Chapter 5 - The Trap Snaps Shut
Ten seconds later, the double doors of the nursery were thrown open with violent force.
Marco and three tactical guards rushed into the room, weapons drawn, scanning the perimeter.
"Miss Hannah! What's the threat?!" Marco barked, his eyes darting around the room.
"Look at the tray," I said, my voice completely calm, pointing toward the table.
Marco hurried over, staring at the silver tray and the purple diagnostic strip resting beside the glass of juice.
"What is that?" Marco asked, his brow furrowing.
"Concentrated liquid sedative," I stated clearly. "Someone poisoned my lunch. They wanted me unconscious so Mateo would be left unattended, or worse."
Marco’s face went dead white. He immediately pulled his radio. "Code Red in the primary nursery. Secure all exits down below. Nobody leaves the mansion!"
Two minutes later, the heavy footsteps of Dominic Moretti echoed down the hallway.
He strode into the nursery, his dark suit crisp, his aura radiating absolute, suffocating menace. Behind him stood Ginevra and an older, slick-looking man in a tailored pinstripe suit—Don Carlo Donati, Julianna’s uncle and head of the rival family.
"Hannah," Dominic said, his voice vibrating with suppressed rage. "Are you or Mateo hurt?"
"We are physically fine," I said, holding up the diagnostic strip. "Someone laced my drink with a high-dose benzodiazepine. It was brought up five minutes ago."
Dominic turned his terrifying glare onto Marco. "Who prepared that tray?!"
"Chef prepared the food, Boss," Marco stammered, sweating profusely. "But... but Miss Ginevra’s personal assistant carried the tray from the kitchen to the service elevator."
Dominic turned slowly toward his sister.
Ginevra gasped, stepping back behind Donati. "That's a lie! I had nothing to do with this! This girl is lying! She probably brought those drugs in her own bag to set me up!"
"I don't need to set you up, Ginevra," I said, picking up my tablet and tapping the screen. "Because fifteen minutes ago, I installed a portable clinical camera above the nursery door to monitor Mateo’s crib from my phone."
I turned the screen toward Dominic.
The high-definition video clearly showed Ginevra’s assistant opening the silver dome outside the elevator, pouring a small vial of clear liquid into the glass of juice, and handing the tray to Marco.
The silence in the room was absolute.
Donati stepped away from Ginevra as if she had suddenly caught fire. "Ginevra... you stupid fool."
Dominic didn't yell. He didn't raise his voice. He walked slowly toward his sister, his eyes cold, dead, and utterly devoid of mercy.
"You attempted to poison a staff member under my protection," Dominic whispered, his voice like the edge of a razor blade. "You endangered my son."
"Dominic, please!" Ginevra sobbed, dropping to her knees, clutching his trousers. "I did it for the family! She’s an outsider! She’s taking control of your life!"
"Marco," Dominic commanded, not even looking down at his sobbing sister. "Take Ginevra to the basement holding cell. Transfer all of her accounts, properties, and security clearances to the main trust. She is stripped of the Moretti name."
"No! Dominic! Please!" Ginevra shrieked as Marco and two guards dragged her out of the room, her fingernails scraping uselessly against the hardwood floor.
Dominic turned to Donati, who was standing pale and rigid near the door.
"The alliance stands through my son, Donati," Dominic stated with absolute authority. "If I catch even a hint of your family assisting my sister, I will burn your shipping docks to the ground. Get out of my house."
Donati bowed his head quickly and exited without saying a single word.
Dominic stood alone in the center of the nursery. He turned toward me, his shoulders slumping slightly as the massive weight of the betrayal settled over him.
He walked over to Mateo’s crib, looking down at his son, then looked at me.
"You saved him again," Dominic whispered. "You saved us both."
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"I told you, Mr. Moretti," I said gently, stepping beside him. "I'm a nurse. Protecting children is what I do."
Dominic looked at me, a profound, unshakeable warmth filling his dark eyes. "Call me Dominic, Hannah. You're not just a staff member in this house anymore."
