Chapter 8 - The Shadow on the Staircase
The realization hit Martha like a physical blow.
Maxwell wasn't faking his injury to fool the world. His body was trying to recover—his nerves were actively fighting back, which was why his foot had reacted to the sudden cold water—but someone in his inner circle was secretly poisoning his system every single day to ensure he never walked again.
And if Maxwell discovered it, or if whoever was poisoning him realized Martha knew, her life wouldn't be worth a copper cent.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the hallway outside the pantry door.
Martha held her breath, instantly shoving the vial back into her apron pocket.
The heavy footsteps paused right outside the door. Through the thin crack beneath the frame, Martha saw the shadows of two men standing in the hallway.
"Is the shipping manifest cleared for the docks at midnight?" a voice asked. It was Dr. Cole.
"Yes," Evelyn’s cold voice replied from the hall. "The eastern shipments are moving under the secondary permits. As long as Maxwell remains confined to that room and focused on his 'recovery,' no one on the board will question the authority transfers."
"And the dosage?" Cole asked softly. "His nerve responses showed minor reflex activity during last week's routine check. We can't afford him regaining motor control now. Not when the cartel deal is finalizing next month."
"Increase the evening injections," Evelyn replied smoothly. "He trusts you implicitly, Adrian. He thinks you're trying to save him."
The footsteps began to move away, fading down the long marble corridor toward the executive office.
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Inside the dark pantry, Martha pressed her back against the wall, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
It wasn't just a medical secret. It was a full-scale corporate and underworld coup. Evelyn Delaney and Dr. Adrian Cole were systematically overthrowing Providence's most dangerous mob boss from within his own house, using synthetic neurotoxins to keep him helpless in a wheelchair.
