Chapter Forty
At first, the room was silent as they watched Victor writhing in his chair.
Then realization hit, and the room erupted into chaos.
Isla could only watch, transfixed by the scene before her.
Brooke and Mae shoved past her. Bennett was out of his seat and by his father’s side almost as quickly as Dixon was.
In Dixon’s hand was a prepped EpiPen, its needle gleaming.
What was happening? Isla stared at the drink, rooted to her spot. Her fists balled at her sides.
“What did you use?” Brooke demanded. Her voice was sharp and urgent.
Isla pointed to the ground. “The almond liqueur, because you said something smoky, and I thought that was it.”
Brooke’s eyes widened. Her hand went to her mouth. “Almond? Victor is severely allergic to almonds.”
“I—I didn’t know he was allergic to nuts. I’ve seen him eat—I didn’t know!” Isla was horrified, her mind unable to comprehend how close she’d come to killing Victor Corrigan. She had to hold on to the corner of a bureau to keep from falling.
Brooke said, “It must have been left out by mistake, or someone forgot to get rid of it when restocking. We’ve had new staff in. Oh no. Mae, we need to ensure there’s not a speck of almond in the house.”
Sweat poured down Victor’s face. His breaths were labored, but his coloring had started to return.
He continued to cough in attempts to clear his throat.
Why the tumbler of scotch was not whisked away and the table wiped clean, Isla found perplexing, but she didn’t question anything.
He was handed a bottle of water. Myles had appeared at the door, having heard the commotion, and he ran to his father’s aid, not even glancing her way.
“I am so, so very sorry,” Isla said, tears welling against her wishes. She couldn’t believe what was happening. First being caught in Eden’s room. Now this. They were going to think she had done this on purpose.
Victor was waving almost everyone away from him to get space. He was disheveled and jittery, allowing Dixon and Myles to aid him. Brooke stood with Bennett and Claudia, watching as Dixon and Myles tended to Victor and Mae ensured they were doing it right. Brooke turned to Isla.
She said, “I only meant for you to give an olive branch, not to poison him!” Brooke took a calming breath.
“I should have clarified . . .” Brooke addressed Mae, looking for where to lay blame.
“Mae, what was the bottle doing there in the first place? You know Mr. Corrigan and Holland are allergic to almonds. There should be no almonds in the house!”
Mae nodded slightly. “Yes, Mrs. Corrigan. I’ll get on it right away.”
Mae backed away from the desk, ending up beside Isla, who stood trembling like a leaf. Isla looked at her. “I didn’t know,” she whispered, barely able to see anything but wavy shapes for the tears clouding her vision.
“How could you not know?” Bennett demanded, rounding on Isla. “This is basic information, and you’re the one who’s supposed to be learning all about my father. How do you miss what he’s allergic to?”
“But I don’t feed him” was all Isla could think to say. In all her prep work, should she have known about Victor’s very specific allergy?
Brooke said, “Now, Bennett, it’s possible for her not to know. She sees nuts around the house. It’s rare for people to be allergic to one type of nut and not the others. Don’t be too hard on her. She tried.”
If Isla was thinking clearly, she would have guessed what Brooke was doing. How she was planting seeds of doubt and sowing discord, adding to Victor’s distrust of her after Eden’s room. There was nothing she could have said that would have sounded right in this moment.
“I’m so sorry you had to see this, Claudia dear,” Brooke continued. “Myles, why don’t you walk her to the car?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Myles said firmly. “I’m not leaving my dad.”
Isla wanted to do the same. She needed to make sure Victor was okay, because it was her fault he had been hurt. But what she wanted didn’t matter because someone else made the decision for her.