Chapter 2 - the quiet poison
The air in the private study grew so dense that even the guards standing at the door held their breath. Enzo remained motionless behind his desk, his dark eyes locked onto the laboratory document in his hands.
For six months, Enzo had experienced unexplained fatigue, subtle muscle aches, and rare bouts of dizziness. He had dismissed it as the stress of managing a multi-billion-dollar global organization. But reading the medical report in front of him made the terrifying truth undeniable: someone inside his inner circle had been slowly poisoning him for nearly a year.
"How long, Nicholas?" Enzo asked, his voice dropping to a terrifyingly low frequency.
Dr. Hayes adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses, looking deeply concerned. "Given the trace metal build-up in your tissue samples, small doses have been ingested over at least eight to ten months. It’s a odorless, tasteless compound designed to simulate a slow cardiac decline. If Sophia hadn't knocked that cup over today... the cumulative dose would have induced a fatal heart attack within weeks."
Enzo slowly turned his head toward the door where Delphine stood under the heavy guard of two armed men. Her elegant posture had crumbled; her face was deathly pale.
"Bring her inside," Enzo ordered flatly.
The guards shoved Delphine into the room. She stumbled, her dark kitchen uniform rustling as she looked around the room in absolute panic.
"Mr. Castellano, please!" Delphine cried out, her voice trembling. "I don't know what that child saw, but I swear on my life I didn't touch your coffee! She’s a three-year-old girl making up stories!"
Adelina stepped forward, holding Sophia tightly against her hip. "Sophia doesn't lie, Delphine! She described the exact dropper bottle you used!"
Enzo raised a single finger, bringing instant silence to the room. He stepped out from behind his desk, walking toward Delphine with slow, intimidating strides until his broad frame completely towered over her.
"Where is the bottle, Delphine?" Enzo asked softly.
"I... I don't have a bottle!" Delphine stammered, tears spilling over her lashes. "I'm just an assistant cook! I was hired three weeks ago!"
Enzo looked down at her luxury wristwatch—a thousand-dollar Swiss timepiece tucked beneath the sleeve of her dark kitchen uniform.
Enzo reached out, snatching her wrist and pulling her arm into the light. "An assistant cook earning minimum wage doesn't wear a three-thousand-dollar Swiss watch, Delphine. Who paid you?"
Delphine choked on her breath, realizing her cover was completely blown. "I... I was paid anonymously! Through an encrypted bank wire! I never met the man! He sent the drops to my apartment in a sealed box!"
Enzo’s eyes narrowed like black ice. "Who was the wire transfer from?"
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"I don't know!" Delphine sobbed, falling to her knees. "I swear I don't know! The offshore account was named Vanguard Securities!"
Enzo froze at the name. Vanguard Securities was a shell corporation tied directly to his own family's private syndicate accounts—an account that only three high-ranking members of his inner council had access to.
