Chapter 7 - The Snake in the Garden
Dr. Gallagher carefully packed his instruments back into his bag while the two tactical guards stood at attention near the doorway, their hands resting near their holsters.
“Mr. Rossi,” Gallagher said cautiously, standing up and adjusting his glasses. “The poison wasn't given to him orally just now. Based on how it was absorbed into his system, it was likely introduced through his specialized formula bottles or the topical barrier cream used during his last diaper change late this afternoon—long before Marcus ever stepped foot on this floor.”
Hunter’s breath hitched. She looked down at the row of sterile bottles neatly lined up on the warming tray across the room. “That means… someone on the regular household staff did this. Someone who has daily access to the nursery.”
Lorenzo didn't answer immediately. He walked over to the changing table, picking up a white plastic tube of zinc oxide diaper cream. He turned it over in his hand, inspecting the safety seal. It had been neatly sliced open with a razor blade near the bottom seam, perfectly concealed from casual inspection.
“Mrs. Gable,” Lorenzo called out, his voice echoing sharply down the hallway.
The estate manager appeared in the doorway a second later, looking pale and shaken. “Yes, Mr. Rossi?”
“Who was assigned to clean and stock the nursery supply closet this afternoon between two and five PM?”
Mrs. Gable blinked, trying to recall the schedule. “That… that would have been Chloe. One of the junior chambermaids. She’s been with us for six months; her sister works in the laundry wing.”
“Bring her to the study. Now,” Lorenzo commanded.
Ten minutes later, Chloe—a trembling, seventeen-year-old girl with tear-streaked cheeks and wide, terrified eyes—was pushed into the master study downstairs by two towering guards. She stumbled forward, catching herself against the edge of the mahogany desk, sobbing uncontrollably.
“I didn't do it! I swear to God I didn't do anything!” Chloe wailed, sinking to her knees on the Persian rug.
Hunter stood near the doorway, holding a sleeping Leo safely against her chest while Lorenzo paced slowly in front of the kneeling girl like an apex predator evaluating its prey.
“Look at me, Chloe,” Lorenzo said softly, his voice devoid of anger, which made it infinitely more terrifying. “Nobody is going to hurt you if you tell the truth. But if you lie to me, not even God will be able to save you from what I do to traitors.”
“I-I didn't know what was in the tube!” Chloe sobbed, her whole body shaking violently as she pressed her face into her hands. “A man… a man met me outside the staff entrance yesterday afternoon when I went out to take out the trash. He gave me an envelope with ten thousand dollars in cash and a small plastic syringe. He told me just to add a few drops of the liquid to the baby’s lotion bottle during my afternoon shift. He said it was just a harmless vitamin supplement to help the baby sleep!”
“What man?” Lorenzo demanded, stopping right in front of her. “What did he look like?”
“I-I don't know his name! He had a scar across his left cheek and wore a gray baseball cap,” Chloe wept, gasping for air. “He said if I didn't do it, his bosses would hurt my little brother at school. He knew everything about my family, Mr. Rossi! I had no choice!”
Hunter watched the scene unfold with a heavy heart. The sheer ruthlessness of the syndicate operating against Lorenzo wasn't just a corporate war anymore; it was a ruthless, psychological siege targeting the most vulnerable people in his orbit.
Lorenzo stared down at the terrified girl for a long, agonizing moment. Then, without raising his voice, he signaled to the guards.
“Take her down to the medical wing. Give her a sedative, lock her in a secure guest room, and place a guard outside the door,” Lorenzo instructed calmly. “And make sure someone contacts her brother’s school and puts a full tactical detail on the boy until further notice.”
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Chloe gasped, looking up in sheer disbelief through her tears. “You’re… you’re not going to kill me?”
“I kill enemies, Chloe, not terrified children being used as pawns,” Lorenzo said coldly, turning his back on her as the guards hoisted her gently to her feet and led her out of the room. “Consider yourself lucky that my son is still breathing.”
