“Three years,” Elena’s voice echoed from below. “Three years installing those pipes little by little. Just waiting for the lead to do its job.”
Sophia reached a second-floor window and carefully opened it.
The hinges creaked.
“There you are.”
A flashlight blinded her. For the first time, she saw the man’s face.
It was David—Richard’s younger brother. The one supposedly traveling in Europe.
The one who would inherit everything if Richard died childless.
“Do you know how much my brother is worth?” David said coldly. “Four hundred million dollars. That’s plenty of motivation.”
Elena stepped beside him, holding another flashlight.
“You should have stayed quiet,” she told Sophia. “Now we’ll have to improvise.”
Sophia backed toward the open window.
“Wait! Richard needs to know the truth!”
“Richard is sedated,” Elena replied casually. “We told him he had a crisis and gave him his ‘medicine.’ He’ll sleep for hours.”
David stepped closer, something metallic glinting in his hand.
“I’m sorry, Sophia. But we can’t let you ruin three years of work.”
That’s when Sophia realized something horrifying.
The “medicine” Elena had been giving Richard weren’t harmless pills.