Chapter 9 — The Second Victim
Chapter 9 — The Second Victim
The woman standing beneath the red emergency light was supposed to be dead.
Lorenzo stared at her.
His mother.
Elena Duca.
Twelve years ago, the family had buried an empty coffin without knowing it.
Or so everyone had believed.
Now she stood less than thirty feet away.
Alive.
Older.
Calmer.
And holding Serena's hand as though the two women had never been enemies.
Lorenzo's voice was barely audible.
"Why?"
Elena looked at him.
"Because I was trying to protect you."
"By disappearing?"
"Yes."
"By letting me believe you were dead?"
"Yes."
"By letting me believe my father died naturally?"
Elena's expression changed.
"I never said that."
"You didn't have to."
Lorenzo stepped forward.
"You let me mourn him."
Elena lowered her eyes.
"Because if you knew he had been murdered, you would have gone looking for the people responsible."
"I did."
"And now you're standing in a room surrounded by people who would kill you before sunrise."
Lorenzo looked at Serena.
Serena smiled.
"She's right."
Lorenzo's stomach turned.
He looked toward Victor.
"You knew she was alive."
Victor nodded.
"Yes."
"And Serena?"
Victor said nothing.
Serena answered for him.
"I knew."
Lorenzo laughed once.
A bitter, empty sound.
"So everyone knew except me."
"No," Elena said quietly.
"You were the one person we needed to keep alive."
Lorenzo's eyes hardened.
"Then explain why I'm being poisoned."
No one answered.
That silence was enough.
The next morning began with a scream.
It came from the east wing.
Lorenzo was already awake.
He had not slept.
Neither had Marco.
The events beneath the hospital had left him with too many questions and not enough answers.
His mother had disappeared.
Serena had returned to the estate with him.
Victor had been moved to a secure location.
And Lorenzo had spent the remaining hours reviewing every piece of information they had recovered.
At 6:42 a.m., the scream came.
Then another.
Lorenzo ran.
Marco followed.
They reached the dining room.
His uncle Matteo was on the floor.
A glass had shattered beside his hand.
His face was pale.
His body shook violently.
"Call an ambulance!"
A servant was already dialing.
Lorenzo dropped beside him.
"Uncle."
Matteo's eyes opened.
He tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
His fingers grabbed Lorenzo's sleeve.
Then he whispered:
"Don't..."
His voice broke.
"Don't let them..."
He collapsed again.
Lorenzo looked at the table.
Breakfast had been served twenty minutes earlier.
Coffee.
Bread.
Eggs.
Fruit.
And a glass of orange juice.
He stared at the glass.
His stomach tightened.
"Nobody touches anything."
Marco immediately understood.
"Get the forensic team."
Lorenzo looked at the terrified staff.
"Lock the kitchen."
One servant began crying.
Another stepped backward.
Lorenzo's voice became colder.
"Nobody leaves this house."
The ambulance arrived.
Matteo was taken away.
Lorenzo followed in another vehicle.
He didn't trust the hospital.
Not anymore.
He didn't trust doctors.
He didn't trust records.
He didn't trust anyone who claimed to know what was happening.
The only person he trusted was Victor.
And Victor had nearly died twelve years ago for knowing too much.
At the hospital, doctors rushed Matteo into an examination room.
Lorenzo waited.
Twenty minutes.
Thirty.
Forty.
Finally, a physician stepped out.
"Mr. Duca?"
"Yes."
"Your uncle is stable."
Lorenzo exhaled.
"What happened?"
"We don't know yet."
"What do you mean?"
"His symptoms resemble severe neurological toxicity."
Lorenzo's face hardened.
"Neurological?"
The doctor nodded.
"Loss of balance. Tremors. Auditory distortion. Confusion."
Lorenzo stared at him.
The same symptoms.
His symptoms.
The doctor continued.
"We're running toxicology."
"How long?"
"Several hours."
Lorenzo turned away.
Another victim.
Another Duca.
Another set of symptoms.
This wasn't coincidence.
Someone was testing the poison on his family.
At 9:18 a.m., Victor arrived under heavy guard.
Lorenzo met him in a private consultation room.
"Tell me."
