Chapter 6 - The Trap and the Truth
That night, a quiet operation was set into motion within the upper floors of the hospital.
Arthur Coleman, a cold and ruthless man in his late fifties, stood in his high-rise penthouse office overlooking the city. His phone rang. It was an encrypted line.
"Is it done?" Arthur asked coldly.
"There was an unexpected variable, sir," a voice answered over the receiver. "The child survived."
"What?!" Arthur bellowed, slamming his crystal glass onto his mahogany desk. "You assured me the micro-seal would dissolve leaving no trace while causing complete asphyxiation! How could the doctors fix it?"
"It wasn't the doctors, sir. A street kid somehow noticed the localized swelling and pulled the valve out before brain death occurred."
Arthur's eyes narrowed with venomous rage. "Find out who that kid is. If he saw anything or picked up anything in that hallway, eliminate the problem immediately."
Little did Arthur know, the encrypted line had been intercepted by Marcus's security team, who were monitoring the signal from a mobile command unit parked right outside the building.
Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Leo volunteered to act as bait to catch the insider who had placed the device.
"It's too dangerous for a child," Isabelle protested, holding Leo's hand tightly.
"I spent four years dodging street gangs and thieves near the docks, ma'am," Leo said with a slight, confident smile. "I know how to watch my back. Besides, we need to prove it was Arthur so he can never hurt Ethan or my grandpa again."
Later that evening, Leo walked down the dim, quiet hallway of the hospital's research wing, carrying his bottle collection bag. A shadow detached itself from the wall near the emergency exit—a hospital administrator who also served as Arthur's paid insider.
The man stepped out, holding a syringe. "You shouldn't have looked so closely, little boy."
Before the man could take another step, the doors at both ends of the hallway burst open. Marcus and six armed private security officers flooded the corridor, laser sights trained on the intruder.
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"Drop the weapon!" Marcus commanded.
The insider collapsed to his knees, dropping the syringe in terror. "Don't shoot! I was just following orders! Arthur Coleman paid me two million dollars!"
