Chapter 89 MY WIFE.
\~~~DAMIEN.
The glow of my computer screen was the only light in the office, casting sharp shadows across the mahogany desk and the walls lined with bookshelves full of legal tomes and case files. It was late afternoon, the kind of gray New York day where the sun barely pierced the clouds, and the city outside my window buzzed with the usual chaos of horns blaring, and people rushing like ants in a storm.
I rubbed my temples, staring at the spreadsheet of gala event logistics. My mind wasn’t on the numbers, though. It was on Serena.
I leaned back in my leather chair, the creak echoing in the quiet room and then a knock at the door snapped me out of it.
“Come in,” I called, straightening up.
The door opened, and Ethan stepped inside first, and behind him came Melissa, my analyst, clutching a stack of files under one arm and a small black bag in the other. She nodded at me, her expression tense.
“Close the door,” I said, my voice low and steady. They did, and the room felt smaller, the air thicker with unspoken urgency.
“What have you got for me? And don’t leave anything out.”
Melissa set the files down and unzipped the bag, pulling out a small vial containing clear liquid. She placed it carefully on the desk, as if it were evidence in a trial. “We tested the remaining champagne from Madam’s glass. It’s not an ordinary alcohol mix, as we've said. The substance is a controlled sedative. Only a few people could get their hands on this. It is the type used in high-end medical settings or by specialists and nothing you’d find at a corner of a bar or parties.”
“Who has access? Names.”
She flipped open a file, scanning the pages. “Pharmaceutical suppliers, private clinics, and a handful of law enforcement contacts. But cross-referencing with the event’s vendors… It is narrow. Someone with connections in the legal or medical world.”
Ethan leaned forward, his voice even but laced with edge. “Security footage from the event shows a delivery someone made to her table and it is someone familiar with the floor plan but not a regular staffer.”
I narrowed my eyes, gripping the armrests of my chair. “Familiar with? Every single person who worked there that night was monitored properly, and screened, even.”
Ethan shook his head, pulling a tablet from his jacket pocket. “We cross-checked past visits and the same behavior matches someone who had access to your personal schedules, boss. They knew exactly when you’d be distracted, and when she would be alone.”
“Show me.”
Melissa carefully handed me a still frame from the footage. The figure was a silhouette, but even in shadow, I could see it. The posture, the way she walked, and the tilt of her head were unmistakable. Even her gait had a rhythm I remembered all too well.
I squinted at the image, my chest tightening. My heart skipped a beat, and then anger started rising, sharp and hot. “That walk…” I whispered, almost to myself. “…that’s her. Gwendolyn.”
Melissa nodded, her eyes serious. “We confirmed it, sir. And the timing was deliberate. The sedative was administered to catch her off-guard, specifically when she was away from you, and you were having conversations, and distracted.”
Ethan’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Plus, the cocktail wasn’t served by regular staff. It was a temp, someone who could have been instructed directly. This wasn’t random.”
I leaned back in my chair, jaw tight, hands clenched on the desk. My teeth ground together. Rage, concern, and a dangerous sense of urgency all collided inside me. I had underestimated Gwendolyn. I had thought she would never sink this low, but here she was, orchestrating this nightmare for Serena.
I glanced at my wristwatch and my chest constricted. It was almost the exact time Serena should be leaving school. My fingers itched to reach for the car keys. I couldn’t wait any longer.
I stood up abruptly, chair scraping against the floor, startling both Ethan and Melissa. My mind raced, adrenaline surging. “Ethan, Melissa…” I said, my voice low but commanding. “I need constant updates on my wife until I reach her. Nothing happens without my knowledge.”
Melissa stepped closer, her voice steady. “She is okay, boss. There is already a watch on her. We traced anyone who could have accessed the sedative. Only one person had the knowledge and opportunity, and that person is…”
I cut her off sharply, pointing a finger at her. “Don’t say it. I know who it is. Gwendolyn. I know. She planned this.” My voice was flat but lethal, each word weighted with certainty and anger.
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to come with you?”
I shook my head, stepping toward the door, anger and fear coiling inside me. “I can pick my wife up by myself.” My voice was a hiss now, no room for argument.
Melissa and Ethan exchanged a glance but said nothing. They knew better than to argue when I was in this state.
I grabbed my jacket off the back of my chair and threw it over my shoulders, my mind already racing through every possible scenario, everything Gwendolyn could come up with again. She had always been methodical, precise, and personal. She knew me, and I knew she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted, or at least make us pay.
I paused at the door, looking back at Ethan and Melissa. “Keep me posted,” Melissa nodded, her face serious. “Understood, boss. We’ll monitor her closely.”
Ethan’s voice was calm but carried an edge of concern. “Be careful, boss. But, I assure you nothing is going on. She wouldn't hurt her at school, would she?”
I didn’t respond.
If she could do that while I was near, then nothing could stop Gwendolyn anymore.
The city skyline outside the office windows seemed sharper, and even more urgent. Every light flicker, every moving car reminded me that time was running out.
I closed the door behind me, the click echoing like a gunshot in my ears.
I glanced at my wristwatch again and my stomach tightened. It was almost exactly the time Serena should be leaving school. Panic and determination burned in my chest at the same time.