Chapter 7 - THE SECRET INSIDE THE MEDICINE BOTTLE|
Noah's first week at the Voss mansion was the happiest Clare had seen him in months.
He discovered the library, befriended the elderly groundskeeper, and persuaded Lily to teach him chess. He also found a grand piano in the music room and insisted that Adrien demonstrate how to play it.
Adrien declined.
Noah persisted.
Finally, Adrien sat at the piano and played a simple melody his mother had taught him when he was a child.
The notes filled the room.
Lily stopped in the doorway.
“I haven't heard that song in years.”
Adrien's hands faltered.
“Neither have I.”
For a moment, the siblings seemed to share a memory that belonged to another life.
Clare watched quietly from the hall.
She had never seen Adrien look so vulnerable.
Then Noah interrupted the silence.
“Can you teach me?”
Adrien looked at him.
“You want to learn?”
“Obviously. I want to play something that makes people stop arguing.”
Lily laughed.
Adrien smiled.
“All right. Tomorrow.”
But the peaceful afternoon ended when Noah's medication ran low.
Clare checked the bottle and frowned.
The label listed a dosage she didn't recognize.
She called the pharmacy.
After a brief conversation, her expression changed.
The prescription had been transferred to a different pharmacy two weeks earlier. Someone had requested a replacement, claiming the original bottle had been damaged.
The pharmacist confirmed that the replacement had been prepared using an outdated dosage.
Clare's hands began to shake.
“Noah,” she called, trying to keep her voice calm. “Don't take anything until I speak to your doctor.”
Noah looked up from his book.
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing we can't check.”
She immediately contacted the specialist overseeing his care. The doctor reviewed the label and instructed her not to administer the questionable medication until the prescription was verified.
Noah was examined that evening. Fortunately, he had not taken any of the replacement medicine.
Adrien arrived in the medical office shortly after Maya informed him of the discrepancy.
“Who changed the prescription?”
Clare looked at him.
“We don't know yet.”
“Find out.”
Maya began tracing the pharmacy transfer.
Within hours, the investigation revealed that the request had been submitted using information from Clare's employment records. The person had also accessed her old address and emergency contact details.
Someone had deliberately targeted her brother.
Adrien's expression became terrifyingly calm.
“Who had access to those records?”
Maya named three people: Victor Hail, a former payroll administrator, and an outside contractor who handled employee insurance.
The contractor had recently received a payment from a company connected to Damian Cross.
Adrien stared at the report.
“Cross knows about Noah.”
“He may know more than that,” Maya replied. “We found a photograph of Clare leaving the hospital in Marcus's second phone.”
Clare sat very still.
“Why would anyone target Noah? He has nothing to do with your business.”
Adrien looked at her.
“Because he matters to you.”
She stood abruptly.
“No. Don't say that as if it's normal.”
“I'm not saying it's acceptable.”
“Then why does everyone around you think hurting innocent people is a reasonable way to reach you?”
Adrien had no answer.
Clare turned away, fighting tears.
“I brought Noah here because I thought it would be safer. Now someone has tampered with his medication.”
“Clare, I'm going to protect him.”
“You can't promise that!”
Her voice cracked.
“You can't stand in every room. You can't watch every bottle. You can't stop every person who decides someone else is expendable.”
Adrien stood motionless.
She was right.
His security could protect a building. His wealth could pay for medical care. His influence could uncover information.
None of those things could guarantee that Noah would never be harmed.
He approached slowly.
“What do you need right now?”
Clare looked at him.
“I need the truth. And I need you to stop treating my fear as something you can fix by giving orders.”
Adrien nodded.
“Then we'll find the truth together.”
Maya traced the fraudulent prescription to an office computer at the restaurant. Victor had accessed Clare's employee file shortly before the attack.
But the payment to the outside contractor had come from a company associated with Damian Cross.
The evidence suggested that Victor had provided the information.
It did not yet prove he understood what the information would be used for.
That night, Adrien sat alone in his study, staring at the records.
He had once believed his enemies wanted his money, territory, and influence.
May you like
Now he understood that the people closest to him were becoming targets simply because he loved them.
And he feared that Clare, who had already risked everything to save Lily, would eventually decide that being near him was too dangerous.
