Chapter 1405 The Glint of Vindictive Triumph
Tessa's acting was incredibly convincing. Given her weakened state, looking as though she might collapse at any moment, could she really have the nerve to poison Jason?
Richard's brow furrowed, but he still ordered the cup to be tested.
Tessa remained nestled in Lawrence's arms, her body shaking with sobs. Cora stood nearby, comforting her as if she were the victim in all this.
The doctor had rushed in to examine Jason.
Richard maintained his vigil by the bedside, refusing to leave. "Doctor, how is my father?"
"It appears to be emotional distress affecting his physical condition. He needs rest."
"No other symptoms?" Richard pressed.
"None that I can identify at the moment."
Just then, Tessa clutched Lawrence's sleeve. "Lawrence, please take me away. Seeing me only upsets Dad."
Her voice was hoarse, her demeanor heartbroken.
Lawrence sighed and had someone escort her out. With Jason unconscious, he couldn't possibly leave at such a critical moment.
Back at Lawrence's villa, Tessa's eyes gleamed with vengeful triumph. She immediately contacted her accomplice by phone.
"Only a drop got in. The rest spilled on his skin. Will that be enough?"
"It will work. Even if he didn't drink much, even a single drop on his skin will put him in a permanent coma. He'll never wake up."
Tessa's eyes lit up. When the man had given her this substance, he'd said it was powerful, but she hadn't realized just how powerful.
"Perfect! So he'll never wake up? Next, I just need to convince Lawrence to go after Selena. Once Selena's gone, no one will care about who the Smith family's real daughter is. Cora and Lawrence will welcome me back with open arms."
With her humiliation now public knowledge, both Cora and Lawrence sympathized with her and despised Selena.
Tessa smiled, but then remembered Richard's suspicions and grew concerned.
"Richard suspects I poisoned him. He's having the cup tested. Are you sure they won't detect anything?"
"Certainly. The compounds evaporate within ten minutes of exposure. Any test will only show harmless health supplements."
"That's a relief."
Tessa put the matter aside. After all she had sacrificed, she could now simply wait for Lawrence's comfort and support.
Richard had the cup analyzed, and an hour later, the results showed no harmful substances. Frowning, he had Jason taken to the hospital for further examination.
The doctors maintained it was emotional distress, but couldn't identify other causes. If it were merely emotional, Jason should have regained consciousness fairly quickly.
Richard kept watch for two days, but Jason showed no signs of waking. He consulted the doctors again, who could only sigh helplessly.
He said, "Perhaps Mr. Jason Smith has some unresolved emotional burden that's keeping him unconscious. We need to address whatever's troubling him."
Richard stood rigid. Jason's emotional burden was clearly about Layla. His frailty stemmed from the belief that his daughter was dead. If they could uncover the truth about Layla...
He glanced at Lawrence, who had also remained at the hospital for two days without leaving.
"Lawrence, I need you to leave now."
It was the first time Richard had ever spoken to Lawrence this way. Lawrence probably understood that Jason's condition was connected to Tessa—likely the shock of seeing her had triggered his collapse.
He felt partially responsible.
He opened his mouth to speak, but found no words in Richard's presence. Instead, he simply placed a hand on Richard's shoulder.
Richard suddenly felt a lump in his throat. Lawrence had always been the most caring family member, though his care sometimes knew no boundaries.
While he doted on Tessa, he had always cared for Richard too.
Since childhood, Richard had shown little interest in managing the Smith family business, so that burden had fallen early on Lawrence's shoulders.
Outside of family and work, Lawrence had no other pursuits. When exhausted from work, his only relaxation came from being with family.
Richard was different—he had many ways to unwind: traveling with friends, drinking, women.
Sometimes Richard felt he understood Lawrence; other times, he found him utterly incomprehensible.
But now, the Smith family had been reduced to this sad state.
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