Chapter 10 - The Shocking DiscoveryThree months later, the early spring air brought a profound, terrifying change to the private wing of the mansion.
Arya stood inside the marble bathroom of her private suite, her hands trembling so violently she almost dropped the small plastic stick she was holding. She looked down at the counter, her breath catching as two distinct, bright pink lines appeared behind the digital window.
PREGNANT.
She sank down onto the tile floor, her back against the wall, a wave of cold panic washed over her. A child. A baby born into a mafia dynasty, a life marked by bulletproof glass, security sweeps, and blood money.
She had been meticulous with her birth control pills—the ones provided monthly by the estate’s private medical doctor. How was this possible? The medication was supposed to be 99% effective.
She stood up, a sudden, dark suspicion forming in her mind. She walked into her dressing room, opened her vanity drawer, and pulled out the current blister pack of pills. She examined the foil packaging closely under the light.
The seals looked perfect, but when she turned the box over, she noticed a tiny, microscopic code printed on the bottom corner: VAL-MED SECURE / SPEC-B.
Her heart pounded like a war drum. She ran down the corridor to Dante’s private office, using the administrative key override he had given her. She slammed the door shut, logged into the secure internal pharmaceutical ledger on his terminal, and typed in the serial number from the box.
The data flashed onto the monitor screen, and the truth shattered her reality into pieces.
PHARMACEUTICAL INVENTORY LOG — PRIVATE RESIDENCE
------------------------------------------------------
Batch ID: #VAL-MED-SPEC-B
Classification: Placebo Compound (Sucrose Form)
Distribution: Restricted to Residence Unit 1 (A. Mitchell)
May you like
Authorization Signature: D. Valentino (Absolute Priority)
The birth control pills she had been taking for months weren't medication at all. They were sugar pills. The entire regime had been a beautifully orchestrated illusion.
