Chapter 2
The bright, airy lighting of the atrium felt suddenly harsh and exposing to Adelia as she knelt beside the wheelchair. The realization of what a switched wristband meant in a high-security private hospital sent a chill racing down her spine. The mafia boss she served wasn't just being isolated; his very identity was being systematically erased.
"What are you doing down there, girl?" Domenic snapped, his voice sharp and irritable as he noticed the housemaid crouching beside the wheelchair. "He needs rest, not a servant hovering over him. Get out of the way."
Adelia ignored him, her expressive eyes remaining locked on Leonidas. She could see the fierce intellect burning beneath the haze of the heavy painkillers. He understood exactly what was happening.
Before Domenic could physically intervene, Nurse Evelise Grant stepped briskly into the circle. At thirty-three, Evelise was the epitome of professional competence. She wore crisp medical scrubs and sensible nursing shoes, carrying a digital identification scanner in her hand.
"Excuse me, Mr. Ashcombe," Evelise said firmly to Domenic, completely unfazed by his expensive suit or his looming bodyguards. "I need to perform the standard hourly vitals check before any patient transfer can be authorized."
"He's fine. We are moving him now," Domenic insisted, stepping sideways in a blatant attempt to block her path to the wheelchair.
"Hospital policy," Evelise replied dryly, stepping gracefully around him.
She stopped beside the wheelchair, giving Adelia a brief, confused glance before raising the digital scanner. A soft red laser traced across the barcode on the white plastic band secured around Leonidas’s tattooed wrist.
The scanner beeped loudly, an angry, discordant error sound. Evelise frowned, tapping the screen on her device. She scanned it a second time. Another angry beep echoed in the quiet space.
She checked her digital patient chart, her brow furrowing deeply. She looked from the screen, down to the patient band, and then looked sharply at Domenic.
"This identification belongs to a completely different patient," Evelise stated, her voice projecting with absolute, unwavering firmness. "This band registers to a John Doe scheduled for emergency psychiatric transport to a state facility."
The air in the atrium seemed to freeze. The implications hung in the bright, luminous space like a guillotine blade. Domenic was not merely attempting a hostile takeover; he was orchestrating the physical disappearance of the mafia boss, intending to have him locked away in a secure psychiatric ward under a false name where no one would ever find him.
Domenic’s face drained of color, his deceit exposed instantly by modern technology. Panic and absolute fury warring in his eyes, he realized the quiet, bloodless coup had just failed.
"There's been a mistake with the system," Domenic stammered, dropping the pretense entirely. He abruptly grabbed the heavy rubber handle of the wheelchair. "I am moving my cousin back to his private suite right now."
He didn't wait for the nurse to argue. Domenic violently yanked the wheelchair backward, intending to bypass the main reception and force Leonidas toward the heavy double doors of the isolated service exit.
Adelia didn't think. Driven by pure, instinctual loyalty and a protective fire that terrified her, she lunged forward.
She didn't try to grab the wheelchair or block the path. She moved with blinding, desperate speed, catching Domenic’s right wrist with both of her hands.
Adelia planted her flat shoes firmly against the polished marble floor. With every ounce of strength in her slender frame, she turned his hand outward and forcefully wrenched it downward in one continuous, agonizing wrist lock.
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Domenic let out a sharp cry of shock and pain. The sudden, intense torque on his joints forced his fingers to instantly release the rubber handle of the wheelchair. He bent awkwardly sideways, his expensive suit pulling tight as he lost his balance, entirely unable to keep pushing the heavy chair.
Evelise, recognizing the violent escalation, immediately reached down and slammed the manual brakes on both wheels, locking the wheelchair securely in place.
