Chapter 6 - The Poisoned Apple
Three years passed like a quiet dream. The Rivas estate, once a dark stronghold of criminal strategy, had slowly transformed. The third-floor office still held the walnut desk and the strategic maps, but the lower levels now featured a playroom, a small swing set in the garden, and a library filled with children’s books. Emily was nine now, growing tall, her green eyes matching her mother's brilliant intellect. She excelled in her private school, protected by Marcus's security detail every single day.
But the criminal underworld is a hydra—cut off one head, and two more grow in the dark.
Donato Falcone’s younger brother, Lorenzo, had spent three years in a federal penitentiary in Colorado before a technicality in the wiretap evidence secured his early release. He emerged from prison with a single, burning obsession: revenge against Damian Rivas.
It was a warm Tuesday afternoon when the security perimeter was breached not with bullets, but with a poison pen.
Emily was walking home from her private school bus, flanked by two of Damian’s best guards, when a delivery van stopped at the corner. A courier in a standard uniform stepped out, holding a large bouquet of white lilies—Elena’s favorite flower—and a small, wrapped box of imported chocolates.
"Delivery for Miss Saldaña," the courier said, handing the clipboard to the guard. "From the Hayes Medical Foundation in Detroit."
The guards scanned the package with their hand-held metal detectors, finding nothing but organic material. They allowed Emily to take the box inside the estate, assuming it was a commemorative gift for the upcoming anniversary of her mother's clinic opening.
At 6:00 PM, Damian entered the dining room to find Emily sitting on the sofa, her face pale, her breathing shallow and ragged. The box of chocolates lay open on the coffee table, one piece half-eaten.
"Emily?" Damian’s heart stopped. He rushed over, grabbing her by the shoulders. Her skin was burning hot, and her lips were turning a terrifying, faint shade of blue.
"Damian..." she whispered, her throat closing. "My stomach... it burns."
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Marcus rushed into the room, his face turning pale as he saw the open box. "The delivery... we checked it for explosives, boss! We didn't check the chemical composition!"
"Call Evans!" Damian roared, lifting Emily into his arms, his gray eyes filling with a terrifying, wild panic. "Get the mobile ICU here now! If she dies, Marcus... if she dies, I will burn this entire state to the ground!"
