Hope of the Dying World

CHAPTER 32 - THE POISON

"Surprise, huh?" She raised her eyebrow and a curve formed in her lips.

"Well, as I promised. I will dine you at a fine restaurant."

When they arrived at the restaurant, the waiter guided them to their table. Thalia was watching Ferran while she held the menu. Ferran was focused on the menu so he doesn't notice her stares or should we say he doesn't want to give her hopes because he only thinks of her as a friend.

As they waited for the food to be served, they talked about random stuff until the waiter served them the water and the wine.

"I want to ask you something." Said Ferran, then he took out the folded scratch paper where the sketch was drawn. "Do you know this man?" He asked and Thalia was a bit stunned but quickly recovered by sipping her wine.

"Why ask?"

"I find him suspicious. He might be the one I'm looking for in a certain case I am handling right now. So..." He looked at her, hoping that she knew the guy.

"You're just chasing death." She mumbled.

"What?"

"Can't we set aside work?"

"You do know something." Ferran stated.

"Simeon..."

"Please, Thalia. I need to know. Let me know."

"Fine," She sighed in defeat. "You're asking for it." She came near Ferran and lowered her voice.

"I always see him with one of our VIPs." Thalia said then she sipped again on her wine glass.

"Do you know his name?"

"They called him Harvey." She drank half of her wine after she answered him. She seemed to feel uneasy.

"They? Who?" Ferran felt that Thalia really knows something beyond his expectations. "And Harvey what?"

"I don't---" Thalia didn't continue what she was about to say when she felt dizzy.

"Hey! Thalia, you okay?" Ferran held her arms. She felt like her world was spinning then suddenly she vomited. She accidentally hit the wine glass, causing it to break into small pieces.

Ferran thought that maybe it was because of the wine Thalia drank, that's why she was like that. He grabbed the broken glass of wine then sniffed it and he was right.

"Sh*t! You're poisoned."

Before Thalia lost consciousness, she felt a firm arm carrying her somewhere.

+++

"Nurse! Thalia Lopez, please. I'm her sister, Nathalie Lopez." Nathalie was in a rush to see her sister. She rushed to the hospital after receiving a message from Ferran a while ago.

"Nathalie here!" Ferran called her while waving his hand. Thalia was confined in the hospital ward, and she's still unconscious when Nathalie arrived.

"What happened to her?" Her voice sounds worried and full of concern.

"She's poisoned."

"What? How?" Nathalie's eyes widened as she looked at her sister's pale face.

"Someone put poison in her wine. You should stay here and take care of your sister. I will return to the restaurant to investigate something." Nathalie nodded then he left. When he arrived at the restaurant, Sanchez was already there talking to the manager.

"We don't know about this, Officer. We're also surprised by what happened." The manager was nervous because it may be a loss in their business. "Sorry for the inconvenience. You can freely check the whole resto. You may be able to get information about this poisoning incident." The manager sincerely apologized before letting them investigate the whole area.