Chapter 299 I Want Him to Pay with His Life

Chapter 299 I Want Him to Pay with His Life

Nina looked at his familiar face, and her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

She wanted, more than anything to call Daryl "Dad"—but she couldn't.

She forced herself to hold it in. It's just that she missed them so badly.

Seeing her, Ethan quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Mr. Jackson, you've got it wrong. Danny never had a mother growing up, but his mom was a real beauty. You can tell just by looking at him. He thinks Mrs. Jackson is beautiful and kind, she reminds him of a mother, so he wanted to take extra care of her."

At those words, all the anger Daryl had built up suddenly caught in his throat.

As an adult, he shouldn't get angry at a motherless child.

"Look at you!" Ruby elbowed Daryl and shot him a fierce glare.

She turned around and immediately put on a loving expression, saying to Nina, "Danny, don't mind your uncle. What's your favorite food? I'll get some for you."

Nina brightened and smiled through her tears.

She pointed at the plate of bright red shrimp.

"I love shrimp the most. I want to eat shrimp that uncle peels for me," she said with a grin, her eyes full of expectation.

Daryl froze.

This child really knew how to push his luck, actually daring to ask him to peel the shrimp.

Ethan's scalp tingled, and he hastily said, "I'll peel them. I'll peel them. This child really doesn't know any better."

Nina's face fell. She lowered her head in disappointment and muttered, "Then I won't eat any."

"You peel them!" Ruby ordered. "It's not a big deal,. Stop dragging your feet."

Daryl had no choice but to put on disposable gloves and, resigned, start peeling the shrimp.

Nina stared unblinkingly at the shrimp in his hands, her empty bowl already held up, waiting to be fed.

Watching that familiar scene, Evelyn's heart skittered.

She asked, "Danny, where are you from?"

Ethan immediately answered for him, "He's from Imperial City, and he's going home tomorrow."

Evelyn casually asked another question. "Guess how many candies Mr. Martinez has in his pocket. If you guess right, it's yours."

As she spoke, Evelyn pulled out an exquisite crystal butterfly hair clip from her bag.

It was Nina's favorite style. Evelyn had bought it long ago but hadn't given it yet, and then Nina left unexpectedly.

When Nina saw the hair clip, her eyes lit up.

She almost blurted out, "Five milk candies and two popping cotton candies."

Evelynonly smiled and, without checking Ethan's pocket, tossed the hair clip to Nina.

Nina caught it carefully, looked at it again and again, said thank you, and tucked it into her pocket like a treasure.

Watching this scene, Ethan sighed inwardly.

It's over, the cover was blown. Only Nina still thought her disguise was intact.

Finally, Nina happily ate six large shrimp that Daryl had personally peeled for her, smiling so wide her mouth nearly reached her ears.

Evelyn became even more certain of her suspicion.

Ruby watched the innocent smile and felt inexplicably moved, as if seeing Nina's shadow.

Soon after, Nina put down her utensils, told Ethan she needed to use the restroom, and left the table.

The banquet continued in an orderly fashion. As it neared its end, guests began saying goodbye to Robert one by one.

Suddenly, a sharp cry pierced through the harmonious atmosphere.

Edward suddenly burst into tears, his little hands flailing, his whole body looking agitated and uncomfortable.

Emma quickly ran over and scooped the child into her arms to comfort him. "Baby, what's wrong? Mommy's here."

Nicholas put down his wine glass, strode over, and took the child from her arms.

"Little guy, why are you suddenly crying? Did you wet yourself?"

The nanny nearby said they'd just finished feeding him and had checked his diaper—it wasn't wet. He had sweated a bit earlier, so they'd changed him into dry clothes.

But the child cried harder and harder, his little face turning bright red.

Luna and Ruby also walked over with concern. This child was usually so well-behaved—why was he suddenly crying so heartbreakingly?

No matter who held him, they couldn't comfort him. He cried worse and worse.

Robert, who had been chatting with Milan, also gathered around. A group of people surrounded little Edward, frantically worried.

Emma felt something was wrong and reached into the child's clothes to check.

At one look, her face changed dramatically.

Edward's back and arms were covered in frightening red rashes. She cried out in alarm, "There's something wrong with the clothes!"

She quickly removed his little shirt. The skin on the child's back and arms was already red in large patches—heartbreaking to see.

Nicholas's eyes turned ice-cold as he barked, "Mike, have someone lock the gates! No one leaves!"

Emma picked up the little undershirt, brought it to her nose, and sniffed carefully, her face turned ashen.

"It's specially made itching powder. I'll get medicine!"

With that, Emma immediately hurried toward the main house.

Robert's face darkened as he stared, heartbroken, at the glaring red patches on his great-grandson.

"I want to see who dares to harm my Harrison family!" he said, his voice bone-chillingly cold. "My apologies, everyone—please stay a moment longer. Someone tried to harm my precious great-grandson, and I must get to the bottom of this now!"

The guests were stunned.

"Who would be so bold as to openly harm the Harrison family heir?"

"Investigate! We must find the culprit! To poison such a small child—they're not human!"

"Mr. Robert Harrison, rest assured, we'll fully cooperate with your investigation. We must catch the monster who hurt the child!"

"Yes, we must investigate!"

...

Everyone spoke up, indignant. Not a single person was displeased about being detained.

Milan, Ruby, and the others also looked furious, ready to root out the mastermind.

The tall figure of Luke emerged from the crowd.

Earlier, he had already inspected the scene and checked the nanny's quarters and the laundry room where the child's clothes were temporarily kept.

Before the clothes were changed, the child had shown no abnormalities.

So the problem must have occurred during those ten-plus minutes when the child was taken to be fed.

