Chapter 6 - The Residue of Truth
Victoria turned the tiny vial slowly between her fingers. Inside, a small drop of pale, viscous liquid clung to the rim near the opening. It was clear, odorless to the naked eye, and utterly out of place in a ballroom filled with champagne and fine dining.
Slowly, Victoria glanced down at the undisturbed slice of cream cake sitting on Leo’s plate—the very cake she had been about to feed her five-year-old son only moments ago. The timeline assembled itself in her mind with terrifying clarity: the cake brought from the kitchen, Claire standing near the serving tray earlier in the evening, and Emma’s frantic, desperate tackle.
Victoria raised her eyes from the cake and locked them onto Claire. The fury in her gaze was no longer hot and reckless; it had refined into something far more dangerous.
“Was this in my son’s food?” Victoria demanded, each word spoken with absolute, terrifying precision.
May you like
Claire’s eyes widened in sheer horror. Her lips trembled as if trying to form a denial, but no sound escaped her throat. Her eyes darted toward the heavy ballroom exit behind Emma, calculating the distance, but her legs refused to obey her.
At the edge of the aisle, Emma pulled herself up slightly, her breath caught in her throat, waiting for the powerful matriarch of the Sterling family to finally see the real monster in the room.
