The Drink on the Table
Chapter 03 - The Drink on the Table
Julian poured champagne while Lauren read the papers.
She did not drink.
He pushed one glass closer.
“You look tense.”
“I am leaving.”
“Not before we solve this.”
“There is nothing to solve.”
Lauren placed the folder on the table and turned toward the door.
Julian blocked it.
His voice stayed low.
“Do you understand what happens if my father’s company collapses?”
“Yes.”
“Thousands of people lose work.”
“That does not make my mother’s clinics your bank.”
Julian glanced toward the balcony doors.
Lauren noticed a small bottle beside the ice bucket.
The label had been removed.
She reached for it.
Julian grabbed her wrist.
“What is that?”
“Nothing.”
Lauren pulled free and stepped onto the balcony.
She wanted distance.
Julian followed.
Below them, Charles and Margaret stood near the lawn, waiting for the photographer.
Lauren’s emergency bracelet vibrated.
The device had been prescribed after her unexplained fainting episodes. It tracked pulse, oxygen, falls, and unusual changes in consciousness. It also connected to a remote nursing service whenever her heart rate crossed a danger threshold.
Julian thought it was only a fitness tracker.
He had never asked.
Lauren looked at the bottle through the open door.
May you like
“Were you drugging me?”
Julian’s expression answered before he spoke.