Victor reviewed Matteo's initial records.
Then his expression changed.
"Where was he eating?"
"At home."
"Who prepared the food?"
"The kitchen staff."
Victor shook his head.
"No."
Lorenzo frowned.
"What?"
"This wasn't delivered through food."
"How do you know?"
Victor pointed to the neurological symptoms.
"Because the onset was too fast."
"Then what?"
Victor looked at Lorenzo.
"Water."
"What?"
"Something he drank."
Lorenzo remembered the glass.
"The orange juice."
Victor nodded.
"Possibly."
Lorenzo stood.
"Could the same compound affect me?"
"Yes."
"Could it cause hearing loss?"
"Yes."
"Could it be detected?"
"Not easily."
Lorenzo stared at him.
"Then someone used the same substance."
Victor nodded.
"Probably."
Lorenzo's phone vibrated.
Marco.
We tested the glass.
Lorenzo answered.
"Results?"
"We found something."
"What?"
"Same compound."
Lorenzo closed his eyes.
Victor heard the conversation.
He whispered:
"Then it's confirmed."
Lorenzo looked at him.
"What?"
"You aren't the only target."
At noon, the estate became a fortress.
Every door was locked.
Every vehicle was searched.
Every employee was questioned.
Security cameras were checked.
The kitchen was sealed.
The dining room was sealed.
Even the wine cellar was locked.
Lorenzo stood in the middle of the house watching the security feeds.
His family had gathered in the library.
His aunt.
His cousins.
Two uncles.
Serena.
His mother.
Everyone looked frightened.
Lorenzo walked into the room.
"Nobody eats or drinks anything unless it comes from security."
His aunt stared.
"You're frightening everyone."
"Good."
"What happened to Matteo?"
"He was poisoned."
The room went silent.
Serena covered her mouth.
Lorenzo watched her.
"Did you know?"
She looked at him.
"Know what?"
"That someone else would be targeted."
"No."
Lorenzo studied her.
She looked genuinely frightened.
But Lorenzo no longer knew whether that meant anything.
His mother stood.
"We should leave."
Lorenzo turned.
"No."
Elena frowned.
"Why?"
"Because whoever did this is inside."
The room went silent.
One of Lorenzo's cousins stood.
"Are you accusing us?"
"I'm accusing everyone."
His cousin laughed nervously.
"That's insane."
Lorenzo looked at him.
"Then you won't mind being searched."
The man's face changed.
Lorenzo noticed.
So did Marco.
Two guards approached.
The cousin stepped backward.
"What are you doing?"
"Searching you."
"I have nothing."
"Then you have nothing to worry about."
The guards searched him.
They found nothing.
Lorenzo's attention shifted.
A small movement near the door.
One of the servants had lowered her eyes.
Lorenzo noticed.
"What's your name?"
The woman looked up.
"Clara."
"How long have you worked here?"
"Four years."
"Did you prepare breakfast?"
"No, sir."
"Who did?"
She hesitated.
"Mrs. Romano."
The room froze.
Serena turned.
"What?"
Clara immediately shook her head.
"No. I mean—"
Lorenzo raised his hand.
"Continue."
Clara swallowed.
"Miss Serena asked me yesterday to prepare fresh orange juice for Mr. Matteo."
Serena's face went pale.
"I did not."
Clara started crying.
"She did."
Lorenzo looked at Serena.
"Why?"
"I wanted to be kind."
"To Matteo?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"He was sick."
Lorenzo stared at her.
"How did you know he was going to be sick?"
Serena went silent.
Lorenzo stepped closer.
"You prepared a drink for a man who hadn't shown any symptoms."
Serena's voice trembled.
"I was worried about him."
"Before he was poisoned?"
She had no answer.
Lorenzo turned to Marco.
"Search her room."
Serena's eyes widened.
"Lorenzo."
"Do it."
Marco left.
Serena looked at him.
"You don't trust me."
"No."
The word landed like a slap.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"After everything?"
Lorenzo stared at her.
"Especially after everything."
Twenty minutes later, Marco returned.
He placed a small case on the table.
Everyone stared.
Inside were three vials.
A syringe.
And a laboratory report.
Serena looked shocked.
