Carla was good at keeping her cool. After finishing her breakfast, she started reading in her room.
Meanwhile, Freda and Rogan had returned to the guestroom to rest, leaving Ilali and Jewel to accompany Carla.
Very soon, it was already nightfall, and Freda and Rogan had woken up from their naps. As it was also time for dinner, Marianne had arrived at Carla's room with dinner, together with a bottle of red wine.
"Is Lucas back yet?" Carla asked casually, with a book in her hands.
"He's not back yet, Ms. Lierger, " Marianne answered respectfully. "He has a lot of things to handle today and will be back slightly later."
"Really? What is he busy with?" Carla lifted her wine glass and started swirling the red wine.
"He had to attend a press conference in the afternoon and had to entertain guests in the evening. He also has to send some VIPs to the airport…" Marianne explained.
"I see, " Carla nodded. "That makes sense. I'm sure there's a lot for him to settle because of the delay in the wedding."
"This red wine is from Arkfield. Drinking more might help you sleep better at night, " Marianne said thoughtfully.
"Oh, thanks!" Carla smiled and continued after a pause, "You may leave now."
"Alright, " Marianne gave a slight bow and retreated from the room.
"Oh, don't forget to ask Lucas to look for me when he's back, " Carla reminded.
Marianne stopped in her tracks at once, while a maid next to her replied instead, "We will, Ms. Lierger."
After they left, Carla shot a glance at Ilali and Jewel, who understood what she meant right away. Immediately, the two bodyguards collected a sample of the food and wine for testing.
A short while later, both of them concluded that there was a substance found in the red wine that had similar effects as sleeping pills. One would start feeling drowsy after ingesting that substance.
Upon hearing that, Carla suddenly recalled what happened at the winery in Arkfield…
That night, she had only drunk red wine and not Marianne's water. However, even though she did not drink a lot, she still felt drowsy when she got back to her room at night. In fact, she was so tired that she had fallen asleep on the sofa even before Lucas left.
The woman had not been able to make sense of the situation, but thinking back on it, Carla was almost certain that Marianne had spiked the red wine…
It seemed like it wasn't the first time Marianne did that.
Carla beckoned for Ilali and Jewel to keep the evidence, before tucking into her dinner.
At around ten p.m., Lucas finally returned home. When Marianne saw him, she immediately welcomed him, saying, "Lucas, you're back."
"Yup." The man seemed a little tipsy. Taking a pause, he added, "Dad and Mom are still entertaining the guests, but I thought I should head back first. Where's Carla?"
"You must be tired. Let me help you back to your room first."
Just when Marianne was about to take the man's arm and support him back to his room, a maid, who was standing beside, suddenly remembered Carla's instructions and said, "Sir Lucas, Ms. Lierger said…"
"Keep quiet." Marianne immediately stopped that maid from talking and shot a vehement glare at her. "Lucas is drunk and needs to rest. Don't disturb him."
The maid did not dare to speak after that.
"I need to check on Carla, " Lucas said, as he staggered upstairs. However, Marianne grabbed his arm and held him back, trying to persuade the man to head back to his room instead. "Lucas, you're drunk. Let me help you back to your room to wash up first. It's not nice for you to see Ms. Lierger in your current state."
"Oh, you're right." As Lucas wanted to look presentable in front of Carla as well, he stopped insisting.
Just as both of them headed upstairs toward his room, Carla walked out and shouted, "Lucas!"
"Carla!" Lucas immediately stopped in his tracks and turned around, walking toward the woman.
"Lucas…" Marianne tried to hold the man back, but her efforts were futile.
"I was just about to look for you, " Lucas said, as he staggered toward Carla's room. "I have already spoken to Dad and Mom today and they have promised not to make things difficult for you. I'll stay in with you tomorrow…"
"OK, sure, " Carla replied while glancing at Marianne.
Marianne, who was staring at Lucas with an inexplicable look in her eyes, met Carla's gaze for that split second and immediately looked away…
"Carla, I missed you so much…"
Lucas' gentle voice could be heard from inside the room.
"Drink some water first." Carla passed a glass of water to the man.
"I knew it. I know you care about me…" Lucas said, pulling her into his embrace.
At that moment, Ilali and Jewel exited the room. When they opened the door, Marianne happened to witness that scene…
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