Chapter 236: Has Mason Gotten into Trouble?
"Come in!"
Daniel didn't open his eyes, his voice still carrying a hint of fatigue.
When facing Emily, he always pulled himself together to talk to her.
But at this moment, he didn't need to pretend at all.
The door pushed open, and York came in with somewhat messy and hurried steps. "Mr. Smith, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Seeing Daniel leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed and looking rather pale, York, who had been anxious, pushed down the matter he was about to report and asked with concern.
"Speak. What is it?"
Daniel opened his eyes, his gaze sharp, his presence undiminished.
York, seeing his energy was still there, breathed a sigh of relief.
Thinking of the urgent matter to report, his expression became serious. "Something happened on Mr. Smith's side."
Daniel shot up from his seat, and the air instantly became tense and heavy.
"Let's go!"
He strode quickly toward the door.
York knew Daniel was worried about Mason.
Despite Daniel being so opinionated that he often clashed with Mason, making outsiders think their relationship wasn't very good.
In reality, Mason was the only family member Daniel truly cared about.
As for the others, for Mason's sake, as long as they didn't go too far, Daniel couldn't be bothered with them.
——
Half an hour later.
Daniel appeared at the Smith Villa with York.
Zach was surprised to see Daniel return and hurried up to greet him with information.
Daniel frowned slightly, looked at Zach's reaction, and his deep thoughts turned again.
He asked calmly, "How is Grandpa's health?"
"Mr. Daniel Smith, Mr. Mason Smith is indeed feeling unwell, but he wouldn't let me inform you. He said since you're so busy, and he's lived long enough anyway, it doesn't matter whether he lives or dies."
Zach was both helpless and worried.
Daniel's sharp gaze studied Zach closely.
Zach's expression didn't seem fake, and since he had watched Daniel grow up since childhood, Daniel didn't want to suspect him with ill intent. He temporarily suppressed his doubts and walked straight toward Mason's room.
At the door, Daniel's hand was already on the doorknob about to push it open when he heard voices inside.
"Mr. Smith, can you tell me now where Daniel went? When will you call him back so we can have a chance to spend more time together? As for the engagement I mentioned, after all, our families are well-matched, and Daniel and I have known each other since childhood. We're the perfect match, aren't we? So, about this engagement, when do you think you could sit down with my grandfather to discuss it in detail?"
The voice was Zoey's.
Under normal circumstances, since Daniel wasn't at the Smith Villa, she should have left already, but unexpectedly she was still there.
Daniel didn't rush to go in.
Instead, he waited for Mason's answer.
"Zoey, these days, I can't make decisions anymore. Let's do as you say! However, you know Daniel's temper—I can't control his decisions!"
Mason's voice was weak and powerless, clearly very uncomfortable.
But even so, Zoey seemed not to notice, and her voice became even sharper. "That's your problem to handle, Mr. Smith. You should know I only care about results, don't you think?"
Her words and eyes carried a meaningful warning.
Mason was silent for a moment, then finally said in a hoarse, strained voice, "Alright!"
"I didn't know when my affairs became someone else's to decide!"
Daniel pushed the door open at that moment.
Zoey panicked for an instant. "Daniel, why are you back at this time?"
However, she thought of something.
Suddenly she became confident again and could even speak with a bright smile. "Daniel, Mr. Smith isn't feeling well. I came to check on him. Don't make him angry—the doctor said Mr. Smith's health can't handle any stress."
Daniel glanced at Zoey coolly. "It's getting late. I'll have the driver take you home. I need to talk to Grandpa alone."
He spoke indifferently, as if he hadn't caught the hint in Zoey's words.
Zoey couldn't say certain things openly, so she had to leave reluctantly.
Of course, before leaving, she still gave Mason a meaningful look. "Mr. Smith, you should rest early. If you feel any discomfort, be sure to tell me. I've already found the best doctor who can definitely help restore your health."
After saying that, she didn't forget to tell Daniel, "Daniel, spend some good time with Mr. Smith. If anything happens, remember to contact me. I've already found the best doctor for Mr. Smith."
Finally, Zoey was "escorted" out by York under Daniel's impatient expression.
The door was closed again.
Daniel looked at Mason with displeasure. "How do you feel? Tell me, what's really going on?"
Mason, who had just been weak, now sat up, visibly more energetic.
Compared to Mason's complexion, Daniel actually looked more like the sick one.
"Never mind me, why don't you talk about yourself? Look at your complexion—what's wrong with your health?"
Mason examined Daniel carefully.
The more he looked, the more serious his expression became.
In just a few days, not only had Daniel lost all color in his face, he'd also lost weight. That already thin face was now even more gaunt, almost skeletal.
Daniel brushed it off casually. "It's nothing, just a small cold. Already over."
He lied, then continued asking, "Are you going to tell me the truth, or should I get someone to treat you!"
Mason wasn't in a hurry, mainly because there was nothing really wrong with him.
"I look much better than you. That Zoey, I really misjudged her. I never thought she'd be so vicious as to poison me!"
"So you went along with it and got poisoned?" Daniel reacted strongly, speaking sarcastically.
But his concern was barely hidden.
Mason understood Daniel best, knowing this was how he showed worry—stubborn and unwilling to express it.
Daniel thought of something else and frowned slightly. "Why didn't you take the antidote pill?!"
"I did, I did! If I hadn't, I really wouldn't have the energy to talk to you now. I was thinking of going along with it, but how was I to know Zoey was truly ruthless? That poison was no joke—otherwise I couldn't have acted so convincingly even if I tried!"
Mason had thought at most it would make him weak and powerless, or maybe unconscious or something.
He never expected it would make him wish for death. If he'd known, he definitely wouldn't have gone along with it.
Daniel looked at Mason coldly with sarcasm. "You should be grateful she didn't want to poison you to death directly!"
"She couldn't. She poisoned me to achieve a goal—I'm certain of that."
Mason stubbornly argued back.
Then, meeting Daniel's cold, reproachful gaze, his voice stopped abruptly.
The room fell into brief silence.
After a moment, Mason had gathered his thoughts and spoke again. "I also wanted to see what Zoey was trying to force me to do with the poison, and where she got that poison from. I didn't want to alert her, so I thought I'd go along with it."
He was clearly the elder, yet in front of Daniel, his presence always weakened, and he had to explain himself.