"I've never seen those."
Lorenzo picked up the report.
The laboratory was the same company that had analyzed his blood.
He looked at Serena.
"Explain."
She shook her head.
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because they're not mine."
"Then whose?"
She looked toward Elena.
For a second, something passed between them.
Lorenzo saw it.
"You two are lying."
Elena stepped forward.
"Enough."
"No."
Lorenzo's voice echoed through the library.
"Enough is exactly what we've had for twelve years."
He turned toward his mother.
"You knew."
Elena looked away.
"You knew about M-17."
Silence.
"You knew Serena was involved."
Another silence.
"You knew I was being poisoned."
Elena finally whispered:
"Yes."
Lorenzo felt the room spin.
"How long?"
"Four months."
He laughed bitterly.
"Four months."
Elena nodded.
"I was trying to find a way to stop it."
"By watching?"
"By investigating."
"While I was losing my hearing?"
"I thought I could stop them before it became permanent."
Lorenzo's voice cracked.
"You watched me get poisoned."
"I was trying to save you."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because the person ordering it was someone you trusted."
"Who?"
Elena looked around the room.
Then she pointed.
Not at Serena.
Not at Marco.
Not at Victor.
At one of Lorenzo's uncles.
Matteo's older brother.
Rafael Duca.
Lorenzo froze.
Rafael slowly stood.
His face was expressionless.
Then he smiled.
"Finally."
Everyone stared at him.
Rafael adjusted his cuff links.
"I wondered how long it would take."
Lorenzo's hand moved toward his weapon.
Rafael laughed.
"Don't."
"Why?"
"Because if you kill me, you'll never learn what happened to your father."
Lorenzo stared.
Rafael continued.
"Antonio discovered M-17."
He looked at Elena.
"She tried to stop him."
Then at Lorenzo.
"And I made sure he never finished his investigation."
Lorenzo's voice became cold.
"You killed my father."
Rafael smiled.
"No."
He paused.
"I made sure someone else did."
Before Lorenzo could respond, every light in the estate went out.
A second later, the security system screamed.
Red alarms flashed.
The doors locked automatically.
Marco grabbed his radio.
"Boss, we've lost the cameras."
Lorenzo turned toward Rafael.
But the man was gone.
A gunshot echoed somewhere upstairs.
Then another.
The family screamed.
Lorenzo ran toward the sound.
He reached the second floor.
The hallway was empty.
Then he saw blood.
A trail leading toward the guest room.
He opened the door.
No one.
Only a shattered window.
And a note on the bed.
Lorenzo picked it up.
Three words were written in black ink.
TWO DOWN. THIRTY REMAIN.
His blood ran cold.
He turned.
Behind him stood Serena.
Her face was pale.
"Lorenzo..."
He looked at her.
"What?"
She pointed toward the note.
"That's not a threat."
"What is it?"
Her voice shook.
"It's a list."
Lorenzo looked down again.
On the back of the paper was a number.
2 / 31
He stared at it.
Two victims.
Thirty-one names.
And somewhere inside his family...
someone had started counting.
The poison was no longer a secret assassination attempt.
It was a purge.
And Lorenzo suddenly realized something far worse.
His uncle Matteo had survived.
Which meant the person behind the plan had not wanted him dead.
Not yet.
They wanted him alive.
Because every victim who survived was carrying something.
A symptom.
A clue.
A message.
And Matteo had been the second victim for a reason.
Lorenzo returned to the library.
His mother was gone.
Serena was gone.
Rafael was gone.
Only Marco remained.
He looked at Lorenzo.
"Boss."
Lorenzo stared at the empty doorway.
"Find Rafael."
"And Serena?"
Lorenzo's expression hardened.
"Find her too."
Marco hesitated.
"What if they're working together?"
Lorenzo looked toward the bloodstained note.
"Then we find out which one of them is lying."
He folded the paper.
"And which one is next."
Outside, sirens approached.
Inside the Duca estate, the family had stopped pretending they were safe.
Because now everyone knew the truth.
Lorenzo Duca was not the only person being poisoned.
He was simply the first person who noticed.
May you like
And somewhere in the darkness...
the third victim had already been chosen.
