I immediately stood up, my gaze sweeping over at Jade's darkened face.

"A-Alright, t-then I'll get moving. Jade, I'll let you look after Michael."

When she heard that she had to look after that drunken alcoholic, her expression darkened as if she had just swallowed something bitter.

When I got up, I pretended to slip and ended up falling on Jade.

"I'm sorry!"

Jade subconsciously raised her hand to block my fall. She frowned and looked at me in disgust.

"What the hell man? Can't you even stand properly?"

"I'm sorry, Jade," I apologized frantically while secretly stealing a small vial from her jacket pocket.

With it, I was not going to become the scapegoat anymore.

Suppressing a smile, I turned around and left.

I immediately hailed a taxi to a testing facility and submitted the small glass bottle I had taken from Jade for analysis.

After I came out from a comfortable hot shower, the test results were out.

When I saw the results, I was stunned.

The final conclusion was written clearly.

[Main component: Vitamin C. No toxic, harmful, or psychoactive substances detected.]

Vitamin C? Did Jade not poison Michael?

Instantly, I had a million thoughts flying through my mind.

In my previous life, Jade did not even drug the wine. She only took a bottle to pretend to do it, making sure I witnessed it.

If I caused a scene, she would be able to turn her conflict with Michael into a conflict between Michael and I.

If I did not cause a scene, Michael would have only consumed the vitamin C, which would not land her in any legal trouble.

It was no wonder she did not panic when Michael drank so much wine that night.

From the very beginning, she had been playing both of us like a fool.

Just when I was in the midst of fury, my phone suddenly vibrated.

A sense of dread rose in my chest as I answered the call.

"Is this Mr. Taylor Lowden? We're the Emergency Department at First Hospital," a nurse's anxious voice rang out.

"Your friend, Michael Ronan, has been admitted for poisoning and is currently being resuscitated. Please come immediately!"

When I arrived at the hospital, the corridors of the emergency department were in utter chaos.

Michael's parents, Felix Ronan and Ruth Clement, as well as Jade, were anxiously waiting outside the operating theater.

When they spotted me, Jade instantly stormed up to me with an icy gaze.

"Taylor, what did you let him drink? Did you poison the wine?!"

I sneered in retort. "Jade, you're one to talk. You brought the wine and poured it. I never once touched the wine."

I emphasized, "You, on the other hand, were spending time alone with him. Who knows what you've done?"

Jade's face turned pale in shock. "What nonsense are you on about? I didn't do anything! That was just…"

She suddenly trailed off. Even if she admitted that it was just vitamin C, the very action of her spiking the wine was suspicious enough.

At that moment, the lights to the operating theater turned off as the medical staff wheeled Michael out.

Felix and Ruth cried and ran over.

Although Michael was conscious, his face had no color on it. His lips were purple.

The doctor took off his mask and said seriously, "The patient just had his stomach pumped. He's in no danger right now. Based on our judgment, he likely suffered poisoning from an excessive intake of sedatives."

The doctor added, "This is an illegal substance. We've already reported it to the police."

Michael's eyes slowly opened. He looked around, finally landing his eyes on me, gleaming with venomous hatred.

"It was him! It was Taylor Lowden that drugged me!"

Instantly, everyone's gaze was on me.

Ruth charged at me and hit me. "You evil man! Michael has been so good to you! How dare you try to kill him?!"

Caught off guard, I took a few good slaps from her. My face stung and burned.

I had just pulled some distance from Ruth when Michael continued, crying, "Taylor, I finally see your true colors! You're jealous of my family and of my relationship with Jade, so you wanted me dead to have everything for yourself!

"I was blind to treat you so well! I still became friends with you although you're poor. You're an ungrateful friend!"

I was completely at a loss for words. Who was the ungrateful one there?

Jade instantly went with the flow and chimed in, reprimanding me, "I knew it was you! I was wondering why you kept urging him to drink. It turns out you were trying to poison him!"

Before I could say anything, the police arrived.

Once Michael saw the police, he got even more agitated.

He pointed at me and accused, "Officer, it's him! Only he and I touched the wine glass! He must've drugged my wine when I wasn't looking!"

Jade acted as the witness, neatly removing herself from suspicion. "There were only the three of us. Only Michael and Taylor touched the glass. I have reasons to suspect him."

The police immediately sealed off the restaurant to collect evidence.

The results came quickly.

Officer Daniel Walton, leading the case, furrowed his brows at me.

"Taylor Lowden, there were indeed only your prints and Michael's on the glass. None of the other utensils show any toxic traces. Only the inner surface of Michael's glass showed signs of high concentration of sedatives. Right now, all the evidence points toward you. Please come with us to continue the investigation."

Even as the handcuffs were placed on my wrist, the shock on my face still had not faded.

How could that possibly have happened?