“Someone who could get into your home undetected and poison your father–there’s a high probability it was an inside job. Have you found anything suspicious?” I asked, breaking the silence.
Ethan’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “Since my father was poisoned, I’ve conducted eight separate internal investigations over the past year. Each one more thorough than thest. No suspicious individuals, no unexined ess, nothing.”
I nodded slightly, unsurprised. <i>Of </i><i>course </i><i>he </i>found <i>nothing</i><i>. </i><i>If </i><i>it </i><i>was </i><i>the </i><i>Shadow </i><i>Organization</i><i>–</i>possibly <i>even </i><i>King </i>of Hearts himself<i>–</i>they wouldn’t <i>leave </i><i>traces </i><i>for </i>an <i>ordinary </i><i>security </i><i>team </i>to <i>find</i>. <i>Their </i><i>specialists </i><i>could </i>walk through the White House undetected <i>if </i><i>they </i>wanted <i>to</i>.
“This isn’t amon toxin,” I said, keeping my voice low. “It’s a specialized slow–acting poison. Whoever did this wasn’t trying to kill your father immediately–they wanted him to suffer. Possibly to weaken your family’s position or influence your business decisions over time.”
Ethan’s eyes darkened. “The Haxton Group has been conducting internal security sweeps too. But with dozens of subsidiaries and thousands of employees worldwide…” He left the sentence unfinished, frustration evident in his
voice.
He leaned back against the wall, his shoulders dropping slightly. “Targeting the Haxton family directly—that takes some nerve. I’ll give them that.” A cold smile yed at the corner of his mouth. “If they’re simply after corporate assets or market position, I’m less concerned. The Haxton Group’s financial structure is designed to withstand prolonged attacks. We’ve survived worse.”
“You realize they mighte after you now,” Ethan said after a moment, his tone shifting. “Whoever poisoned my
father will know someone is interfering with their n.”
I almostughed. “Mr. Haxton, I’m not concerned about that.”
“You should be,” he countered, studying my face. “But I will protect you.”
Before I could respond, movement at the end of the corridor caught my attention. Alexander had rounded the corner, stopping abruptly when he saw us. His eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of me leaning against his uncle’s shoulder. For a brief moment, indecision flickered across his face before he turned and walked away without a word.
Fifteen minutester, Connor Haxton and Walter Morrison returned, carrying a specialized medical cooler. Connor’s face was tense as he handed the container to Ethan.
“We’ve acquired everything on Jade’s list,” Walter said, excitement evident in his voice despite his exhaustion. “Some of thesepounds were extraordinarily difficult to source, but Connor worked miracles.”
Connor eyed one particr sealed vial containing a brownish liquid with obvious apprehension. “Dr. Morrison says this one is derived from snake venom. Is that really necessary? It’s ssified as a controlled substance in three
countries<b>.</b>”
:
I couldn’t resist. “Actually, thatpound makes an excellent addition to coffee. Really gives you a boost in the
morning.”
Connor’s eyes widened in horror.
“She’s joking, Connor,” Ethan said, taking the cooler from him. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he nced at me. “You’re dumb, aren’t you?”
Connor’s face flushed with embarrassment.
91
I led them to the hospital’s specializedboratory where I’d been working. The space was filled with cutting–edge equipment, perfect for what I needed to aplish. I carefully removed the vials from the cooler, arranging them in precise order on the workbench.
“Don’t touch this one,” I warned Ethan as he reached toward one of the test tubes. “It contains a poison fifteen times stronger than what’s currently in your father’s system.”
Ethan’s hand froze mid–air. “And you need that because…?”
“To create an effective antidote, I need to understand exactly how the toxin works at elerated rates,” I exined clinically. “This will allow me to develop a counteragent that targets the specific molecr structure.”
Ethan studied my face carefully. “Or perhaps you’re preparing something for the Shadow Org…”
I met his gaze steadily. “Mr. Haxton, being too perceptive isn’t always beneficial.”
Walter cleared his throat, breaking the tension. “The specialized dialysis equipment has been set up in your father’s room. We should begin the treatment soon.”
William Haxton had been moved to a private room equipped with advanced medical technology. The specialized dialysis machine hummed quietly in the corner, ready to filter his blood once I administered the initial treatment. Ethan and Alexander helped the nursing staff position William on the treatment bed while I prepared the antidote.
Walter watched over my shoulder as I filled a specialized micro–injection syringe with precise amounts of the solution I’d created.
“Fascinating,” Walter murmured, adjusting his bow tie. “The precision of that injector is far beyond standard medical equipment. The gradations must be measuring in microliter increments.”
“It needs to be,” I replied, checking the dosage one final time. “The antidote must be delivered to specific points in the bloodstream to be effective. Too much in one location would cause tissue damage; too little would fail to neutralize the toxin.”
I approached William’s bed, my focus absolute as I began the treatment. With practiced precision, I injected small amounts of the antidote into specific points on William’s body–targeting key blood vessels and acupressure points simultaneously. My movements were fluid and confident, the result of years of training that I couldn’t exin to the
observers<b>. </b>
“The injection sites you’re choosing,” Walter observed with barely contained excitement, “they correspond to both major blood vessels and traditional meridian points from Eastern medicine. Thebination approach is revolutionary.”
I nodded without looking up. “The poison attacks on multiple fronts–the antidote must do the same.”
91
Alexander stood at the foot of the bed, watching me work with undisguised fascination. His eyes tracked my movements, lingering on my face as I concentrated on the delicate procedure. The intensity of his gaze was almost palpable, a mixture of admiration and curiosity that I deliberately ignored.
Afterpleting the injection sequence, I moved to the dialysis machine and began adjusting its settings. “This will help filter the toxin once it binds with thepound I’ve introduced,” I exined to Walter, who was taking notes on my procedure. “The molecr binding agent creates a chemical signature that the dialysis can recognize and
extract.”
“Now we add the second binding agent,” I said, preparing another injection. “This will force the toxin molecules to separate from the cellr structures they’ve bonded with.”
As the treatment progressed, the dialysis fluid gradually darkened to an inky ck color. The filter membranes began collecting the separated toxinpounds, visible as dark umtions within the transparent chambers.
“Remarkable,” Walter breathed, peering at the collected toxins. “I’ve never seen anything like this. The molecr binding is happening exactly as you predicted. In thirty years of practice, I’ve never witnessed such an effective
toxin extraction method.”
I carefully administered the third injection, watching as William’s vital signs remained stable on the monitor. “The dialysis needs to continue for two more hours, then I’ll administer the final dose of the antidote. That should clear most of the poison from his system.”
William’splexion, though still an unhealthy grayish color, had already improved noticeably from when I first saw him at the hospital. The immediate danger had passed.
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