The waitress deliberately spilled his drink. What he saw on her phone seconds later changed his entire life

The flashing red and blue lights of the police cruisers painted the exterior of the grand hotel in chaotic colors. Julian stood on the balcony of his penthouse, overlooking the city skyline, a tumbler of expensive scotch resting untouched in his hand. It was 3:00 AM, but sleep was an absolute impossibility.

His cell phone vibrated violently against the glass table. It was Detective Rossi, the lead investigator assigned to the case.

"Mr. Sterling," Rossi’s exhausted voice came through the speaker. "I apologize for the late hour, but I thought you would want to know the preliminary results from the hazardous materials lab."

"Tell me," Julian demanded, staring out at the glittering city lights.

"The substance dropped into your orange juice was a highly concentrated, synthetic neurotoxin," Rossi explained grimly. "It is totally odorless and completely colorless once dissolved. If you had taken even a single sip of that drink, your respiratory system would have shut down within sixty seconds. By the time the paramedics arrived, it would have looked exactly like a massive, tragic heart attack. It leaves almost no trace in a standard autopsy."

Julian closed his eyes, a cold shiver running down his spine. The sheer calculation of the murder plot was terrifying. Victoria hadn't just wanted him dead; she had wanted to inherit his empire while playing the role of the grieving, devastated widow.

"Thank you, Detective," Julian said, his jaw tightening. "Where are the suspects now?"

"They are in separate interrogation rooms at the downtown precinct," Rossi replied. "They are already turning on each other like starved animals. Victoria is claiming Marcus acted entirely alone out of corporate greed, and Marcus is claiming Victoria supplied the poison and blackmailed him into doing it. We have enough to hold them indefinitely without bail."

"Keep them locked up," Julian ordered coldly. "And Detective? I need to ensure the witness, Maya, is under absolute protection. If they had access to military-grade neurotoxins, they might have outside accomplices who want to silence her."