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THE MAFIA’S MEDIC: SEVEN BOXES OF BLOOD AND SILK / Chapter 3 / 6

Chapter 3 - THE SNAKE IN THE FAMILY PORTRAIT

“The venom that kills you rarely comes from an enemy you can see.”The attack on the docks had been a distraction.

That was the conclusion Stefano arrived at three hours later. Mia was resting in the library, trying to study from a pile of medical textbooks Stefano had mysteriously sourced for her, when she heard the muffled sounds of an argument down the hall.

Curiosity got the better of her. She slipped out of the room, her soft-soled shoes making no sound on the heavy Persian rugs.

She followed the voices to Stefano’s private study. The door was slightly ajar.

"We have a rat, Stefano," Enzo was saying, his voice weak but tight with anger. "The Marcones knew exactly which truck had the high-value shipments. They knew the guard rotation. They knew your mother would be at Box Seven. It’s someone inside. Someone close."

"I am aware," Stefano said. His voice was terrifyingly calm. "The poison used on my mother was thallium. It’s not something you buy on the street. It was sourced from our own pharmaceutical supply chain in Oakland."

Mia’s heart leaped into her throat. Their own supply chain.

"What about the girl?" Enzo asked. "The nursing student. How do we know she isn't part of it? A setup? She just happens to recognize thallium? She just happens to have the medical knowledge to save her?"

"If she wanted my mother dead, she could have done nothing," Stefano replied. "The easiest way to kill Victoria Cavalari was to let her choke on her own spit while the opera sang. Mia saved her. Why would she play a double game that risks her own life?"

"Maybe she’s smarter than we think," Enzo grumbled.

"If she is," Stefano whispered, and Mia could hear the rustle of leather as he stood up, "then I will enjoy breaking her myself. But until then, she is under my personal protection. I want a full sweep of everyone who had access to the VIP tickets for Box Seven. Start with my uncle, Matteo."

Mia took a step backward, terrified of being caught eavesdropping, but her heel caught the edge of a heavy bronze pedestal holding a marble bust. It wobbled, making a sharp metallic scrape against the floor.

The door to the study swung open instantly.

Stefano stood there, his hand resting on the holster of the gun at his hip. When he saw her, his posture relaxed slightly, but his eyes remained sharp as glass shards.

"Eavesdropping is a dangerous habit, Mia," he said, stepping into the hallway and closing the door behind him.

"I was looking for you," she lied, her heart pounding against her ribs like a trapped bird. "I... I realized something about your mother's toxicology report."

Stefano raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"Thallium has a slow onset of action if given in small doses, but your mother’s symptoms were sudden and acute. That means she didn't ingest it at the opera. She was poisoned before she left the house. In her tea. In her water. By someone she trusts."

Stefano stared at her, the silence stretching between them until it became heavy and suffocating.

"You're very clever," he finally said, stepping closer until she was backed against the wall. He reached out, his thumb tracing the line of her jawline, his gaze dropping to her lips before returning to her eyes. "Too clever for your own good. Tomorrow night, we are hosting a private dinner. My uncle Matteo will be there. The Marcones' representatives will be there under a temporary truce. You will be there too."

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The ink on the emergency audit report was barely dry when the secure terminal on my desk flashed a violent crimson. I hadn't slept in thirty-six hours, my eyes burning from staring at columns of ghost figures, duplicate invoices, and shell corporations linked to Dominic Rossi. But the red alert wasn’t from Rossi’s faction. It was an internal security flag originating from the estate’s main vault deep beneath the west wing.

The ink on the emergency audit report was barely dry when the secure ter...

The glass shattered into a thousand tiny diamonds on the marble, scattering the light from the chandeliers. The muffled laughter died instantly, replaced by a suffocating, heavy silence that crept outward from the grand staircase.

The glass shattered into a thousand tiny diamonds on the marble, scatter...

The heavy oak doors of my private study clicked shut behind us, locking out the clinical, terrifying silence of the kitchen. Evelyn Crane stood stiffly in front of my mahogany desk, her hands folded over her apron with the rigid precision of someone who had spent decades micromanaging every square inch of my estate. Behind her, Norah hovered near the doorway, clutching her clipboard like a shield.

The heavy oak doors of my private study clicked shut behind us, locking...

"As what?" Mia whispered.

"As my fiancé," Stefano said, a dark, dangerous smile playing on his lips. "Let’s see who tries to poison the wine when the stakes are this high."

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