Chapter 9 - the hotel room
The elevator of the Grand Regency Hotel opened silently on the 40th floor. Dominic stepped out onto the plush carpet, flanked by four heavily armed operatives wearing tactical vests.
They stopped outside Suite 402. Mateo held a master keycard against the electronic lock. The light turned green with a soft click.
Dominic kicked the heavy wooden door open, stepping inside with his weapon drawn.
"Don't move!" Mateo barked, clearing the entryway.
The suite was luxurious, decorated with gold accents and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Manhattan skyline. A fire crackled in the marble fireplace.
Sitting in a leather armchair by the window was a man in a tailored dark suit, holding a glass of scotch. He didn't jump or reach for a weapon. He simply turned his head and smiled calmly.
It was Julian Bellaro—Dominic’s younger half-brother, who had allegedly been living in exile in London for the past five years.
"Hello, Dominic," Julian said softly, setting his glass on the side table. "You took longer than I expected."
Dominic lowered his weapon slightly, his eyes narrowing. "Julian. What are you doing in New York?"
"Saving our family from ruin," Julian replied, standing up slowly. "You've been blind, brother. You were so busy fighting Moretti that you didn't see who was really pulling the strings."
Dominic stepped closer, his boots pressing into the rug. "You planted the camera in Maisie's room. You fed the forged reports to Vivienne."
"I had to!" Julian insisted, his voice rising with emotion. "Vivienne was working with Moretti! She was giving Maisie small doses of arsenic in her food every night to make her sick, so you'd sign medical power of attorney over to her!"
Dominic’s eyes flared with terrifying fury. "Arsenic?"
"Yes!" Julian yelled. "I intercepted the poison supply last week! I forged those birth documents to make Vivienne hesitate, to give me time to find out who gave her the poison in the first place!"
Dominic took two quick steps, grabbed Julian by his lapels, and slammed him against the glass window.
"Who gave her the poison, Julian?" Dominic snarled.
May you like
Before Julian could answer, Dominic’s eyes caught a detail on the side table next to Julian's glass.
In the crystal ashtray lay a half-smoked cigarette. On the white filter was a smear of custom emerald-tinted lipstick—the exact custom shade Vivienne had been wearing at dinner three hours ago.
