Chapter 2 - The Poisoned Chalice
Panic immediately erupted across the dining room as the heavy lock clicked shut.
"Open that door right now, you little brat," my aunt Beatrice screamed, rushing toward the exit.
Sofia simply dropped the only key into a tall pitcher of boiling hot gravy on the serving cart.
I stood up slowly, trying to process why a quiet maid was suddenly holding my powerful family hostage.
"Sofia, what are you doing?" I asked, keeping my voice as calm and steady as possible.
She looked at me, and for a fleeting second, I saw a profound sadness in her dark brown eyes.
"I am doing exactly what your grandfather paid me to do, Julian," she whispered softly.
My grandfather chuckled darkly, reaching for his crystal wine glass with a shaking hand.
"None of you are leaving this room until the traitor confesses to striking me and attempting to steal my corporate ledger," Ernesto stated.
He raised his glass in a mocking toast to his greedy, terrified descendants.
But as the dark red wine touched his lips, his eyes suddenly went terrifyingly wide.
The crystal glass slipped from his fingers, shattering into a hundred sharp pieces against the expensive Persian rug.
My grandfather collapsed forward, violently clutching his throat as white foam began to spill from his mouth.
"He has been poisoned," I shouted, sprinting toward the head of the table.
I caught him just before his head slammed against the sharp edge of the mahogany table.
His breathing was shallow and ragged, his skin turning a sickly shade of pale blue.
"Call an ambulance immediately," I ordered, looking desperately around the locked room.
My uncle Marcus pulled out his cellphone, but a grim, mocking smile spread across his face.
"There is absolutely no cell service in this dining hall," Marcus announced calmly.
He reached into his tailored suit jacket and pulled out a small, metallic signal jammer.
"And no one is coming to save the old tyrant," Marcus sneered, revealing his true, treacherous colors.
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He then pulled a silver pistol from his waistband and aimed it directly at Sofia's chest.
"Now, give me the combination to the wall safe, or you die right next to him."
