Chapter 4 - The Poisoned Truth
The entire grand ballroom erupted into complete chaos and horrified gasps at Margaret's shocking announcement.
Charlotte froze entirely in her tracks, feeling the heavy air violently sucked right out of her lungs.
She had just gotten her grandfather back after eight long years, and now Margaret was claiming he was dead.
"She is completely lying, we have to stop her right now," Charlotte whispered frantically to Julian.
Julian firmly gripped her arm to prevent her from blindly charging the stage in a fit of rage.
"If you attack her now without hard evidence, she will just have you locked away in the asylum again," he warned softly.
Margaret confidently continued speaking into the microphone, commanding the full attention of every wealthy investor in the room.
"As the new acting CEO, I promise to guide Valle International through this incredibly difficult tragedy," she declared proudly.
Charlotte noticed two paramedics rushing a covered stretcher entirely out the back service doors of the ballroom.
She completely broke away from Julian's grip and sprinted desperately through the thick crowd of confused guests.
She aggressively pushed through the swinging kitchen doors and intercepted the paramedics in the service hallway.
"Stop right there, that is my grandfather!" she screamed, violently pulling the white sheet back.
Sebastian was lying there completely pale and unconscious, but a weak pulse was still visibly beating in his neck.
"He is not dead, you have to help him immediately!" Charlotte cried out to the confused medical workers.
One of the paramedics shook his head grimly and pointed to a strange blue foam completely bubbling from Sebastian's lips.
"This is not a heart attack, Miss, he has clearly ingested a highly lethal, fast-acting synthetic poison," the medic explained.
The medic warned that without knowing the exact chemical composition of the poison, the hospital could not administer an antidote.
Julian suddenly burst through the doors, entirely out of breath, and quickly assessed the terrifying situation.
"We need to find the exact champagne glass he was drinking from before the kitchen staff washes it," Julian commanded.
Charlotte remembered seeing Sebastian holding a unique, gold-rimmed crystal flute right before he took her into his arms.
They aggressively sprinted into the massive industrial kitchen, frantically searching the metal washing stations for the glass.
Dozens of confused chefs and waiters scrambled out of their way as Julian and Charlotte tore through the dirty dishes.
Charlotte finally spotted the gold-rimmed crystal flute sitting dangerously close to a massive industrial dishwasher.
She reached out to grab it, completely desperate to save her grandfather's fading life.
Suddenly, a heavy meat cleaver slammed violently into the wooden cutting board inches from her hand.
The head chef, a massive man covered in dark tattoos, stepped forcefully in front of the dishwasher with a menacing glare.
"Margaret pays me incredibly well to keep this kitchen completely clean, little girl," the chef growled dangerously.
He slowly pulled the heavy cleaver from the wood and took a highly aggressive step directly toward Charlotte.
Julian immediately stepped firmly in front of her, entirely shielding her from the armed and dangerous man.
"Give us the glass right now, or I will buy this hotel tomorrow and fire every single one of you," Julian threatened fiercely.
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The chef simply laughed, completely unfazed by the billionaire's words.
"You cannot buy a hotel if you are completely dead in the freezer," the chef sneered as five other cooks pulled out long knives.
