Chapter 2 - THE DEADLY DOSAGE
Title: Poison in the Blood
Michael called his personal physician, Dr. Robert Vance, under absolute secrecy. Within forty-five minutes, a mobile medical lab was set up in the master bedroom.
While Ethan and Lily slept soundly under heavy security, Dr. Vance pulled Michael into his private study, holding a set of dark blood-panel test results.
"Michael," Dr. Vance said, his face grim. "Your blood contains lethal trace amounts of Thallium mixed with a synthetic neurotoxin. It’s odorless, tasteless, and slowly degrades cardiac tissue. If you had taken this for another two weeks, you would have suffered a fatal, undetectable heart attack."
Michael slammed his fist onto the mahogany table, shattering the glass top. "Who is she working for, Robert? She was a high-society socialite when I met her. How did she get her hands on military-grade toxins?"
"I ran a background check on the chemical compound," Dr. Vance replied nervously. "This toxin isn't sold on the black market. It’s manufactured exclusively by Vanguard Pharmaceuticals—a subsidiary owned by your main business rival, Julian Vance... my estranged brother."
The room grew suffocatingly tight. Julian Vance—Michael’s bitterest enemy in the corporate world, the man who had lost a ten-billion-dollar government contract to Michael three years ago.
Michael stood up, his posture straight, his eyes burning with vengeance. "Marcus!"
Marcus stepped into the room immediately. "Yes, Mr. Carter?"
"Bring Vanessa to the soundproof basement," Michael commanded. "It’s time she learned what happens when you touch a lion's cubs."
Down in the concrete basement of the mansion, Vanessa was tied to a steel chair. The arrogance on her face vanished the moment Michael walked in holding the body-cam footage and her medical report.
"Julian Vance," Michael said simply, tossing the documents at her feet. "How long have you been his mole?"
Vanessa laughed dryly, though her lips trembled. "You think you're so smart, Michael. You think you built an empire? Julian built you. I was placed in your life three years ago at the charity gala. Every deal you made, every merger you signed—Julian let you win to build up the pot before we took it all!"
"And my children?" Michael asked, stepping closer, his voice dangerously low. "Why hurt them?"
"Because they looked at me with those filthy, suspicious eyes!" Vanessa spat. "They knew I didn't belong! The little girl caught me mixing the powder into your espresso! I had to break their spirits so they wouldn't talk!"
Michael grabbed a syringe off the metallic tray behind him—the safe saline solution Dr. Vance had prepared—and stepped toward her.
"What is that?!" Vanessa panicked, thrashing against her restraints. "Michael, don't! You're a law-abiding billionaire! You can't do this!"
"I am a father first," Michael said coldly, raising the needle. "And a law-abiding man dies when his family is threatened."
Vanessa broke down, sobbing hysterically. "Stop! I’ll tell you! Julian has a safe house in the docks! He’s planning to launch a hostile takeover of Carter Global tomorrow morning using forged documents signed with your forged biometric thumbprints!"
Michael lowered the needle, a cold, calculating smile playing on his lips. "Tomorrow morning? Good. Then we have twelve hours to ruin him."
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Suddenly, the mansion's emergency alarms blared through the basement speakers. Red lights flashed furiously.
Marcus ran down the concrete stairs, his gun drawn. "Boss! We have a breach at the main gate! Heavily armed men in unmarked SUVs—they’re breaching the perimeter!"
