Chapter 5 - The Confrontation
Enzo took three heavy steps into the room, his hand instinctively sliding under his tailored suit jacket toward the leather holster at his hip. His eyes darted from Nia’s pale face to Dr. Keller’s trembling hands.
"Carlo’s right," Enzo said, his voice dropping into a dangerous register. "I saw the shift log. You were ordered to the laundry, girl. Why are you up here bothering the doctor?"
Nia felt her heart pounding against her ribs, but she didn't run. She stood her ground beside the hospital bed, her shoulder almost touching Dr. Keller.
"She wasn't bothering me, Enzo," Dr. Keller spoke up suddenly.
His voice was thin, but there was a sudden, sharp professional authority returning to his tone. The shock of Nia’s revelation had broken his panic, replacing it with the instinct of a physician who suddenly realized he had been played for a fool.
Enzo paused, his brow furrowing. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Keller said, drawing himself up and pointing a finger at the silver tray in Carlo’s hands, "I need to analyze that tea before anyone touches it."
Carlo’s face went stiff. The polite, grieving mask slipped for a fraction of a second, revealing a flash of pure, feral panic.
"Don't be ridiculous, Keller," Carlo said smoothly, recovering quickly. He forced a soft, bitter laugh. "It’s ginger tea. I brew it myself every morning to settle Matty’s stomach. You’re losing your mind because you can't figure out what's killing him."
"Put the tray down, Carlo," Keller commanded flatly.
"Enzo, listen to this idiot," Carlo turned to the underboss, his voice rising in manufactured outrage. "He’s failing! Matty is dying, and instead of doing his job, he’s taking medical advice from a maid who shouldn't even be in this room!"
Enzo looked at Carlo, then looked at Nia. "What did she say to you, Keller?"
Nia didn't wait for the doctor. She stepped around the bed, standing directly in Enzo’s line of sight, completely ignoring Carlo’s murderous glare.
"I told him what's killing Mr. Costa," Nia said, her voice clear, steady, and loud enough to echo off the high ceilings. "He has digitalis toxicity. Raw foxglove plant crushed into his tea leaves. It’s causing his heart to stop, and it’s turning his vision yellow."
Enzo blinked, stunned by the maid's sheer nerve. "Digitalis? What the hell is that?"
"It’s a plant poison," Keller interjected loudly. "It mirrors heart failure. Standard hospital screens don't detect it unless you run a targeted digoxin assay. It explains every single symptom Matteo has had for three weeks!"
Carlo’s face turned white as chalk. "This is insane! She’s a maid! She’s trying to frame me! She probably works for the Luces family!"
Carlo suddenly made a fast, desperate movement—he tipped the silver tray, aiming to dump the porcelain teacup and the silver canister onto the thick carpet, destroying the evidence.
"NO!" Nia screamed.
Before the cup could hit the floor, Enzo moved with terrifying, lightning speed.
He lunged forward, his large, scarred hand catching the silver tray in mid-air, steadying it before a single drop of tea spilled. With his other hand, Enzo grabbed Carlo by the throat and slammed him backward against the mahogany wall with a sickening crunch.
"Enzo! Have you lost your mind?!" Carlo choked out, clutching at Enzo’s vice-like grip around his neck. "I’m his cousin! I’m family!"
"If you move a muscle, Carlo, I’ll snap your neck right here," Enzo growled, his face inches from Carlo’s, his dark eyes burning with absolute, lethal rage.
Enzo turned his head toward the door and roared at the top of his lungs: "TONY! MARCO! GET IN HERE NOW!"
The two heavy guards burst through the oak doors, guns drawn.
"Disarm Carlo," Enzo barked, never taking his eyes off his boss's cousin. "Lock him in the study downstairs. Put two men on the door. If he tries to leave, shoot him."
"Enzo, you're making a mistake! Listen to me!" Carlo shrieked as the two massive guards grabbed his arms, stripping his concealed gun from his belt and dragging him kicking and screaming down the corridor.
The room fell into a terrifying, heavy silence, broken only by the faint, slow beep... beep... beep... of Matteo’s heart monitor.
Enzo turned slowly toward Dr. Keller, his face a terrifying mask of controlled violence. He set the silver tray down carefully on the nightstand.
"Keller," Enzo said, his voice deathly quiet. "You have a full blood lab kit in your van downstairs, don't you?"
"Yes," Keller swallowed hard. "I have a portable analyzer."
"Draw Matteo’s blood right now," Enzo ordered, pointing a heavy finger at the bed. "Run that digoxin test. And test that tea."
Enzo turned his gaze toward Nia. He looked at her simple gray dress, her bruised, tired eyes, and her steady posture.
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"And you," Enzo said softly. "You don't leave this room. If you're right... you just saved the Boss. If you're wrong... I'm going to feed you to the fish in the river."
Nia met his gaze without flinching. "Run the test."
