Chapter 5 - The Matriarch's Verdict
Serena stepped into the room, holding the heavy flashlight like a weapon.
She was still wearing her luxurious silk hospital gown, looking entirely out of place in the dark, tense room.
"Ethan sent you to do his dirty work?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady despite my terror.
Serena let out a sharp, bitter laugh that sent shivers down my spine.
"Ethan didn't send me; Ethan is locked in a supply closet on the third floor," she revealed with a cruel smirk.
I stared at her in confusion, unable to understand how the dynamics of power had shifted so quickly.
"He tried to abandon me when he realized my baby couldn't secure the trust fund," Serena explained, her eyes burning with malice.
"So I made a deal with Julian to eliminate the competition," she whispered, stepping closer to my bed.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, pre-filled syringe with a terrifyingly long needle.
"A tragic potassium overdose due to postpartum depression is such a believable story," Serena mocked, raising the syringe.
I desperately looked around for a weapon, my hand closing over the heavy glass water pitcher on my nightstand.
As she lunged forward, I swung the pitcher with all my remaining strength, shattering it against the side of her head.
Serena screamed in agony, collapsing to the floor amidst the broken glass and spilled water.
The emergency backup generators suddenly roared to life, flooding the room with harsh fluorescent light.
Caleb burst through the door, accompanied by three armed security guards who immediately restrained the bleeding Serena.
I collapsed back onto my pillows, gasping for air as the adrenaline began to fade.
"Are you okay?" Caleb asked, rushing to my side to check my monitors.
May you like
Before I could answer, a woman in a pristine white trench coat glided into the room, flanked by federal agents.
"You have made quite a mess of my family, haven't you?" Eleanor Vance, Ethan's mother, said with a lethal glare.
