Chapter 238: Chapter 239: Aria Was Poisoned
HAROLD’S POV - THREE DAYS AFTER ESCAPE
Harold Ashford sat in a dingy motel room in Newark, staring at his burner phone. Three days of running, three days of looking over his shoulder, three days of rage festering in his chest like an open wound.
Damien Blackwood thought he’d won. Thought that rescuing Aria from that warehouse meant the game was over.
But Harold wasn’t done. Not even close.
His phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number: Park bench. Journal Square. One hour. Come alone.
Matthew. The mysterious ally who’d provided information about Aria before. The man whose father’s company had been destroyed by Aria’s hacking years ago. The man who wanted revenge as badly as Harold did.
Harold grabbed his jacket and headed out.
****
ONE HOUR LATER - JOURNAL SQUARE PARK
Matthew sat on the bench feeding pigeons, looking utterly ordinary in jeans and a nondescript jacket. Nothing about him suggested he was dangerous. That was exactly what made him perfect.
Harold sat down beside him, not speaking immediately.
"You escaped," Matthew said without looking at him. "Impressive, given how thorough Blackwood’s security team is."
"They got sloppy. Assumed I was finished." Harold’s voice was bitter. "I’m not finished."
"No, you’re not." Matthew tossed more bread to the pigeons. "You’re angry. Desperate. You want Aria Chen to suffer the way you’ve suffered. The way your daughter is suffering in Australia."
"Victoria’s hands will never be the same. Never be beautiful again. Because of him." Harold’s jaw clenched. "Damien Blackwood destroyed my daughter. Aria Chen destroyed my company. They both need to pay."
"Agreed." Matthew finally looked at him. "Which is why I have a proposal. A way to hurt them both. Deeply. Permanently."
"I’m listening."
"Aria Chen is recovering in the hospital. Under heavy security, yes, but still accessible to the right person." Matthew’s smile was cold. "I have something. A substance that’s completely undetectable by standard hospital screenings. Tasteless, odorless, slow-acting. Once administered, she’ll have maybe 24-48 hours before organ failure begins."
Harold felt his pulse quicken. "And the antidote?"
"Only I have it. The formula was developed by my father’s company before Aria destroyed it. It was never released publicly, never documented beyond our private research files. When she destroyed our data, she destroyed the only other copy of the formula that existed." Matthew pulled out a small vial from his pocket. "This is leverage, Harold. Real leverage. Not just revenge."
"What do you want from me?"
"I want Damien Blackwood to suffer. I want him to feel helpless watching someone he loves die slowly while he can do nothing to stop it." Matthew’s eyes were cold. "You want the same thing. So we work together. I provide the means. You provide the distraction. We both get our revenge."
"How do we administer it? The hospital security is intense."
"I have someone inside. A nurse. She doesn’t want to do it, but she will." Matthew’s voice was matter-of-fact. "Because I have leverage on her too. Her eight-year-old daughter. She’ll choose her child over Aria Chen. Everyone does."
Harold absorbed this. "And after? After Aria is dying and the doctors can’t figure out what’s wrong?"
"You contact Blackwood. Tell him you have the antidote. Negotiate terms." Matthew leaned back. "What you ask for is up to you. Money? His company? His complete destruction? Whatever you want, he’ll give it to save her. That’s when you have real power."
"And you? What do you get?"
"I get to watch him break. That’s enough for me." Matthew stood. "Are you in, or am I wasting my time?"
Harold thought about Victoria’s ruined hands. About his destroyed company. About Aria’s smug face when she’d watched him being led away from that warehouse.
"I’m in."
"Good." Matthew handed him a second burner phone. "I’ll contact you when it’s done. Until then, stay hidden. Don’t contact anyone. Don’t give Blackwood’s people any way to find you."
He walked away, leaving Harold alone on the bench with rage and anticipation burning in his chest.
Soon. Very soon. Aria Chen would suffer.
And Damien Blackwood would know what it felt like to be completely helpless.
****
Elina MARTINEZ’S POV - Mont Senai
Elina Martinez had been a nurse at Mont Senai for twelve years. She loved her job. Loved her patients. Loved the feeling of helping people heal.
And now she was going to hurt someone. Possibly kill someone.
Because a monster had her daughter.
