of panic appeared in her eyes but was quickly hidden as she began to cry even more pitifully.

"I didn’t! That was all a misunderstanding. Mrs... Mrs. Lancaster, you can’t pin such a crime on me because of a misunderstanding. Do you have any proof? What gives you the right to say I harmed her?"

Claire Sterling sneered. "Don’t think we don’t know your little trick. When you toasted my daughter-in-law, you had the powder hidden under your fingernails."

Claire Bennett: "!!!"

"And now, in front of everyone, I’m going to inspect your nails and collect the residue for analysis."