The Scorned Heiress: No More Mercy novel Chapter 367

Tara examines the plants closely, plucking a leaf to sniff it before sifting the soil through her fingers. With her sharp senses and deep knowledge of pharmacology, she immediately detects something fundamentally wrong. There is a glaring issue with this entire field, but it is too subtle for an ordinary person to notice. Jade and Jovani were clearly overly confident, assuming no one possessed the expertise to spot their sabotage. That is why they let Tara inspect the grounds so freely.

Glancing over at Jade, Tara sees her still playing the role of the humble, diligent genius. She is animatedly explaining something to Nikolai, no doubt showing off her superficial grasp of scientific jargon. Perfect. With them distracted, Tara gets to work.

Slipping a small, pre-prepared vial from her pocket, she discreetly collects samples of the soil and plant tissue. She tucks the vial away into her bag, her movements smooth and entirely unnoticed.

After what feels like an eternity, Jade and Nikolai finally stroll over.

"How are you doing, Tara? If there is anything you don't understand, I'd be happy to explain it to you," Jade offers with feigned politeness, loudly positioning herself as the expert and Tara as the clueless amateur. She had purposefully pulled Nikolai aside earlier to ice Tara out, aiming for psychological warfare.

"Actually, there is something I don't understand," Tara replies, tilting her head with an innocent smile. She knows exactly what game Jade is playing. "I'm dying to know what formula you used to cure these fields. You said you spent a long time developing it yourself, right? Could you walk me through the formulation process?"

There is zero chance Jade developed this on her own. Even if Jovani handed her the exact process, Jade lacks the intellect to comprehend the chemistry behind it.

"Ancient techniques? Like what? Could you give us a demonstration?" Tara asks, before tapping her forehead in mock realization. "Oh, wait. You probably can't even replicate it, can you? Never mind, pretend I didn't ask."

Her tone is deliberately infuriating. A real scientist would be livid and immediately defend their work with hard data. But Jade is no scientist.

"What is that supposed to mean, Tara? Do you think you have the right to question Jade's work?" Nikolai barks.