Chapter 1 - The Altered Dose
The warm towel felt like a small mercy against his scarred skin.
Vincent Corvino closed his eyes and allowed himself a deep breath.
For the first time since the bullet stole his legs, he did not feel like a broken toy.
Tessa finished wiping his broad shoulders and respectfully pulled the heavy duvet over his chest.
She did not offer fake sympathy or annoying words of encouragement.
She simply turned toward the medical tray to prepare his daily morning medications.
Vincent watched her quietly as she sorted the various pills into a small plastic cup.
He admired the way she handled herself in a house filled with ruthless criminals.
Suddenly, Tessa stopped moving and stared intensely at a small white bottle.
She picked up a blue capsule and rolled it carefully between her fingers.
Her eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration as she held the pill up to the light.
Vincent shifted his heavy torso using the overhead bar.
"What is the problem?" he asked in a low and raspy voice.
Tessa looked around the empty room before leaning closer to his bed.
"Mister Corvino, you have been taking this specific blood medication for a month," she whispered.
Vincent nodded slowly, wondering where this conversation was heading.
"These capsules are always imprinted with a tiny serial number on the side," she continued.
She placed the small pill directly into the palm of his large hand.
"This pill has no number, and the powder inside looks much lighter than usual," Tessa warned.
Vincent stared at the fake medicine as a cold realization washed over him.
His physical therapist had recently mentioned that his blood was unusually thin.
Someone inside his own house was slowly and intentionally trying to induce a fatal hemorrhage.
Before Vincent could demand answers, the heavy oak door swung open without a single knock.
Arya walked back into the room holding a thick stack of legal documents.
"Dominic says these cannot wait another hour," Arya announced with extreme irritation.
She marched toward the bed, completely ignoring Tessa's presence.
"Sign the harbor transfer right now, Vincent," she demanded while thrusting a pen at him.
Tessa quickly hid the fake pill in her apron pocket and grabbed the medical tray.
As she turned to leave, her elbow accidentally bumped Arya's expensive designer handbag.
The bag tipped over, spilling its contents across the hardwood floor.
Tessa dropped to her knees to help pick up the scattered items.
Her hand froze as she reached for Arya's unlocked cellular phone resting on the floor.
The bright screen clearly displayed an incoming text message from Dominic.
The message read that the poison should take full effect by midnight.
May you like
Tessa gasped softly, her eyes wide with absolute terror.
Arya violently snatched the phone from the floor and glared down at the terrified maid.
