?Chapter 514:


    With no one else around, Elyse seized the moment to stealthily take a jade bracelet that belonged to Bertha. Bertha and her husband had once been madly in love, a time marked by thevish gifts of jewelry he had bestowed upon her. Among these pieces was the bracelet Elyse had taken—a symbol of their enduring affection. Elyse tracked down a servant employed by Alexander, handed her the bracelet, and discreetly passed her a mysterious pill.


    That evening, as part of her regr routine, Jolie had instructed her servant to prepare soup. The servant carried a bowl of soup to Elena, her head bowed and eyes darting nervously as she murmured, “Miss Harper, here’s your soup.”


    Engrossed in her phone, texting Lydia, Elena responded without looking up, “Just leave it there. I’ll have itter.”


    The servant’s voice carried a note of urgency as she insisted, “The soup will start to smell fishy as it cools. It’s better enjoyed warm.”


    Elena raised her eyes to meet the servant’s, who quickly averted her gaze, her unease palpable. Sensing something wasn’t quite right, Elena probed gently. “Really? A fine soup shouldn’t carry a fishy scent, even when chilled. The ingredients were top-notch. How could it possibly smell that way?”


    The servant, visibly jittery, faltered in her response. “Well, perhaps I misremembered. Miss Harper, it truly shines when served hot. Why not try some now?”


    As Elena brought the spoon to her lips, the servant stiffened, her fingers curling into trembling fists. However, Elena took a whiff and then quietly set the spoon down without tasting a drop.


    The servant’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Miss Harper, why won’t you eat?”


    “Do you really want me to try it right now?” Elena’s tone wasced with skepticism as she arched an eyebrow.


    The servant chuckled nervously, her voice faltering. “No, that’s not it…”


    Elena’s gaze grew icy. “You were in charge of today’s soup. What exactly did you mix in?”


    Caught off guard, the servant’s panic escted. She iled her hands frantically in denial. “I didn’t mix anything unusual! It was prepared just like every other day. Miss Harper, what are you implying? I… I’m at a loss.”


    Elena narrowed her eyes. At a loss? The servant’s face was a canvas of guilt, every expression betraying her.


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    As Elena lifted the soup close, she detected a peculiar odor wafting from the bowl—an unfamiliar, intrusive scent.


    Elena’s gaze sharpened, her presence radiating an unmistakable air of authority as she spoke, her voiceced with a chilling firmness. “Tell me the truth now, or I shall have the housekeeper sample this immediately. Should there be any foul y with this soup, rest assured, the police will be involved. Do youprehend the gravity of your actions? Attempted poisoning couldnd you in prison for three years.”


    “Please, not the police!” the servant blurted out, desperation cracking her voice under the looming threat of incarceration. “Miss Harper, I swear I meant no harm! It was merely sleeping pills—Elyse assured me they werepletely harmless!”


    Elena smirked. Elyse. That name surfaced again.


    The servant, misreading Elena’s silence as disbelief, frantically presented the jade bracelet Elyse had given her. “Miss Harper, I never intended to hurt you. This is the jade bracelet Elyse gave me—I renounce it, along with all its ties! Please, spare me the police. Don’t alert the housekeeper!”


    The thought of dismissal terrified the servant. Positions as lucrative as this were indeed rare.


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