Chapter 9 - THE LAST WORDS BEFORE THE AMBULANCE|
The ambulance arrived seven minutes later.
Those seven minutes felt longer than the previous four years I had spent working at the Moretti mansion.
Frank lay unconscious on the library floor.
Luca knelt beside him, holding his father's hand.
"Don't you dare leave me," he whispered.
"Not like this."
The paramedics moved quickly.
One checked Frank's breathing while another prepared the stretcher.
I stood beside the broken teacup, staring at the liquid spreading across the marble.
Something was terribly wrong.
Frank had been speaking clearly only minutes earlier.
Then Vanessa gave him that tea.
And everything changed.
"Please don't clean this up," I told Michael.
He followed my gaze.
"Why?"
"Because the cup smelled different from the others."
Michael looked toward Vanessa.
She was standing near the doorway, her hands clasped tightly together.
"Claire is upset," she said.
"She's imagining things."
I looked directly at her.
"I know what I smelled."
Vanessa's expression hardened.
"Are you accusing me of poisoning my father-in-law?"
"I haven't accused anyone."
I pointed toward the broken cup.
"I'm asking you not to destroy something the doctors might need."
Michael immediately moved to keep the area undisturbed.
Vanessa looked furious.
But Luca was too focused on his father to notice.
When the paramedics carried Frank outside, Margaret was waiting beside the staircase.
Her face crumpled.
"What happened?"
Luca embraced her briefly.
"We don't know."
She looked toward Vanessa.
"Did he drink something?"
Vanessa opened her mouth.
"Just tea."
Margaret closed her eyes.
"Daniel warned us."
Nobody answered.
Twenty minutes later, we were sitting in the emergency department of a Chicago hospital.
Christmas decorations hung above the reception desk.
A small artificial tree stood beside the vending machines.
Families walked through the corridors carrying flowers and wrapped gifts.
And somewhere behind a set of double doors, Frank Moretti was fighting to survive.
Luca stood by the window.
He hadn't spoken for almost an hour.
I approached quietly.
"Mr. Moretti?"
He didn't turn.
"I spent most of my adult life believing my father could survive anything."
His voice was rough.
"He survived enemies, illness, and mistakes that should have destroyed him."
He looked at me.
"But I never imagined he could be hurt at his own Christmas table."
I hesitated.
"Frank has people who love him."
Luca gave a bitter smile.
"Love doesn't always stop a bullet."
"No."
I looked toward the hospital corridor.
"But sometimes it makes someone notice the danger before it's too late."
He glanced at me.
"You noticed the tea."
"I noticed something unusual."
"That's more than I did."
I didn't know what to say.
Then Luca whispered, "I let Vanessa marry into this family without asking the questions I should have asked."
Before I could answer, a physician approached.
"Mr. Moretti?"
Luca immediately straightened.
"How is he?"
"Your father is stable for now."
Luca closed his eyes with relief.
The doctor continued.
"We're investigating what caused his sudden collapse."
"Was it his heart?"
"His symptoms aren't fully explained by his existing medical history."
The doctor paused.
"Preliminary screening suggests exposure to a sedating substance that wasn't listed among his prescribed medications."
I felt my stomach twist.
Luca went completely still.
"Could someone have put it in his drink?"
"That's one possibility."
The physician's expression remained serious.
"We've documented the findings and will coordinate with the appropriate authorities."
Luca nodded.
"Do whatever you need."
When the doctor left, Vanessa appeared from the waiting room.
"Well?" she demanded.
Luca looked at her.
"He's alive."
She pressed a hand against her chest.
"Thank God."
Then she reached into her handbag.
"I spoke to our family attorney."
Luca frowned.
"Why?"
"Because Frank shouldn't have to worry about business matters while he's recovering."
She removed a thick envelope.
"I thought we should prepare some emergency paperwork."
I watched Luca's expression change.
"What paperwork?"
"Temporary authority to manage his accounts and medical decisions."
Vanessa smiled gently.
"It's only practical."
Luca stared at the envelope.
"My father is lying in a hospital bed."
"Exactly."
"And you're already talking about controlling his money?"
Vanessa's smile disappeared.
"Don't twist my words."
Luca stepped closer.
"Who prepared those documents?"
"Someone my father trusts."
"Victor?"
She hesitated.
"Yes."
Luca's voice dropped.
"Put them away."
Vanessa stared at him.
"Darling—"
"Now."
She shoved the papers into her handbag.
Then she turned and walked away.
Margaret had been listening from the chairs behind us.
She approached slowly.
"Claire."
I turned.
"Yes?"
"Daniel told Nora someone wanted Frank dead."
I nodded.
She looked toward the corridor where Vanessa had disappeared.
"Then I think his warning was right."
A few minutes later, my phone vibrated.
It was a message from an unknown number.
A photograph appeared on the screen.
It showed Daniel sitting in a dark room with his hands bound.
A fresh bruise marked his cheek.
May you like
Beneath the photograph were five words.
BRING THE PLATE OR HE DIES.
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