Chapter 1 - The White Pill
The heavy oak doors of the grand library closed softly, leaving Massimo alone with the housekeeper's daughter.
Golden afternoon sunlight poured through the massive windows, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the quiet air.
Nina knelt gracefully on the polished marble floor, her tiny hands resting on the edge of the warm plastic basin.
She looked up at the feared mafia boss, her dark eyes wide and incredibly serious for a three-year-old child.
She reached into the pocket of her little cotton dress and carefully pulled out a small, round object.
She leaned forward and placed it gently in the center of Massimo's calloused palm.
Massimo stared at the medication, his sharp gray eyes narrowing as he recognized the tiny serial numbers stamped onto its surface.
He had spent his entire life running an empire that controlled every kind of pharmaceutical distribution on the East Coast.
This was not the experimental nerve-stimulating medication Dr. Julian Hale claimed to be giving him to heal his spine.
This was a powerful, slow-acting synthetic paralytic used exclusively in extreme surgical procedures.
His highly trusted doctor was the very person intentionally keeping him confined to this leather wheelchair.
A freezing wave of realization washed over the mafia boss as the pieces of the puzzle clicked together.
If the doctor was deliberately poisoning him, then the brutal attack on Brooklyn Avenue six months ago was not a random ambush.
It was a carefully orchestrated inside job, planned by someone who had the money and power to hire his personal medical team.
He looked down at the little girl who was now happily splashing lavender-scented water over his numb toes.
She had unknowingly just handed him the ultimate key to his own survival and revenge.
Massimo leaned down slowly to hide the white pill deep inside his tailored black vest pocket.
He needed Carla to come in and lock the doors so he could figure out his next move in total secrecy.
Suddenly, the heavy brass handle of the library door began to turn very slowly.
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Someone was letting themselves into his private sanctuary without knocking.
A metal key slid into the lock from the outside, clicking loudly and ominously in the silent room.
