Chapter 8 - The Breach
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The following afternoon, Dominic left the Lake Forest estate with a convoy of three black armored SUVs to attend an urgent meeting with his syndicate captains in downtown Chicago.
Before leaving, he doubled the perimeter guard and left strict orders: Nobody enters or leaves the third floor without Clara’s permission.
Despite the heavy security, an unnatural tension hung over the mansion like a thick fog.
At 3:00 PM, while Noah was taking a quiet nap in his room, I decided to take the ultimate risk.
I took the brass keycard I had discreetly lifted from Mrs. Hargrove’s apron pocket earlier that morning and made my way down to the forbidden north wing.
The heavy mahogany doors unlocked with a soft, electronic beep.
I slipped inside and closed the door behind me.
The north wing wasn't a residential space. It was a fully equipped, private medical facility. Chrome tables, surgical lights, monitoring screens, and rows of locked glass cabinets filled the long hallway.
I pulled open the drawers of Dr. Julian’s main desk, scanning through medical logs and confidential files.
Deep inside a locked steel drawer, I found a black leather binder labeled Project Monarch: Phase II.
I flipped it open. Inside were detailed schedules of doses administered to Noah—and right beneath them were medical files belonging to Lydia Vale, Dominic’s deceased wife.
I scanned the autopsy reports.
Lydia hadn't died from injuries sustained in the roadside ambush two years ago. The cause of death listed on the private lab document was an acute, lethal overdose of the exact same chemical compound Julian was giving to Noah.
They hadn't just ambushed her car. They had poisoned her first to make her crash.
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Suddenly, a cold, metallic click echoed directly behind my head.
“You really should have stuck to scrubbing the floors, Miss Reed,” Dr. Julian’s voice purred sinisterly in my ear.
