Chapter 5 - The Master Manipulator Arrives
A sharp knock on the glass door startled us.
Standing on the other side of the glass, wearing a perfectly pressed designer coat and an expression of fake maternal concern, was Eleanor. Behind her stood two hospital administrators.
Marcus threw the door open. "How dare you show your face here."
"I am a board member of this hospital and a concerned grandmother," Eleanor said smoothly, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. She looked over Marcus's shoulder at me with eyes as cold as dead winter. "I came to ensure my daughter-in-law wasn't covering up her own negligence. Who knows what terrible things she feeds that poor boy?"
"You poisoned him, you psycho!" I screamed, lunging forward, but Marcus caught my waist, pulling me back.
Eleanor gasped, placing a hand over her heart in mock horror. "Officers!" she called out, and two hospital security guards stepped forward. "My daughter-in-law is hysterical and violent. Please escort her off the premises."
"Nobody is touching my wife," Marcus snarled, stepping in front of me like a shield. "You slipped foxglove into his tea. The doctors found it."
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Eleanor’s smile didn't waver. She leaned in close to Marcus, her voice dropping so only we could hear. "Prove it. It's my word against yours in a hospital I practically own. And as for the boy... well, his body is so weak now. Such a tragedy. The trust will rightfully move to a true Vance by the end of the week."
She turned on her heel to leave, confident she had won. But she didn't know about the cameras.
