Chapter 5 - The Nighttime Intruder
Elena snuck back into the east wing that evening during the chaotic transition between the day and night nursing staff. She plugged the disguised camera into the wall outlet directly across from Leo’s bedside table, ensuring a perfect view of his medication tray.
She couldn't stay in the house overnight without arousing suspicion, so she linked the camera's feed to an app on her cracked smartphone, parked her rusted sedan down the street from the estate, and waited in the dark.
Hours passed. The estate lights winked out one by one until only the security lights remained.
At 2:00 AM, Elena’s phone buzzed. Motion Detected.
She opened the app, her breath catching.
The night-vision feed showed Victoria Sterling slipping into Leo’s room. She was wearing a silk robe, holding a small vial in her hand.
Leo was awake. The boy was lying rigid in his bed, watching his stepmother approach.
Victoria picked up the liquid sedative the nurse had prepared for Leo's 3:00 AM dose. She opened the vial she had brought with her—which Elena recognized from the estate's greenhouse as a highly concentrated liquid fertilizer, toxic if ingested—and began to pour it into his medicine cup.
"Just a little something extra for your heart, sweet boy," Victoria whispered on the audio feed. "Dr. Aris said your heart might just give out from the stress. Such a tragedy."
On the screen, Leo began to hyperventilate. The monitors beside his bed started to beep rapidly. He was having a severe panic attack, his body thrashing against the sheets.
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Victoria didn't help him. She just stood back, watching him suffocate on his own fear, waiting for him to exhaust himself so she could force the poisoned liquid down his throat.
Elena didn't wait. She threw her car door open and sprinted up the massive driveway.
