My Maid Said the Stitches in My Shoulder Were Wrong—Then We Found a Medical Supplier Tag Hidden Inside the Thread.

Carmine’s head snapped toward Elena, his jaw dropping slightly. He immediately walked over to the crate and inspected the green stamp. "She's right... This is an internal clearance code. Only four people in the entire family have the authority to bypass full chemical screening at the gate."

Dr. Cole looked up, gasping for air. "I... I was told to bring my standard kit! I didn't know the crates were already swapped inside your house!"

Gabriel walked slowly toward Elena. Standing close to her, his towering height was intimidating, but his dark eyes held a profound new respect for the young maid. "You have a dangerous gift for seeing what others miss, Elena."

"My mother taught me that textiles never lie, Mr. Falcone," Elena replied quietly, holding his gaze without flinching. "And neither do supply chains."

Gabriel turned to Carmine. "Who authorized the gate clearance for this medical shipment?"

Carmine pulled an encrypted mobile device from his pocket, his thumb rapidly scrolling through the estate's private log. His face darkened as he read the screen. "It was signed off using Marcus’s security clearance."

Marcus was the chief of Gabriel's outer perimeter guard—a man who had served the Falcone family for fifteen years.

"Find him," Gabriel commanded softly. "Quietly."

"Wait," Elena interrupted, stepping between the two massive men. "If Marcus is involved, he is likely monitoring the internal comms right now. If Carmine leaves this room, Marcus will know the plot has been discovered."

She walked over to the floor-to-ceiling silk drapes that hung along the perimeter of the suite. She reached out, running her gloved fingers along the heavy hem of the fabric.

"What are you doing?" Carmine asked, brow furrowed.

Elena pulled a small pair of thread snips from her apron. She made a quick, precise cut into the thick velvet hem and pulled out a long strand of thread.

It was the exact same stiff, black industrial fiber.