The text message on her phone was simple: Your daughter Emma is safe. For now. Do exactly what I tell you, and she stays that way. Refuse, and you’ll never see her again.
The accompanying photo showed Emma...her beautiful eight-year-old Emma.....asleep in her bed. But the photo had been taken from inside Emma’s room. Someone had been in their house. Had stood over her sleeping child.
Elina had called the police immediately. But before they could arrive, another message came: Police can’t help you. I’ll know if you tell them. Emma dies if you don’t cooperate. Simple choice, Elina. Your daughter’s life vs. a stranger’s.
Elina had sent the police away. Had told them it was a false alarm, a misunderstanding.
Because what choice did she have?
The instructions were specific. Patient Aria Chen in room 412. During the night shift when security was minimal in the hallways. A small injection. Quick, undetectable. No one would know it was her.
Elina looked at the small vial in her pocket. She didn’t know what it contained. Didn’t want to know. Just knew that if she didn’t do this, Emma would die.
She’d tried everything else. Tried to call in sick. Tried to find someone to cover her shift. But the messages kept coming: Don’t make me hurt her, Elina. Just do what I’m telling you.
So here she was. Walking down the hallway toward room 412. Where Aria Chen lay recovering from her kidnapping ordeal.
Elina had met Dr. Chen. Had even worked with her on a few cases. She was kind, brilliant, dedicated to her patients.
And Elina was about to hurt her. Possibly kill her.
I’m sorry, Elina thought as she approached the room. I’m so, so sorry. But she’s not my daughter.
****
ARIA’S POV - ROOM 412, 2:47 AM
Aria drifted in and out of sleep, her body still aching from the kidnapping. Damien had just left an hour ago....Marcus had finally convinced him to go home and shower, promising that security was covering every entrance to her room.
She heard the door open softly and assumed it was another nurse doing vitals check.
"Dr. Chen?" A female voice. Familiar. "Sorry to wake you. Just need to check your IV."
Aria opened her eyes to see Nurse Martinez....Elina, the one who’d helped her with Mr. Peterson’s cardiac case last week....standing beside her bed.
"It’s okay," Aria mumbled, still half-asleep. "Do what you need to do."
She watched through heavy eyelids as Elina checked the IV line, her hands shaking slightly.
"Are you alright?" Aria asked. "You seem nervous."
"I’m fine. Just tired." Elina’s voice cracked slightly. "Long shift."
Aria saw something in Elina’s expression then.....guilt, fear, desperation. The look of someone being forced to do something against their will.
"Elina...."
But whatever Aria was going to say was lost as exhaustion pulled her back under. She barely registered Elina’s soft "I’m sorry" before sleep claimed her completely.
****
Damien’s phone rang at 9:23 AM. Dr. Morrison. His stomach immediately clenched.
"Mr. Blackwood, you need to get to the hospital. Now. It’s Aria."
Damien was in his car before the call ended, Marcus already mobilizing security.
He made it to the hospital in record time, taking stairs three at a time to reach Aria’s floor. Dr. Morrison met him outside her room, his expression grave.
"What happened?" Damien demanded.
"She won’t wake up. We’ve tried everything....stimulation, medication. Nothing. And her blood work shows....." Morrison hesitated. "There’s a substance in her system we can’t identify. Something that’s causing her organs to slowly shut down."
Damien felt the world tilt. "What kind of substance?"
"We don’t know. It’s not in any database. Not any poison or drug we’ve ever seen." Morrison’s frustration was evident. "We’re running every test we can, but without knowing what it is, we can’t treat it effectively."
Damien pushed past him into the room.
Aria lay in the bed, pale and still, breathing assisted by machines. She looked peaceful, like she was just sleeping. But she wasn’t. She was dying, and no one knew how to stop it.
He took her hand....cold, limp....and felt something break inside his chest.
"How long?" His voice was barely a whisper.
"Best guess? If we can’t identify and counteract the substance within 48 hours...." Morrison didn’t finish the sentence.
Damien’s phone buzzed. Unknown number. He almost didn’t answer, but something made him look at the message.
I have what your doctors are looking for. The antidote. The only antidote. Let’s talk about the terms of me giving it to you.
The phone nearly shattered in Damien’s grip.
Harold.
