Chapter 1 - The Investigation BeginsThe heavy silence of the Falcone estate library remained unbroken save for the steady, rhythmic beep of the cardiac monitor. Gabriel Falcone’s color was slowly returning from an ashen gray to a living flush, the sepsis retreating from his veins now that the toxic industrial thread had been excised from his shoulder.

Carmine, the towering underboss whose loyalty to Gabriel was absolute, stood guard by the heavy mahogany doors, his hand resting casually near his holster. Dr. Harrison Cole had already been escorted out of the room in disgrace, his medical license and his future effectively incinerated by his own arrogance and complicity.

Gabriel’s fingers were still wrapped securely around the wrist of the young maid. Her name was Elena Ross, though in this house, she had spent six months being treated as a ghost.

"You didn't flinch," Gabriel murmured, his voice still rough from fever, but carrying a sharp, analytical edge. He released her wrist and pointed a steady finger toward the stainless-steel basin where the six black industrial threads sat coiled in dark fluid. "Twenty surgeons from Manhattan’s finest clinics looked at that wound and saw a standard postoperative infection. You looked at it and saw a seamstress's mistake."

"It wasn't a mistake, Mr. Falcone," Elena said, keeping her voice controlled despite the pounding of her heart. She refused to cower before the most feared man in New York. "My mother spent her life working the textile lines. She taught me how certain chemically treated nylon cords degrade under heat and body chemistry, releasing heavy copper compounds and industrial dyes directly into living tissue. Whoever stitched that wound didn't use medical silk. They used upholstery cord designed to rot your flesh from the inside out."

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. He pulled himself up against the pillows, wincing slightly as his shoulder shifted. "And only one person in this estate had access to the private surgical suite after my surgery. Only one person hand-picked Dr. Cole."

Carmine stepped forward from the doorway, his face dark as a thundercloud. "Salvatore."

May you like

My mother beat me until I blacked out, and the last thing I remember isn...

I bought my dream house in secret because my family had a habit of treat...

"In front of a crowd of 20 relatives, my mother-in-law k:icke:d a slice...

Gabriel didn't answer immediately, but the cold calculation in his gaze confirmed it. Salvatore, Gabriel’s own cousin and chief financial officer, had been whispering about succession plans for months, acting far too comfortable while Gabriel lay incapacitated.

"Elena," Gabriel said, looking back down at the young woman who had just saved his life. "You are no longer scrubbing floors. From this moment on, you are my personal aide and confidential secretary. You see things others choose to ignore. And in my world, that is worth more than all the gold in Manhattan."