Chapter 15 - The Poisoned Well
"What did he mean by that?"
Dileia’s voice was barely a whisper, but inside the secure vault of Adriano’s private study, it sounded like thunder.
She stood across the metal desk from Adriano, who was pacing back and forth like a caged panther, his face carved from dark granite. The man from the Verhoven syndicate had vanished into the fog before the security guards could surround the perimeter, but his parting words had dropped a grenade right into the heart of the Falcone household.
"He was trying to sow discord," Adriano stopped pacing, his gray eyes locking onto hers with fierce intensity. "The Verhovens are desperate. They know they can't beat us in a straight war, so they're trying to make me doubt my own people."
"Which of your people?" Dileia pressed, her brow furrowing. "Julian is dead. Paolo Moretti has been with your father for thirty years. Who else is left?"
Adriano hesitated, a shadow crossing his face that he tried instantly to conceal. That tiny hesitation didn't escape Dileia’s notice. Her heart plummeted like a stone.
"Adriano," she stepped closer, her voice dropping into a dangerous demand. "Who else has access to the master codes?"
Before Adriano could answer, the heavy oak study door burst open.
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Mrs. Higgins stood in the doorway, her usually immaculate silver hair slightly disheveled, her face pale as a sheet.
"Boss," the head housekeeper gasped, her hands trembling as she clutched a heavy silver tray. "It’s Toby. He drank the juice left on the kitchen counter... and he collapsed."
