Chapter 7 - A Silent Alliance
Lorenzo stepped into his private, wood-paneled study on the ground floor, motioning for Elena to join him and Marcus.
"The night nurse swore she was approached three months ago by an intermediary acting on behalf of the Moretti family," Marcus reported, pulling a file from his coat. "They offered her fifty thousand dollars to ensure the Rossi heir didn't survive his first quarter."
Lorenzo leaned against his heavy mahogany desk, his dark eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "The Morettis know that without an heir, my leadership council would face internal succession disputes. It's a classic move."
"There's more," Marcus added, looking uneasy. "The money wasn't wired from an offshore Moretti account. It came from a local clearing firm right here in Manhattan. A firm that handles medical trust accounts."
Elena stood near the bookcase, her mind connecting the pieces rapidly. "The tampered formula... it wasn't just brought in by the nurse. The bottles were swapped in the medical pantry inside this house."
Lorenzo looked at Elena, approving of her sharp intellect. "Which means whoever organized this has direct access to our private medical inventory."
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That night, as storm clouds gathered over the Atlantic, a messenger delivered an unmarked envelope to the estate gate, addressed specifically to Elena Hayes.
Marcus inspected it for explosives before handing it to Elena in the foyer. Inside was a single printed document: an official hospital record from two months ago—the death certificate of Elena’s baby daughter.
