Chapter 2 - The Shadow of Betrayal
Massimo instantly relaxed his broad shoulders, letting his hands fall limply into his lap to maintain his crippled facade.
The heavy library doors swung open to reveal Dean Foster, his loyal right-hand man of twelve years.
Dean wore a perfectly tailored charcoal suit and carried a thick stack of financial reports under his arm.
He smiled warmly at Massimo, looking like the absolute picture of dedication and brotherhood.
He joked about interrupting the spa treatment, his voice smooth and completely devoid of guilt.
Massimo forced a weak, defeated smile, hiding the raging storm of pure violence burning behind his gray eyes.
Dean walked over and set the papers on the mahogany desk, lingering just a little too close.
His eyes carefully and meticulously scanned Massimo’s motionless legs beneath the dark trousers.
He casually noted that the doctor’s new medication should be keeping the severe nerve pain away.
Massimo instantly knew Dean was testing him, checking to ensure the synthetic paralysis was still holding strong.
Massimo lied flawlessly, staring directly into his right-hand man's eyes and claiming he couldn't feel a single thing.
Satisfied with the answer, Dean nodded confidently and left the room to prepare for the evening syndicate meeting.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Carla hurried into the library, her head bowed in her usual submissive manner.
Massimo stopped her with a sharp, commanding gesture that made her freeze in her tracks.
He handed her the white pill and a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills from his desk drawer.
He instructed her to take it to a specific underground chemist in the city to have it analyzed immediately.
Carla trembled visibly, but she looked down at her young daughter and knew she had no choice but to obey.
She slipped out of the heavily guarded estate through the servant's entrance, blending into the evening shadows.
Two hours later, Carla sat in the dimly lit back room of an illegal pharmacy in the worst part of town.
The underground chemist looked up from his microscope with a terrified, pale expression.
He warned her that the dosage in the pill was strong enough to permanently stop the heart of a healthy man.
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Before Carla could ask another question, the bell at the front door jingled loudly.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the small shop, and a dangerously familiar voice called out the chemist's name.
