Chapter 5 - THE TRAITOR'S BLADE
The attack came three days later. It wasn't an army at the gates, but a knife in the dark. Tessa was in the kitchen brewing chamomile tea when she noticed the head of security—a man Matteo had trusted for a decade—slipping a clear vial into the boss's evening scotch. Years of blending into the shadows had made Tessa an expert observer. She didn't scream. She grabbed a heavy iron skillet and swung with everything she had, dropping the traitor to the floor just as Matteo entered the room. He looked at the unconscious man, the poisoned glass, and then at the trembling maid holding the skillet. The bond between them solidified in that bloody instant. She had just saved the syndicate.