Luke walked to Nicholas's side, his tone calm.

"Have someone check everyone who left the banquet in the last twenty minutes."

"Also, bring out all the servants who entered the laundry room."

Nicholas turned to the butler, Mike, with instructions.

"Check the surveillance footage."

He then scanned the hall full of guests, his gaze sharp.

"Guests who left the banquet twenty minutes ago, please step to this side."

A small commotion rippled through the crowd.

Slowly, seven people stepped forward.

Nina also walked out—she had indeed gone to the restroom earlier and left the banquet hall.

Mike led people to verify the surveillance footage quickly.

Five servants who had accessed the laundry room were brought out, standing to the side, trembling.

In total, there were exactly twelve suspects.

At that moment, apart from the child's heartbreaking cries, no one in the garden dared to say another word.

Emma hurried back, holding a bottle of pale yellow ointment.

She carefully lifted the swaddling and applied the ointment to the red, swollen areas on his body, gently blowing on them.

The ointment felt cooling.

She then gently wrapped him in the swaddling again, afraid he might catch cold.

Her eyes were red and her hands trembled as she gently patted the child's back.

The burning pain on the child's body eased somewhat. Not feeling as uncomfortable, his cries quieted a bit.

Those dark, round eyes brimmed with tears, looking out wetly in a way that broke everyone's heart.

Evelyn, distressed, took the child and gently patted him in her arms. The child's cries gradually subsided.

Nicholas extended his long arm and pulled Emma into his embrace, his palm rubbing her shoulder in a soothing rhythm.

His tone carried both indissoluble tenderness and rage.

"Don't be upset. I will get justice for our son."

"Today, the culprit will not leave the Harrison family alive."

He turned and walked toward those twelve people.

His eyes swept over them one by one, sharp enough to pierce hearts.

Those he stared at felt their scalps tingle, cold sweat streaming down their backs as they shifted their feet uneasily.

Nina stood among the crowd, her expression calm, and then she spoke.

"Over there, two more people haven't come out yet."

Her tone was not loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears.

"I clearly saw them leave too."

Nina turned her head and pointed precisely at Victoria and her young boyfriend.

Victoria's face instantly went deathly pale as she shrieked in protest.

"What are you talking about? We didn't go anywhere!"

Just then, the butler, Mike, hurried over and reported with a bow.

"Victoria and this gentleman did leave the banquet."

"And one servant had also gone the laundry room."

Nicholas's eyes turned cold.

With one gesture, several bodyguards immediately stepped forward and, ignoring the three people's struggles, dragged them out from the crowd.

The number of suspects rose to fifteen.

Luke stepped forward again, and said to the butler.

"Please prepare fifteen bowls, fill them with water, and add some..."

He lowered his voice and whispered in the butler's ear.

The butler immediately understood and nodded solemnly.

"Yes, right away."

Moments later, fifteen white porcelain bowls filled with clear water were brought out.

The fifteen suspects stood in two rows, each with a bowl in front of them.

Luke surveyed them, his expression serious.

"I just examined the child's clothes. They were contaminated with a specially made itching powder containing a high concentration of urushiol."

"Anyone who touched the clothes or this poison powder will have residue on their hands that can't be washed off with plain water."

"As soon as your hands touch this specially treated water, the water will immediately change color."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across each person's uncertain face.

"I'm giving you ten seconds. I hope the guilty party will voluntarily confess."

"Otherwise, when I personally find you out, it won't be as simple as admitting your mistake."

"I'll have someone cut off both your hands."

Luke's words carried an undeniable pressure that made everyone tense up.

Ten seconds passed. No one stepped forward.

"Since no one is confessing, let's begin."

Luke's tone turned cold.

"Wash your hands."

Just as those fifteen suspects were about to put their hands in the white porcelain bowls.

Emma suddenly called out, "Wait."

Her voice was notloud, but it was clear enough to make everyone freeze.

Under everyone's puzzled gaze, she walked to a carved shelf nearby and moved a pot of blooming pink roses to the table.

Without a word, she picked up Edward's little undershirt and shook it vigorously over the pot of roses.

Some nearly invisible powder sifted onto the petals.

Then she took out a palm-sized bottle of green liquid from her pocket.

She unscrewed the cap.

Tilting the bottle, she carefully dripped two drops onto the flower's center.

The next second, a horrifying scene unfolded.

The entire pot of brilliantly blooming roses withered, dried up, and turned black at an eerie speed.

In just a few seconds, it had become a bundle of charred, dead branches.

This scene made all the guests gasp in horror, their scalps tingling.

Emma raised her eyes, her gaze coldly sweeping across the fifteen suspects.

She held up the small vial of green liquid and spoke slowly.

"This bottle contains a poison formulated to counteract that itching powder."

"Just a tiny ," she added, "can kill anything within one minute—people included."

Her words froze the air in the garden.

Nicholas immediately understood what she meant.

He strode over, his tall figure radiating oppression.

He took the vial from her hand, surveyed the scene, his eyes sharp enough to kill.

"Today, the culprit dared to openly harm the Harrison family heir."

His voice brimmed with towering fury, each word hammering into everyone's hearts.

"I will make them pay with their life!"

Nicholas turned to the butler, Mike.

"Put the liquid in."

Mike immediately understood, took the vial, and dropped one measured drop into each of the fifteen white porcelain bowls.

The crystal-clear water instantly turned an eerie pale green.

The fifteen suspects stared at the liquid in the bowls, their faces drained of color. Some were already weak in the knees.

Nicholas watched their terrified expressions. He lifted his chin and gave an order.

"Someone."

"Help them wash their hands properly."

Those fifteen suspects were instantly terrified.