Chapter 2 - The Midnight Test
I stood up slowly, the wine glass still held tightly in my right hand.
"Is something wrong, Lorenzo?" Serena asked, her voice tight, a flicker of panic dancing behind her dark eyes.
"No," I said smoothly, turning to my head bodyguard, Marco, who was already stepping into my shadow. "Marco, escort the guests to the terrace for the fireworks display. Keep the drinks flowing."
"Boss?" Marco asked, sensing the dangerous shift in the air.
"Do it now," I commanded. "And secure the estate perimeter. No one enters. No one leaves."
Within ten minutes, the grand ballroom was cleared. Serena, Clara, little Lily, and I stood in the heavy silence of the private study behind the main hall. I set the untouched glass of wine on the heavy oak desk beside a bottle of vintage Amarone.
"Lorenzo, this is absurd!" Serena snapped, pacing across the room in her red dress, her heels clicking angrily against the floor. "You're listening to the silent hand-gestures of a maid's toddler over your own fiancée? Is this how you treat me on the night of our engagement?"
I ignored her, turning to Clara. "Clara. Tell me what Lily saw."
Clara dropped to her knees, clutching Lily to her chest, her hands trembling violently. "Mr. Duca, three nights ago... Lily was hiding in the pantry playing with her dolls late at night. She told me she saw Miss Serena put white powder from a small vial into your evening whiskey bottle. I... I thought the child was making up stories! I didn't believe her until tonight!"
Serena’s face lost every drop of color. "She's lying! She’s trying to extort you! Fire her, Lorenzo! Throw them out!"
"Marco," I called out toward the doorway.
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Marco stepped inside, carrying a small black forensic kit used for quick field-testing of narcotics and toxins—a standard tool for a man in my line of work.
"Test the wine," I ordered, my voice dead and empty. "And test the bottle of Amarone in my private bar."
