Chapter 117 Contaminated Breast Milk
"Oh, hello there... I'm Arabella's supervisor. She took the morning off, said she'd be back in the afternoon, but I just heard from colleagues that she won't be coming in this afternoon either?" Hearing it was Arabella's husband, Zane immediately straightened his tone, adopting his authoritative managerial demeanor.
"Mm..." Gabriel responded curtly, economical with his words.
Zane had no idea who his subordinate's husband was and thought he'd assert some authority. Completely oblivious to the dismissive attitude on the other end, he continued in a lecturing tone, "Arabella's only been with us a short while, and she's already taken several days off—not good. Since you can obviously handle childcare at home, she really should prioritize coming to work."
Gabriel's lips twitched slightly. Too lazy to respond, he simply asked, "You're her department manager?"
"That's right, I'm Mr. Wright. You can call me Mr. Wright." Zane puffed up with self-importance, then continued, "Is Arabella there? Put her on the phone—I need to discuss something with her."
"She's napping with the children. Whatever it is can wait until she's back at work tomorrow."
Without waiting for a response, he hung up.
Back at the office, Zane stared at his phone in shock.
Not even basic courtesy! Calling in last minute and then acting entitled? No apology, no politeness whatsoever!
Gabriel hung up, his expression darkening with displeasure.
Just as he was about to return to the bedroom, Samuel appeared at the top of the stairs.
He paused, waiting.
Samuel hurried over, holding a lab report. "Mr. Sterling, the breast milk test results are back, and they're very strange. We detected non-dairy creamer, egg yolk powder, salt, pectin, and diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono-diglycerides—here's the full report."
Gabriel took the report, his sharp eyes scanning it from top to bottom, his already displeased expression growing even more severe.
"What did the doctor say?"
"The doctor said it's impossible for these components to occur naturally in breast milk—they had to be deliberately added. These additives are typically used in yogurt formulations."
Gabriel said nothing, but the thought of someone daring to "poison" his children's milk made him want to track down the culprit and throw them in prison immediately.
Samuel looked at him, frowning slightly. "Mr. Sterling, yesterday's breast milk was brought home from Mrs. Sterling's office. Could it be that... someone maliciously tampered with it while it was stored at her company?"
"Yes, that's very possible." Gabriel agreed, given that offices were full of people with unpredictable motives.
"Oh, and the doctor also said that when breast milk mixes with these unknown dairy products, it can spoil and cause illness. It's also possible the children are allergic to one of the components—like egg yolk powder, which many infants are allergic to. The doctor recommends allergy testing once the children recover, to help avoid future issues." Samuel relayed the doctor's words verbatim.
Gabriel stared at the lab report, clenching his teeth, and thinking about Zane's condescending tone on the phone, the simmering anger in his chest rapidly expanded.
He'd told her not to take that job—she wouldn't listen!
Now look what had happened!
"I understand." He controlled his temper with effort, then turned to leave. After taking two steps, he suddenly turned back. "Oh, and run a background check on someone."
Samuel, who had been about to leave, stopped in his tracks.
Gabriel instructed, "My wife's company—the manager in her department, Zane. Get me detailed information on him."
"Yes, I'll handle it right away."
Gabriel returned to the room, placing the lab report on the coffee table. He stared at it repeatedly, his brow remaining deeply furrowed.
He couldn't focus on work anymore—all he could think about was how to communicate with that stubborn woman sleeping behind him, to convince her to quit her job and stay home with the children.
————
Isabella slept for a rare two hours, and Arabella got some much-needed rest too.
These past few days of nighttime feeding and daytime work had been exhausting.
When Isabella started kicking and moving in her arms, Arabella opened her eyes and smiled tenderly at her daughter.
But after a few kicks, Isabella suddenly made that telltale "poot-poot-poot" sound—she'd had another bowel movement!
Arabella quickly sat up.
Gabriel, who'd been at the sofa the whole time, immediately rose when he saw them wake up. "Did she have another accident?"
"Yes, I'll change her."
"I'll have the nanny handle it. Come with me to the study." Gabriel's expression was neutral, his tone cold. Without another word, he headed toward the door.
Arabella sensed something was wrong with his mood, watching his retreating figure with growing unease.
Soon, both nannies entered the room.
Seeing Gabriel had left again, Arabella frowned, filled with apprehension and caution as she got out of bed, put on her shoes, straightened her clothes, and followed him.
In the study, before she could speak, Gabriel tilted his chin slightly. "This is the breast milk lab report. Take a look first."
"Already? That was fast," Arabella said in confusion, but seeing his expression, her heart immediately sank. "Is it really my fault?"
Gabriel nodded again. "Read through it first, then we'll talk."
She walked over and picked up the lab report. As she read through the two pages, shock and confusion gradually showed on her face.
During her pregnancy, she'd attended prenatal classes and had comprehensive knowledge about maternal and infant health, including the main nutritional components of breast milk.
But the lab report clearly showed several food additives that should never exist in breast milk!
"What's going on? How can there be non-dairy creamer, egg yolk, and pectin in breast milk?" She stared at Gabriel with bewildered eyes.
Gabriel stood beside the desk, about two steps away from her, his stern face maintaining that cool expression. "You're asking me? How would I know?"
Arabella panicked. "I... this is impossible! Unless..."
She wanted to say, unless someone had deliberately injected these substances into the milk.
Seeing her sudden silence, Gabriel's gaze darkened as he asked, "Have you offended anyone at your company?"
Hearing this question, Arabella finally understood completely. "You're saying... I offended someone, and they're retaliating by deliberately adding foreign substances to my breast milk?"
"Based on current evidence, yes."
"I..."
Arabella was stunned!
She thought back over her days at work. While there were a few people who didn't talk to her much, she hadn't really offended anyone, had she?
And who didn't know that breast milk was for babies? How could anyone dare do something like this—weren't they afraid of the consequences?
If something serious happened and responsibility was traced back, this could legally be considered poisoning!
Who had such a deep grudge against her to be this vicious? To target infants?
The more Arabella thought about it, the more chills ran down her spine, her mind going blank.
"Tomorrow I'm coming with you to the company. This matter must be investigated thoroughly. Anyone who dares harm my children will pay the price." Gabriel had already decided—this incident absolutely had to be investigated. The perpetrator must be found and held accountable.
"Also, you can't continue this job. I want you to resign as soon as possible."
Arabella's blank mind gradually cleared, and she looked at Gabriel, arguing her case, "I have no problem with you investigating, but this was an individual's actions. What does it have to do with the company? Even if we find the culprit, they should be the one to face consequences. Why should I pay the price?"
"If you hadn't gone out to work, would any of this have happened? Look at Henry and Isabella's condition today—don't you feel heartbroken? Don't you feel guilty?"