Chapter 3

I looked at Jade in silence.

"Doesn't the company have employee housing?"

Jade frowned. "The employee dorms are all single rooms. They're too small and cramped. Besides, it wouldn't be a good place for him to recover."

I forced a bitter smile but said nothing.

She must have forgotten that when I first joined her in building the company, we had squeezed into a tiny partitioned room in a crowded neighborhood. It was less than a hundred square feet, and we did not even have a private bathroom.

Back then, she had never complained that our living conditions were cramped or uncomfortable.

Now, however, she suddenly felt sorry for another man because he had to stay in a single room.

Jade was already pulling her suitcase toward the guest bedroom.

I said nothing more and went back to our bedroom.

The next morning, I did not make breakfast.

Perhaps Jade knew she was in the wrong, because she did not pressure me. She simply had a simple breakfast with Luis before they both headed to the office.

However, less than half an hour later, the front door was suddenly kicked open.

Jade stormed inside, her face twisted with anger.

One look at her expression told me that this was not going to end well.

Sure enough, the first thing out of her mouth was, "Steve, did you deliberately switch the labels on the peanut butter and tahini?"

I stared at her in surprise.

"No. Why would I do that?"

Jade's expression darkened even further.

"Luis made himself a sandwich this morning and used the tahini bottle.

"Only after he finished eating it did he realize it was actually peanut butter!

"He ate much more than he did yesterday, and now he's back in the hospital. His condition is much worse this time!"

By the end of her explanation, she was practically panting with rage.

"He already told me yesterday that he suspected you did it on purpose. I even defended you, telling him you would never do something like that.

"And now you've pulled the same stunt again!"

Yesterday, I deliberately tested them. However, I had absolutely nothing to do with what happened today.

"I told you, I didn't switch anything."

She stormed into the kitchen, grabbed the two bottles, glanced at them, then threw them straight at my feet.

The labels had indeed been switched.

"There's the evidence, right in front of you! How can you still deny it?"

I stared at the two bottles in disbelief.

"I didn't switch them.

"Besides, even if someone changed the labels, peanut butter and tahini taste completely different. Are you telling me he couldn't tell them apart?"

Jade refused to listen. She grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the house.

"If you've something to say, say it at the hospital."

She drove like a maniac, and before long, we arrived at St. Thomas Health Center.

Luis was sitting up in bed, receiving an IV drip.

The moment he saw me, he pushed himself up, climbed out of bed, and kneeled.

"Mr. Hoffman, I'm sorry.

"I know you don't want me staying at your house. Once I'm discharged, I'll move out right away. I promise I'll never bother you two again."

He kept his head lowered, his face so pale it was almost translucent.

"But my peanut allergy is really serious. Please, I'm begging you! Just leave me alone."

Listening to him twist the truth, my jaw tightened. My fingers slowly curled into fists.

"I didn't switch the labels!

"Luis, you staged this whole thing yourself. You're the one who—"

"That's enough!" Jade cut me off sharply. She stepped in front of Luis's bed and looked at me with nothing but disappointment. "Who would risk their own life just to frame you?

"Steve, after everything that's happened, how can you still refuse to admit what you've done?"

She closed her eyes briefly, as if she had finally made up her mind.

"Luis has suffered twice because of you. I can't just let this go. I owe him justice."

Dread crept over me.

The next second, the hospital room door swung open, and two bodyguards walked in. One of them was carrying a plate of freshly cut mango.

I stared at Jade in disbelief.

"What are you trying to do? Have you forgotten that I'm allergic to mangoes?"

Of course she had not forgotten.

When we first started dating, I had once given in to a craving and eaten a piece of mango. Within minutes, my entire body had broken out in hives, and I could barely breathe. I had been rushed to the emergency room in the middle of the night.

Ever since then, Jade had been even more careful about keeping mangoes away from me than I was.

Just a few days ago, when we went out to eat, she had specifically asked the waiter whether any of the desserts contained mango.

However, now she deliberately avoided my eyes as she flatly said, "Feed it to him."

My entire body went rigid.

One bodyguard seized both my arms while the other grabbed my chin and forced the mango into my mouth.

"Jade! Don't!"

I struggled with all my strength, but I was no match for the two strong men. No matter how hard I fought, I could not break free.

The thick, sugary juice smeared across my face, dripping continuously down my chin.

Soon, the familiar burning sensation spread throughout my body. My skin began to itch uncontrollably, and my throat felt as if something were blocking it. No matter how hard I tried, I could not draw a proper breath.

Less than ten minutes later, my entire body gave out, and I collapsed helplessly onto the floor.