Chapter 2 - THE WOMAN WITH THE TRAY
“Get your hands where I can see them.”
Hannah stared at Marco.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
Marco stepped closer.
“You brought the wine.”
“I bring his tray every afternoon.”
“And today he almost died.”
Hannah looked at Adrian.
He was still struggling for breath, but his eyes were clear again.
“Mr. Moretti, please.”
Marco reached for Hannah.
Adrian lifted one hand.
“Don’t.”
The room froze.
Marco turned.
“Boss, we need to secure—”
“I said don’t touch her.”
His voice was weak.
It was still enough.
Marco stepped back.
Hannah pulled Ellie against her.
Adrian looked at the little girl.
She was watching every armed man in the room with wide, frightened eyes.
He hated that expression.
He had seen it once before.
On his daughter.
Right before men pulled him away from a burning car.
“Everybody out except Marco, Hannah, and the girl.”
The guards hesitated.
“Now.”
They left.
Marco closed the door.
Adrian forced himself upright against the desk.
“Who prepared the tray?”
Hannah shook her head.
“I don’t know. It was ready when I got there.”
Ellie tugged on her sleeve.
“Mommy?”
“Not now, sweetheart.”
“But the grandpa man put something in it.”
The room went still.
Marco slowly turned.
“What did you say?”
Ellie pointed toward the wine.
“The man with the soft voice. He put blue bottle stuff in the glass.”
Hannah stared at her.
“What man?”
“He works here.”
Marco’s face changed.
“Vincent?”
Ellie nodded.
“The grandpa man.”
Adrian’s eyes went cold.
Vincent Bellini had worked for the Moretti family for nineteen years.
He had attended Adrian’s wedding.
He had held Lily as a baby.
He had stood beside Adrian at Elena’s funeral.
“No,” Hannah whispered.
Marco was already pulling out his phone.
“Lock the estate.”
He called security.
“No one leaves. Find Vincent Bellini.”
A voice answered.
Marco listened.
Then his jaw tightened.
“What?”
Adrian looked at him.
Marco lowered the phone.
“Vincent left twelve minutes ago.”
Adrian’s expression didn’t change.
That was when he was most dangerous.
“Where?”
“West service gate.”
“Who cleared him?”
Marco made another call.
While he spoke, Hannah knelt in front of Ellie.
“Why were you in the beverage room?”
Ellie stared at the floor.
“I got lonely.”
“I told you to stay downstairs.”
“I’m sorry.”
Hannah pulled her into a hug.
“You could’ve gotten hurt.”
“But Mr. Moretti would be dead.”
Hannah closed her eyes.
Adrian heard that too.
Marco ended the call.
“Guard at the west gate says Vincent told him his sister had a medical emergency.”
“Track his car.”
“Already doing it.”
Adrian looked at Ellie.
“You saw the bottle?”
She nodded.
“What color?”
“Blue.”
“How big?”
Ellie made a tiny circle with her fingers.
“Little. Like medicine.”
Marco cursed under his breath.
Adrian looked toward the door.
“Bring me the security footage.”
Marco hesitated.
“You should be in bed.”
“Marco.”
“Fine.”
Ten minutes later they watched footage from the beverage hallway.
Hannah entered carrying an empty tray.
Vincent appeared.
Hannah left.
Forty seconds passed.
Then she returned.
The camera showed nothing inside the room.
But it clearly showed Hannah carrying the tray toward Adrian’s study.
Marco paused the video.
“That makes her look guilty.”
“I know,” Hannah whispered.
Adrian studied the screen.
Someone had designed it that way.
The poison.
The timing.
The camera angle.
Hannah was supposed to take the blame.
Which meant the attack wasn’t only about killing Adrian.
It was about creating a clean story afterward.
His phone buzzed.
Marco answered.
His face hardened.
“They found Vincent’s car.”
“Where?”
“Near the marina.”
“And Vincent?”
Marco looked at Adrian.
“Gone.”
May you like
Then he added the part that changed everything.
“There’s blood on the driver’s seat.”
