Chapter 8 - The Hidden Trap
Digitalis was a potent cardiac stimulant. In microscopic doses, it treated certain heart failures; in unregulated amounts on an unstable heart like Madison's, it induced cardiac arrest that mimicked a natural heart attack.
"This... this isn't possible," Madison stammered, sinking into an armchair, clutching her head. "Why would he... why?"
"Who manages your inheritance trust?" Nora asked gently, sitting across from her.
Madison swallowed hard, tears welling in her eyes. "My grandfather left me forty percent of Caldwell Energy in an independent trust. If I die unmarried, it reverts to my parents. But if I'm married... or if I sign the foundation power of attorney over to Julian before the gala..."
She stopped, horror dawning across her features.
"He wants the power of attorney signed tomorrow night," Madison whispered, her voice trembling violently. "He told me it was just a procedural document to merge our charity funds before the wedding."
"And if your heart stops during the gala," Nora finished the grim thought, "he walks away with control of hundreds of millions of dollars, and your family's grief blinds them to any investigation."
Madison began to hyperventilate again, the panic clawing at her throat. "My mom loves him. She thinks he's the golden boy. If I tell my father without proof, Julian will claim I'm hallucinating from my illness. He's already been telling people I'm mentally unstable!"
Nora reached out, firmly taking Madison’s cold hands into her own.
"Take a deep breath, Madison," Nora commanded with quiet authority. "We don't tell them without proof. We catch him red-handed."
"How?" Madison asked, looking at Nora not as an employee, but as her sole lifeline. "The gala is tomorrow night at the Dallas Country Club. Five hundred guests. The press will be everywhere."
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"Then that's where we expose him," Nora said, her eyes flashing with determination. "You play along. You smile, you act frail, and you let him think his plan is working. Leave the rest to me."
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