Chapter 4 - THE MEDICINE
Dr. Hale recognized the label immediately.
“That’s hydroxyzine,” he said. “An antihistamine. Sometimes prescribed for severe itching or anxiety in older patients. I have never prescribed it to Ethan.”
Victor’s voice became flat. “Could it make him sleepy?”
“Yes.”
“How sleepy?”
“In the wrong dose? Very.”
Lily covered her mouth.
Victor remembered dozens of evenings when he had come home late and Serena had smiled over a glass of wine.
“He was exhausted,” she would say.
“He went down early.”
Victor had kissed his sleeping son’s forehead and thanked Serena for handling bedtime.
Now every memory felt contaminated.
He called his head of security, Daniel Cross.
“I want every access log from the house for the last six months. Cameras, medicine cabinet, staff tablets, gate records. Nobody deletes anything.”
Daniel paused. “Including Ms. Vale’s credentials?”
“Especially hers.”
Back at the mansion, police had arrived to take statements. Serena had refused to leave until her attorney came.
When Victor returned, she was sitting in his library with perfect posture.
“You’re making this worse than it is,” she said.
“My son has a fracture.”
“And that nanny is manipulating you.”
Victor placed the photo of the prescription on the desk.
Serena’s eyes flicked down.
One second.
Enough.
“What did you give him?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why is his name on that bottle?”
She leaned back. “Ask Lily. She takes photographs. Maybe she stages them too.”
Daniel entered behind Victor.
“Sir.”
“What?”
Daniel’s face was tight.
“The nursery cameras were disabled manually seven times in the last eight weeks.”
Victor stared at Serena.
Daniel continued.
“Every time, the command came from Ms. Vale’s phone.”
May you like
Serena finally stopped smiling.
Then Daniel added, “There’s more. Someone accessed Ethan’s trust documents from that same device.”
