The next day, Deanna woke up early. She checked the time, got up, washed, and prepared to exercise in the garden. Unexpectedly, as she reached the staircase, she encountered Hassan, who was also heading out to exercise.
"Miss Jones, are you going for a run?" Hassan greeted her first this time.
Deanna, recalling what had happened the other day, shook her head and denied it. "No, I'm just going to take a walk in the garden. Mr. Hassan, you must be going for a run. I won't hold you up."
With that, she stepped aside to clear the way. Hassan noticed her deliberate attempt to maintain distance. Unable to do anything about it, he nodded and went downstairs.
Watching him disappear at the staircase, Deanna breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since Hassan had privately brought her an apology gift last night, she had realized that he seemed overly enthusiastic about her. To avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, she decided to keep a certain distance.
Thus, they each went their separate ways to exercise. By around eight o'clock, the rest of the Walsh family had woken up and come downstairs for breakfast.
During the meal, Hassan spoke up. "Miss Jones, My grandfather woke up once in the middle of the night and seemed to be in good spirits. It seems the toxins have been completely removed. Your medical skills are impressive, no wonder you're personally recommended by Old Hughes."
"Not at all, Mr. Hassan, you flatter me," Deanna replied modestly with a smile.
Mr. and Mrs. Walsh were surprised to hear this. "Father woke up?"
"Grandfather woke up? That's great! I want to go see him," Leticia said with a filial tone, putting down her utensils and getting up to go upstairs.
Hassan frowned and stopped her immediately. "I just said he woke up in the middle of the night. If you go up now, you'll only disturb his rest!"
Leticia was displeased by his reprimand. "I was just so happy to hear that Grandfather woke up that I forgot. Why are you being so harsh?"
She glared at Hassan before sitting back down. Hassan ignored her and instead politely addressed Deanna. "Later, when Grandfather wakes up again, we might need Miss Jones to check on him."
"Of course, Mr. Hassan. I'll be ready," Deanna agreed.
Later, after breakfast, Old Walsh woke up. Everyone went upstairs to see him.
"Grandfather, you're finally awake! We were so scared when we heard you were poisoned yesterday," Leticia said warmly.
Mr. and Mrs. Walsh were also very concerned and kept asking about Old Walsh's condition.
Old Walsh, annoyed by their fussing, finally shooed them away. "Enough, I'm fine. Except for Old Hughes and Dr. Deanna, everyone else should go about their business."
With that, the rest of the Walsh family reluctantly left the room.
Soon, only Old Walsh, Deanna, and Old Hughes remained in the room, which became much quieter.
"Sorry for the spectacle," Old Walsh said, though his gaze towards them was quite composed.
Old Hughes sneered. "Alright, it's just us now. Drop the pretense."
Ignoring Old Walsh's reaction, he turned to Deanna and winked. "Go ahead and check on him. If there's nothing serious, let him take his medicine and recover on his own so we can leave this chaotic place as soon as possible."
Deanna was momentarily stunned but quickly understood that Old Hughes was up to something. She could only play along. "Alright, I'll check on Old Walsh and see how he's doing. If everything's fine, we can leave."
Old Hughes was pleased with her cooperation and squinted contentedly.
Old Walsh didn't notice their exchange and frowned in disapproval. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? It's rare for you to visit; we haven't even had a proper meal together yet."
"Old boy, it's not that I don't want to stay longer. Your family are really making things difficult for Anna these days. I'm afraid a longer stay will make her suffer more!" Old Hughes began to lament.
Deanna looked at him speechlessly, her mouth twitching slightly. She hadn't expected Old Hughes to use her as an excuse for his antics.
"Old Hughes, what nonsense are you talking about?" Deanna quickly tried to stop him from ruining her reputation.
Old Hughes glared at her disapprovingly. "How am I talking nonsense? You've endured quite a bit of mistreatment while treating Old Walsh these past few days, haven't you?"
Deanna was at a loss for words but felt warm inside because she knew Old Hughes was standing up for her.
Seeing Deanna's silence as understanding his intentions, Old Hughes continued to Old Walsh. "And yesterday, it was your family who poisoned you. Your good granddaughter has quite a sharp tongue; she belittled Anna terribly. You should know that if it weren't for me, Anna wouldn't have come to treat you!"