Chapter 5 - The Discovery
I spent my breaks scouring the hospital’s procurement logs. It wasn't an accident. The Legacy-98 tubing had been pulled from the basement storage specifically for Matteo’s surgery.
I needed proof. I needed to know who had ordered it.
I found a way to access the server room, using the keycard Alessandro had given me for "emergency access." My heart was hammering against my ribs as I downloaded the authorization logs.
There it was. The override code.
It belonged to the Chief of Staff—a man who had been a family friend of the Cassanos for thirty years. He had been compromised, bought, or threatened.
I was backing out of the data screen when a shadow fell over the console.
"You should have stayed in the nursery, Lauren."
It was the Chief of Staff. He held a silenced pistol, his hand shaking uncontrollably. "I didn't want to kill the baby. I just wanted to weaken him. To show Alessandro that his protection wasn't enough."
"You betrayed your oath," I said, backing toward the server racks.
May you like
"I betrayed a monster," he retorted.
I didn't wait for him to shoot. I lunged, throwing a heavy server cooling unit at him. As he dodged, I sprinted out of the room, the alarm triggering behind me.
