Austin broke the silence, clearing his throat and looking questioningly at Alexander. "So, what should we do next? Pretend we know nothing, or act like we suspect Mike is under Rhea's control?"

He pointed at Mike, pondering the situation. It was too complicated for him; he was adept at medical problems, but this was beyond his usual expertise. "How do we solve this without creating further complications?"

Unable to devise a solution, Austin turned to Alexander.

After a moment's thought, Alexander said, "Let's pretend you didn't confess, and that we still suspect you. Let Rhea believe you're under her control."

Mike nodded in agreement. He wouldn't have revealed his plan if he hadn't been concerned they might jeopardize it. He'd only told Austin and Alexander to show them the situation wasn't as dire as they imagined, and to avoid appearing incompetent. He had no intention of altering his original plan.

"Would Rhea discover her hypnosis didn't work?" Alexander asked, still concerned.

Mike's gaze was unwavering. "Rest assured, she'll never know. She also used a drug on me, presumably to induce the hypnosis, and I—"

Before he could finish, Austin grabbed his wrist. Austin looked anxious, Alexander grave, while Mike remained surprisingly calm, even faintly smiling.

"Your pulse is abnormal," Austin stated. "Is that why you refused to let me check your wrist and avoided me these past two days?"

Mike nodded and chuckled bitterly. "You're perceptive. I tried to be subtle, but you noticed anyway."

Austin raised an eyebrow. "We were already suspicious. Since we were here, I paid close attention to your every move. While I was joking, your reluctance to let me check your pulse clearly indicated you were hiding something."

"So, is he poisoned?" Alexander asked, worried.

I've got to hand it to Mike, he thought. He told us nothing, even though Rhea drugged and hypnotized him. I doubt he would have told us anything if we hadn't confronted him. Still, what could he possibly accomplish by enduring all this alone?