Chapter 12 - THE SYRINGE IN THE DARK
Lara’s breath caught in her throat.
She raised her hand to push the door open, but Grace gently grabbed her wrist.
Grace shook her head slightly, holding up her tablet.
The screen showed a live audio feed being recorded directly to the cloud.
"Let her confess," Grace whispered silently, her lips forming the words without sound.
Inside the room, Viviana lowered the syringe toward the intravenous line connected to Damian’s arm.
"Such a shame, Damian," Viviana murmured aloud, her voice sweet and venomous in the quiet room.
"You were so close to figuring it all out."
"If you had just stayed blind and trusted me, none of this would have been necessary."
On the hospital bed, Damian’s eyes slowly fluttered open.
He stared up at Viviana, his gaze filled with bitter realization rather than fear.
"Viviana..." Damian rasped, his voice weak and raspy. "You... you killed my father too."
Viviana smiled, pressing the tip of the syringe against the plastic port.
"He was stubborn, just like you," Viviana replied smoothly.
"He refused to sign over the controlling shares of the estate."
"So I helped him along."
"And now, the entire Hollis empire belongs to me."
"The police will find a tragic accident report, just like Sarah's."
Damian tried to lift his arm, but his body was too weak from the crash and the toxins already in his system.
"You'll never get away with it," Damian whispered.
"Who's going to stop me?" Viviana laughed softly, pressing down on the plunger.
Before the liquid could enter the tube, the hospital room door slammed violently open.
The heavy wood crashed against the wall with a deafening bang.
Viviana spun around in sheer terror.
Lara charged into the room like a avenging fury, swinging the heavy metal wrench.
Viviana ducked just in time, the wrench smashing into the glass water pitcher on the bedside table.
Shattered glass and water sprayed across the linoleum floor.
"You!" Viviana screeched, her mask of cool composure shattering completely.
She dropped the syringe and lunged toward the doorway, trying to escape.
Grace stepped calmly into her path, her small hand holding out the glowing tablet.
"Every word you just said is streaming live to the federal prosecutor's office, Viviana," Grace said coldly.
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Viviana stopped dead in her tracks.
She stared down at the child, realizing the absolute trap she had walked into.
