“What’s wrong, kiddo?” the old man asked gently. “Why are you crying? Did someone hurt you?”
Ethan shook his head.
“Grandpa… please hide,” he said quietly. “I heard Mom and Dad talking. Dad said he’s going to put medicine in your soup tonight to make you sleep… and then they’ll take your money from the safe. They said… you might not wake up.”
For a moment, Mr. Harrison’s body went cold.
The words hit him like a storm. His own son… planning to harm him for money.
But instead of exploding with anger, he forced himself to stay calm.
He gently wiped the tears from Ethan’s face.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered. “Your grandpa still has a few tricks left. Tonight we’ll play a little game, alright? Just do exactly what I tell you.”
That evening, dinner was served like any other night.
Daniel placed a bowl of steaming soup in front of his father.
“Dad, you should eat,” he said. “Monica made this special soup to help you regain your strength.”
But his hands trembled slightly.
As Mr. Harrison lifted his spoon, Ethan suddenly knocked over his glass of water.
“Oh no!” the boy exclaimed.
Water splashed across the table.
While Monica and Daniel hurried to clean the mess, Mr. Harrison quickly switched his bowl with Daniel’s bowl.
It was part of the “game” he had planned with Ethan.
Once everyone sat down again, the old man smiled faintly.
“Thank you, Ethan,” he said. “Daniel, Monica—you should eat too. Let’s all enjoy dinner together.”
Daniel hesitated, but refusing would raise suspicion. So he slowly finished the soup.
The same soup he had poisoned.
Within minutes, his speech started slurring. His head dropped forward onto the table.
Monica panicked.
“Daniel?! What’s wrong with you?”
Before she could do anything else, the front doors of the mansion suddenly burst open.
Police officers rushed inside, accompanied by Mr. Harrison’s lawyer.
In the officer’s hand was a phone recording.
Earlier, when Ethan had told him everything, Mr. Harrison had quietly placed a recorder in the boy’s pocket before sending him back to play near the library.
Every word of Daniel and Monica’s plan had been captured.
“Did you really think I had become senile?” Mr. Harrison said firmly.
Then, to everyone’s shock, he slowly pushed himself up from the wheelchair.
He could still stand.
He had only pretended to be completely helpless to observe what was happening around him.