Chapter 2 - Shadows in the Sunroom
The darkness lasted only three seconds before the emergency generator hummed to life, bathing the dining room in a dull, clinical amber. None of them had moved, yet everything had shifted. On the table, the crimson folder remained untouched, but beside it lay a single, freshly plucked black dahlia—a flower that only grew in the locked greenhouse at the far edge of the estate.
Eleanor slowly dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin, her composure unnerving. She told Vivienne that digging into the graves of powerful men was an easy way to end up beside them. Camille’s knuckles turned white against the silk of her dress. She begged her mother to deny the accusation, to tell them that Julian hadn’t been involved in their father’s sudden demise. Julian’s expression was an unreadable mask of cold calculation; he calmly smoothed his navy lapel and reminded them that the patriarch’s will was scheduled for public probate in less than twelve hours.
Vivienne ignored them both, opening the folder to reveal a digitized lab report bearing the emblem of a Swiss forensic laboratory. The toxicological panel showed traces of aconite—a rare neurotoxin known as wolfsbane—administered continuously over six months. As Vivienne pointed to the dates, Camille gasped, realizing the timeline aligned perfectly with the daily herbal teas Eleanor had prepared for their father every evening. Before Eleanor could respond, Camille gasped in sharp pain, clutching her abdomen as a sickening scent of bitter almonds began wafting from the tea service behind them.
