Chapter 826 Poisoning
At the Cooper family villa.
Aaron sat on the couch, head down, drowsy.
"Honey, honey, it's time for soup," Elara gently nudged him.
Aaron yawned, tears of fatigue welling up in his eyes. "Why soup again? I don't want any."
"You have to drink it. The doctor insisted you need to take good care of your health. You have to listen to the doctor."
"Yeah, Dad, your health is important. How about just half a bowl?"
With both mother and daughter persuading him, Aaron finally took the spoon.
Elara and Saffron exchanged a knowing smile, a glint in their eyes.
Just as Aaron was about to take a sip...
"Dad, I'm back," Juniper walked in.
Elara and Saffron's faces instantly changed. Juniper, why did she suddenly come back? Were they having a nightmare?
"Juniper!" Aaron happily put down the spoon. "Why did you suddenly come back?"
"I missed you," Juniper's happy expression changed the moment she saw Aaron.
She had been spending time with Anthony and had less contact with Aaron, who seemed very busy. She didn't expect him to look so much older.
"Dad, why do you look so bad?"
A flash of nervousness crossed Elara's eyes as she quickly explained, "Your dad was sick recently."
"Dad, why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want you to worry."
"Not telling me makes me worry even more," Juniper said urgently. "You should have told me right away when you got sick."
"What good would it do to tell you? You're so far away," Elara rolled her eyes. "Your dad needs someone to take care of him when he's not feeling well. Isn't it me and Saffron who are by his side?"
"Don't worry, Elara has been taking good care of me, giving me medicine and making soup every day. I'll recover."
"Soup every day?" Juniper glanced suspiciously at the bowl of soup.
Elara suppressed her nervousness, afraid of being found out.
"Dad, let's go upstairs and talk."
"Okay."
Elara hurriedly pulled Saffron back to their room. "Why did she suddenly come back?"
"I don't know," Saffron was also puzzled. "Could it be that nosy aunt who knows Dad isn't well and is afraid something might happen to him, so she asked Juniper to come back to divide the inheritance?"
"That's possible. She wouldn't come back suddenly if it weren't for money."
"Mom, do you think she knows we're poisoning the soup?"
"No way. I already poured out that bowl of soup. Even if she suspects, she won't find any evidence. But we can't do this for a while, or she'll find out. Damn it, that fortune teller said if he drank the soup for another half month, your dad would be gone, and everything would be under our control. I didn't expect that brat Juniper to come back and ruin our plan. If we stop now, I don't know if we'll have to start all over again. It's so frustrating."
"We have no choice. We have to be extra careful during this time. If she finds out, we'll go to jail."
"Yeah, if your dad finds out we're poisoning him, he won't let us off."
Elara and Saffron were both secretly anxious.
Juniper helped Aaron sit down.
He was in terrible shape, panting heavily even while climbing the stairs, his legs trembling.
"Dad, how about I go with you for a check-up tomorrow?" Juniper felt something was wrong.
"No need, I'm fine. Just weak from recovering. You don't need to worry too much."
"But..."
"People get weaker as they age. It's normal. Elara has been taking good care of me, and I feel like I'm getting better every day."
Juniper pouted, "She's not that kind-hearted."
"We're all family. After all, I'm her husband. Of course, she wants me to get better."
"All she cares about is money."
"Don't say that. I earn money, and she's my wife, so she has a share."
"Dad, why are you speaking up for her?" Juniper frowned, feeling more and more uneasy.
"I'm not speaking up for her, just stating a fact. She's been taking care of me diligently."
"A caregiver can do the same. How about I hire a caregiver for you?"
"No need. Family is always better than outsiders." Aaron patted her hand. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm fine. Why didn't you let me know you were coming back?"
"I wanted to surprise you. Are you surprised?"
Aaron smiled and nodded. "Surprised. With my daughter back, all my ailments are gone. By the way, I haven't been in touch with you much lately. How are things with Brice..."
"We broke up."
"I figured as much but didn't want to ask. Brice loved you and wanted to marry you. It must have been you who broke up with him, right? Why? Weren't you two doing well?"
Juniper shook her head. "He treated me well, but... I don't love him."
"If you didn't love him, why were you with him?"
"I thought feelings could be cultivated, but it didn't work out. And..." she paused for a second, "I've gotten back together with Anthony."
"What? You're back with Mr. Eilish..." Aaron was anxious. "Juniper, you can't handle relationships like this. You broke up for a reason. You can't repeat the same mistake!"
"Do you remember how heartbroken you were when you broke up? You even went to Harmony City because of him... and now..."
"Dad, I know you don't want me to get hurt, but I love him. And things are different now. Our relationship is stable, and we're planning to get married."
"I don't think it's a good idea. What if something happens before the wedding... He bailed on the first wedding, and he might bail on the second. Do you want to be abandoned too?"
"It's not like that... Dad, let me explain."
"My heart hurts. I don't want to hear it," Aaron interrupted her. "I'm going to rest."
"Dad..." Juniper hesitated. "I'll go unpack. I'll be staying for a while, so we can talk more."
Juniper returned to her room.
Elara walked in. "How long are you staying this time?"
"Why? Afraid I'll ruin your plans?"
Juniper's retort made Elara's expression turn nervous. Did she know something?
"What plans?"
"My dad's health has deteriorated a lot. Is it your doing?"
"What am I doing? How can you accuse me like that? I've been taking care of him day and night, exhausting myself. And now you're saying it's my fault? Should I have ignored him when he got sick?"
Elara rambled on about how wronged she was, as if she were truly aggrieved.
Juniper interrupted her. "You better not be after the will, or I won't let you off!"
"It's all about money. You say I'm greedy, but you're the one who wants money the most. You accuse me of wrongdoing just to kick me out of the Cooper family so you can have all the inheritance to yourself. How can you be so vicious!"
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