Chapter 4 - The Phantom Coma
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The plan required absolute, terrifying commitment. If Daniel simply arrested his brother, Julian would spin a web of lies, claiming Vanessa had acted alone or that the video was a deepfake. To truly destroy a usurper, you had to let him sit on the throne and watch him hang himself with his own arrogance.
“Elias,” Daniel said, calling his security chief into the study. “Call the syndicate’s private physician. Tell him there has been a catastrophic accident. I fell down the main staircase and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury.”
Elias frowned, his scarred face twisting in confusion. “Boss, you are standing right in front of me.”
“To the outside world, I am currently in a deep, unresponsive coma,” Daniel instructed coldly, pulling off his dark turtleneck and putting his blood-stained dress shirt back on. “I want an intensive care unit set up in the master wing immediately. Bring in the ventilators, the heart monitors, the entire theatrical production. Only you, the doctor, and Grace will know the truth.”
“And what about Julian?” Elias asked, catching on to the dark strategy.
“Call my dear brother,” Daniel smiled, a chilling, predatory expression. “Tell him I am incapacitated. Tell him he needs to step in as the acting head of the family to keep the rival syndicates from smelling blood in the water. We are going to hand him the keys to the kingdom.”
Grace stood silently in the corner, absorbing the sheer, tactical brilliance of the trap.
“You will be my eyes and ears, Grace,” Daniel said, turning to her. “Julian will ignore you. To him, you are just a peasant. He will speak freely in front of you. I need you to document every move he makes, every capo he contacts, and every dollar he attempts to steal from the main accounts.”
“What if he tries to visit the master wing to check on your condition?” Grace asked, anticipating the flaw in the plan.
“I will be in the bed, hooked to the machines,” Daniel stated without hesitation. “Dr. Evans will administer a localized paralytic to make my condition appear entirely authentic to any outside observers. Julian will look into my eyes and see a dead man.”
It was a massive, dangerous gamble. If Julian decided to smother his comatose brother with a pillow to finalize the succession, Daniel would be completely helpless to stop him.
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“I will not let him touch you, sir,” Grace vowed, her voice ringing with an absolute, fierce loyalty that shocked them both.
Daniel looked at the maid, a profound, undeniable sense of trust cementing in his chest. “I know you won't.”
