Chapter 4 - The Unmasking
At 10:30 p.m., the gala was thinning. Adrien and Arya were preparing to leave. Matteo saw them walking toward the grand exit. He didn't wait. He intercepted them in the foyer, the marble floor cold beneath his polished shoes.
"Doctor," Matteo said, his voice cutting through the soft ambient music. "I believe we have a discrepancy in the budget for the new pediatric wing. A private discussion is in order."
Adrien frowned, his charisma slipping for a fraction of a second. "Matteo, it's late. We were just—"
"Now, Adrien."
The doctor signaled to Arya to wait, his hand lingering on her shoulder with a grip that was just a shade too firm. Matteo watched her eyes, and he saw the silent, desperate plea: Don't do this, you'll be the one to pay.
He led Adrien into his private office and locked the door. He didn't speak. He simply turned his laptop around and opened the file.
"You are a surgeon," Matteo said, standing in the shadows. "You know that a tumor must be removed before it kills the host. You are the tumor, Adrien."
May you like
The doctor looked at the screen, his face unreadable. "You have no right, Matteo. This is a private matter."
"Nothing about her is private to you anymore," Matteo replied, stepping into the light. "Because you’re going to resign, you’re going to leave Chicago, and you’re going to walk away from her without a word. If you don't, I will show the city what the 'miracle surgeon' does in the dark."
