Chapter 5 - The Lockdown
Chaos threatened to consume the dining room.
The investors were whispering frantically.
Evelyn was screaming at the top of her lungs, pointing an accusing finger at Maria.
Maria was crying, hugging Lily tightly to her chest.
Arthur felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, but he fought through it.
He pressed a button under the table, connected directly to his head of security.
Within seconds, four massive men in dark suits stepped into the room.
"Lock the doors," Arthur commanded.
"Nobody leaves this house. Not a single person."
He pointed a shaking finger at the bowl of soup.
"Call Dr. Vance. Tell him to get his medical kit."
"And call an independent toxicology lab. Now."
Evelyn marched over to Arthur, tears streaming down her flawless face.
"Arthur, you cannot be serious! You are trusting a deaf child over your future wife?"
"You are sick, darling! Your mind is playing tricks on you!"
But the seed of doubt had been planted, and it was growing into a massive tree.
Ten minutes later, Dr. Vance rushed into the dining room.
He looked frantic, his eyes darting between Evelyn and Arthur.
"Arthur, what is the meaning of this?" Dr. Vance asked smoothly.
"Your blood pressure cannot handle this kind of stress."
Arthur didn't speak. He just pointed to the soup and the tiny plastic bag.
"Test it," Arthur whispered.
Dr. Vance hesitated. He looked at Evelyn.
A silent, terrifying conversation passed between their eyes.
"Arthur, this is absurd. It's just truffle soup," Dr. Vance chuckled nervously.
He reached out to take the bowl. "I'll take it to the kitchen and dispose of—"
"Leave it!" barked the head of security, stepping between the doctor and the table.
An hour later, a private emergency medic arrived with a rapid toxicology kit.
The results took only fifteen minutes.
The medic looked up, his face grim.
"Mr. Sterling... this soup contains massive, concentrated doses of Lorazepam and Scopolamine."
"It's a heavy sedative and a memory-inhibiting drug."
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"It causes confusion, severe weakness, and memory loss."
The exact symptoms Arthur had suffered for six months.
