Chapter 5 - The Poisoner’s Mistake
By 2:00 AM, the luxury suite on the tenth floor of the Grand Alabaster was guarded by two of Corbin’s private security detail standing outside the heavy mahogany door.
Inside, Paige sat on a plush velvet sofa, wearing a comfortable oversized sweater provided by the hotel staff, a warm cup of tea resting on the glass coffee table in front of her.
Her mind was racing.
In less than six hours, she had gone from an underpaid server counting soup cans in a tiny studio apartment to the key witness in an attempted murder investigation involving the city's most powerful family.
A quiet tap echoed at the door.
Corbin walked in, accompanied by a sharp-featured woman wearing a tailored charcoal suit—Evelyn Vance, the chief legal counsel for the Valleti Group.
"Tristan is out of surgery," Corbin announced immediately, walking over to sit in the armchair across from Paige. "The doctors managed to pump the neurotoxin from his system before permanent brain damage occurred. He’s stable."
Paige let out a long, shuddering breath of relief. "Thank God."
"Evelyn reviewed the restaurant’s secondary corridor security footage," Corbin continued, nodding toward his attorney. "The angle from the upper ceiling camera captured the reflection of Monica’s clutch off the brass wall sconce near the side table."
Evelyn opened her laptop, displaying a high-definition frame grab.
The reflection clearly showed Monica’s manicured hand tilting a small paper fold directly over the plate marked with the letter L.
"It’s airtight," Evelyn stated firmly. "The forensic lab matched the chemical residue inside Monica’s discarded clutch to the neurotoxin found in Tristan’s blood work."
"Does she know you have the footage?" Paige asked.
"She thinks she’s safe," Corbin smiled—a cold, terrifying smile that made his scar stand out sharply against his dark skin. "She’s currently sitting at Tristan’s bedside at St. Jude’s, crying for the news cameras and telling reporters that the restaurant’s kitchen staff poisoned her husband."
"She’s planning to file a fifty-million-dollar wrongful liability lawsuit against the Alabaster by morning."
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Corbin stood up, adjusting his cuffs.
"She doesn't know that the server who saved my mother is about to walk into her press conference."
