Chapter 810 Does It Have to Be Harmful?
As Jasper stared at Lorenzo, Lorenzo noticed him too.
He smiled politely, his demeanor calm and refined. "Mr. Foster, we meet again."
Jasper's eyes narrowed sharply. If he remembered correctly, this was the third time he had encountered this man. Each time, Lorenzo greeted him with the same warm and courteous manner.
"Do you know each other?" Adeline asked, her eyebrows furrowing in surprise.
This man named Lorenzo, although both Saul and he himself claimed he was Zara's confidant, was someone Adeline was meeting for the first time. Yet, the way he greeted Jasper suggested they had known each other for a long time.
"Of course we know each other," Jasper replied with a cold laugh, striding over with a voice that was icy and menacing. "I've had a question for Mr. Pena for a while now."
Lorenzo adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, unfazed by Jasper's reaction or his words. "My father sent me here today to see Ms. Phoebe and to answer any questions she might have. As her friend, feel free to ask me anything."
Jasper's eyes narrowed further, his voice cold. "When my grandmother passed away, were you at the scene?"
The air around them instantly grew tense and silent. Adeline glanced at Jasper, then at Lorenzo. Could Lorenzo have been involved in Lily's death?
Facing Jasper's stern and cold gaze, Lorenzo smiled slightly. "Do you want the truth?"
Jasper stared at him, saying nothing, but his attitude spoke volumes.
Lorenzo took a step back, smiling. "I was there."
Adeline was stunned. She could clearly feel the temperature around Jasper drop several degrees when Lorenzo gave his answer. She instinctively took a step back, holding Linda's hand.
Jasper's eyes narrowed as he continued, "And the smoke at the crime scene... was that your doing too?"
Lorenzo answered candidly, "Yes, it was."
The atmosphere around Jasper grew even colder. His gaze was severe. "What were you doing at the murder scene?"
Lorenzo smiled, "I refuse to answer that question."
He then turned to Adeline. "Ms. Phoebe, it's getting late. I should take you home."
Adeline hesitated, glancing between Jasper and Lorenzo. She was torn between leaving with Lorenzo and staying to get answers to Jasper's questions. She also wanted to know what Lorenzo had done when Lily was killed.
"Ms. Phoebe?" Lorenzo called again when Adeline didn't move, smiling. "My father asked me to take you home and to clear up any confusion you might have. Do you not need a ride anymore?"
With that, Lorenzo started to walk away. Adeline bit her lip and quickly called out, "Let's go."
She glanced at Jasper's darkened face one last time before following Lorenzo to the car.
"Lorenzo," Jasper finally spoke again as Adeline was about to get into the car. He frowned at Lorenzo's back. "If you won't say what you did at the crime scene, then answer me one last question."
Lorenzo paused. "Go ahead."
"Was it Zara who sent you that day?"
Lorenzo was silent for a long time before nodding. "Yes."
With that, Jasper shut the car door. As the car started, Adeline's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. "Was it really Mom who sent Lorenzo to the scene when Mrs. Foster died?"
The car began to move. Adeline turned to look out the window. Jasper stood tall and imposing, the coldness radiating from him palpable even through the glass. Adeline felt suffocated.
How could Mrs. Foster's death be connected to her mother?
Moreover, judging by Jasper's attitude towards Lorenzo, he must have known for a long time that Lorenzo had been at the crime scene and that Lorenzo was her mother's confidant.
She thought back to eight months ago, the day her mother was killed... that day, her mother was also stabbed in the chest with a knife.
Wasn't that exactly how Mrs. Foster died?
She closed her eyes, a terrifying thought crossing her mind. Could Jasper have hurt her mother because of Mrs. Foster?
Adeline's hands clenched tightly. If Mrs. Foster's death was related to her mother, it was understandable why Jasper acted the way he did. But understanding didn't mean she could forgive.
Zara was her mother, and that was something that would never change. Jasper wouldn't stop seeking revenge for Mrs. Foster just because Zara was her mother. Similarly, she couldn't pretend nothing had happened just because Jasper was the father of her children.
"Ms. Phoebe," Lorenzo's voice pulled Adeline from her chaotic thoughts. He was sitting in the front passenger seat, speaking calmly. "My father said you had questions for me. I only have time to accompany you from the hospital to your home. We're already halfway there. Are you sure you don't want to ask anything?"
His words brought Adeline back to reality. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Lorenzo through the rearview mirror. "Actually, I want to ask..."
"Saul said my father has been taking a kind of poison to suppress his illness. This poison..."
She paused before continuing, "Is it the same poison that Jasper's grandmother was poisoned with?"
"Yes," Lorenzo nodded, his voice indifferent. "The poison Mrs. Foster was given is the same one Mrs. Phoebe developed and used on Mr. Phoebe."
Even though she had mentally prepared herself, hearing Lorenzo confirm it made Adeline's heart sink. Her voice was hoarse. "So, years ago, when Mrs. Foster was poisoned over a long period, becoming gravely ill and nearly dying..."
"That was also orchestrated by Mrs. Phoebe," Lorenzo said, his gaze forward and devoid of warmth. "Mrs. Phoebe planted a spy in the Foster family as a servant, who then poisoned Mrs. Foster's food. The chronic poison was colorless and tasteless. After three or four years, Mrs. Foster's health deteriorated to the point it did."
"Her severe illness gave the Phoebe family, which had been suppressed, a chance to survive. The Phoebe family was able to develop into a leading enterprise in Oceancrest City."
Lorenzo turned to look at Adeline. "Are you disappointed, Ms. Phoebe? You didn't experience the darkest times of the Phoebe family, so you wouldn't know how difficult it was back then. Mrs. Phoebe sacrificed everything, including her conscience, to save the Phoebe family and secure the jobs of thousands of Phoebe Group employees."
Adeline bit her lip hard. "If poisoning Mrs. Foster was for the Phoebe Group's survival back then... what about later? When Mrs. Foster died, the Phoebe family had been at peace with the Foster family for many years. There was no longer a life-or-death situation for the Phoebe Group."
"Why did my mother send you to harm Mrs. Foster..."
Lorenzo smiled. "Ms. Phoebe, why do you think like Jasper? Just because Mrs. Phoebe sent me to see Mrs. Foster, does it mean she intended to harm her?"
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