Chapter 7 Trapped by Proof

Closing her eyes, Quinn could almost feel the rusted steel pipe plunging into her chest. She began to gasp for air, her breathing becoming increasingly frantic. Zayden sensed something was wrong and immediately released her, intending to check on her condition. But Quinn sprang away like a spring, forcefully pushing him back. "Zayden, don’t touch me!" Then, she quickly fled. Zayden stood motionless, watching Quinn’s retreating figure, his brows furrowing in confusion. Hidden in the shadows, Olive watched everything, nearly grinding her teeth in anger. "Quinn, I will not let you take what’s mine." Over the next few days, Quinn tried every possible way to gather information about her grandfather and, more than anything, she wanted to leave the Fairchild family as soon as possible. However, as she descended from the upstairs, she saw Olive stumbling in with messy hair, holding a bottle of medicine in her hand, mumbling something incoherent. Colton and Xavier were in the living room, facing Zayden, and all three were discussing something. They stood up in shock when they saw Olive’s condition. "Olive, what’s happened to you?" Olive was crying, her face covered in tears, retreating to a corner of the living room. Her words started to become clearer. "I didn’t mean to bump into you. Don’t come after me, don’t..." She waved her arms frantically, as though someone were standing in front of her, causing her face to turn pale with fear. Colton and Xavier were immediately filled with concern. "Is Olive having an episode? Where’s the medicine? Where is it?" Olive’s mad state paused for a second, and she hurriedly tilted the medicine bottle toward her mouth. "I need the medicine, once I take it, I won’t see anything anymore." Zayden, sensing the danger, snatched the bottle from Olive’s hand, his voice sharp with anger. "What’s wrong with you? Is this how you take your medicine?" Xavier examined the bottle closely. "Wait, this isn’t right. This isn’t the medicine Olive normally takes." Colton stepped forward to check the label, confirming it wasn’t her usual prescription. It was a drug that stimulated the nerves. "Walter, Walter!" Colton shouted, calling for the butler. He shoved Walter to the ground, yelling, "You idiot! This is the medicine you got for Ms. Olive?" Walter, looking terrified, approached the scene, appearing like a guilty child in front of Colton. "Mr. Colton, I didn’t buy this medicine. Someone must have switched it!" Quinn felt a bad feeling well up inside her. Sure enough, the next moment, Walter pointed a trembling finger at her. "I saw Ms. Fairchild wandering around the second and third floors these past few days." Xavier shot her a piercing look. "It’s you again, Quinn! What did Olive ever do to you for you to treat her like this?" Quinn didn’t even bother to explain. No one would believe her anyway. Since Walter had accused her, it was clear they had prepared everything beforehand. Zayden stepped forward and blocked Xavier from attacking Quinn. "Olive’s health is the priority. Get her to the hospital first." Only then did Xavier and Colton hurry to take Olive to the hospital. Zayden looked at Quinn. "You should come with us. Olive needs someone to look after her." Despite the warmth of the room, Quinn felt cold. Since the incident began, she hadn’t said a word, but they had already sentenced her. What was even more absurd was that just days ago, Zayden had promised her he would make it up to her. Quinn stood at the stairs for a long while before picking up the leftover medicine on the ground, carefully inspecting it. At the hospital, the news of Olive’s episode reached their father, Eugene Fairchild, and Betty, causing them both to panic. After Olive had her stomach pumped, she was wheeled out. The doctor reassured everyone that it wasn’t serious, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Betty, recovering her composure, asked, "Olive’s condition has always been stable. What happened this time?" Xavier, deeply upset, snapped, "Who else could it be? What kind of evil person would do this to my sister? I wish I had never had her as a sister." At that moment, Olive woke up, and the family gathered around to inquire about her. Olive immediately began crying, her eyes filled with tears and her voice hoarse, sounding pitiful. "Was it really Quinn who switched my medicine?" At that moment, Quinn arrived at the hospital room, holding two reports in her hands. Olive had crafted the perfect trap for her, and whether Quinn showed up or not, she would be caught in it. But now that she was here, perhaps she could still gain a chance to visit her grandfather. Seeing Quinn enter, Xavier sneered, "A heart like a snake’s, how could someone like you be a part of the Fairchild family?" Betty’s eyes were filled with pity as she scolded her, "Quinny, I didn’t bring you back just to stir up trouble between you two. Even if you’re fighting, it shouldn’t lead to something like this." Eugene, having understood the situation, couldn’t stand by any longer. Before Quinn could say anything, Eugene, ever the peacemaker, jumped in, siding with Olive. "Quinn, as the older sister, you shouldn’t have let things get this far. Hurry up and apologize. Then we can put this behind us." Eugene had mastered the art of smoothing things over. "Mom, I don’t mean to be cruel, but ever since Quinn came back from prison, this family hasn’t had a moment of peace. She really shouldn’t be living with us anymore!" Xavier’s eyes were solely on Olive, lying in bed, and he didn’t even spare Quinn a disdainful glance. Betty was in a difficult position, caught between two sides. Colton, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. "Once the engagement is broken, we should send Quinn abroad." Quinn then walked in, facing them. "So, you say I switched the medicine? Fine, then tell me, what medicine did I switch?" Olive, looking flushed and with no hint of fear in her eyes, had even fixed her hair after the stomach pumping. Xavier recalled the bottle he had inspected earlier. "Don’t try to make excuses. I saw with my own eyes that the medicine in that bottle was a nerve-stimulating drug." Quinn knew that this was a trap that Olive had set for her. In this biased family, she could never fall into a self-incrimination trap. But she still needed to see her grandfather and couldn’t leave just yet. So, after Olive was taken to the hospital, Quinn picked up the discarded medicine and secretly had it tested. Sure enough, Olive wasn’t sick at all. The drug was simply cold medicine, disguised in a psychiatric drug bottle. Quinn raised the testing report in her hand. "I just had it tested. Here’s the report for the medicine Olive just took. You can see for yourselves. If you don’t believe me, you can check the records downstairs." Olive’s face immediately darkened. When had Quinn become so slick? She used to panic and cry, saying it wasn’t her. Zayden stepped forward and briefly scanned the report. "Hmm, the report is correct." He looked at Quinn with more admiration. She had grown much braver since three years ago. Xavier, who had been furious just moments ago, looked at the report with a grim expression. He snatched it away from her. But in the next moment, Xavier threw the report at Quinn. "Quinn, are you really that stupid, or are you pretending? Olive is allergic to antibiotics." How could that be?