Chapter 4 - Shadows in the Kitchen
The revelation hung in the air like a poisoned fog. Dr. Sterling took a slow step backward, his leather medical bag slipping from his fingers and hitting the Persian rug with a dull thud.
“You’re bluffing,” Dr. Sterling whispered, his voice cracking. “You can’t even lift a glass of water without shaking.”
“Watch me,” Lorenzo said.
With deliberate slowness, Lorenzo reached out his right hand—the hand that had suffered continuous tremors for over a year—and picked up the wooden water pitcher from the bedside table. His fingers were steady. The tremor was gone.
The antidote Sophia had inadvertently helped bypass, combined with three days of proper nutrition and no longer receiving Dr. Sterling’s “medication,” had begun clearing the heavy metals from his bloodstream with terrifying speed.
Dr. Sterling realized the game was up. He lunged for the door, his hand reaching inside his coat pocket for a concealed firearm.
He didn't make it two steps.
The door swung open with brutal force, catching the doctor square in the chest and knocking him backward onto the floor. Standing in the doorway was Giovanni Bruno, his broad shoulders blocking the exit completely, holding a heavy iron fireplace poker as casually as if it were a walking stick.
“Going somewhere, Doc?” Bruno growled, his voice like grinding stones.
“Bruno,” Lorenzo commanded calmly. “Tie him up and put him in the basement wine cellar. Make sure he’s comfortable. We have family meetings tonight, and I want my nephew Julian to have his favorite doctor by his side when we discuss inheritance tax.”
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Sophia grabbed Emma’s hand, pulling the little girl back against the wall, her eyes wide with shock and newfound understanding. “Mr. Duca... you knew all along?”
“I knew something was killing me, Sophia,” Lorenzo said softly, looking at the drawings taped to his headboard. “I just didn't expect the rot to be sitting at my own dining table.”
