Chapter 3 - the safe room
By 2:00 PM, the news of the poison attempt had sent the Castellano estate into absolute lockdown. Heavy iron gates closed around the perimeter, and twenty heavily armed guards patrolled the lush gardens.
Inside the private master suite on the top floor, Adelina sat on the edge of a velvet sofa, rocking Sophia in her arms. Sophia had finally fallen asleep, her small fingers still holding the ear of her worn stuffed lamb.
The heavy doors opened, and Enzo walked into the room. He had taken off his suit jacket, unbuttoning his white dress shirt at the collar, revealing the intricate dark tattoos along his neck.
Adelina stood up carefully, not wanting to wake her daughter. "Mr. Castellano... are we in danger?"
Enzo walked over, looking down at sleeping Sophia with an expression of profound, quiet warmth. "No. You and your daughter are under my personal protection. From this moment on, you do not leave this wing, and you do not eat or drink anything that isn't prepared by my personal chef."
Adelina looked down at her lap, her brown eyes filled with caution and worry. "I never meant to bring trouble into your home, sir. I was just grateful for the housekeeping job after my husband passed away."
Enzo looked closely at Adelina’s gentle face. "Your husband... Matteo Rossi. He died two years ago, correct?"
Adelina's breath hitched slightly. "Yes. In a highway crash near Florence."
"Matteo was a good man," Enzo said softly, sitting on the armchair opposite her. "He worked as a junior accountant for our logistics branch. When he died, I personally ordered a full pension to be paid to his widow."
Adelina looked up, tears welling in her eyes. "A pension that was suddenly canceled six months ago by your financial board. That was why I applied for the housekeeping position here... I needed a way to feed Sophia."
Enzo’s brow furrowed in immediate anger. "I never authorized the cancellation of your pension."
Adelina gasped softly. "You didn't?"
"No," Enzo said firmly, his jaw setting like iron. "Someone in my administration deliberately cut off your income, forcing you to come work inside this estate."
Enzo stood up, walking toward the large glass windows overlooking the gardens. The realization hit him like a physical blow. The conspirators hadn't just placed Delphine in the kitchen by chance; they had systematically manipulated Adelina’s life to bring her and Sophia into the house, perhaps planning to frame the widowed housekeeper if the poison succeeded!
Before Enzo could speak further, a soft knock echoed at the door. Dr. Hayes stepped inside, carrying a dark leather folder.
"Enzo," Dr. Hayes said quietly, looking between Enzo and Adelina. "We ran a background trace on the chemical compound used in your coffee. It’s an ultra-rare synthetic toxin known as Toxin-9."
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"Where is it manufactured?" Enzo demanded.
Dr. Hayes swallowed hard, adjusting his coat. "It’s manufactured exclusively by a private pharmaceutical lab in Milan. And according to their shipping registry... a shipment was ordered six months ago under the name of Matteo Rossi."
