The Final Attempt
Chapter 11 - The Final Attempt
Smoke filled the service corridor beneath Adrian’s floor.
The fire was small but placed near electrical controls, forcing staff to begin evacuation. Alarms, doors and moving patients created exactly the confusion Marcus needed.
He entered wearing a firefighter’s coat and oxygen mask.
A stolen access card opened the royal suite.
Sophie had remained beside Adrian despite the planned operation. She saw the figure enter and noticed polished black shoes beneath the protective trousers.
Firefighters did not wear them.
Marcus locked the door.
He removed the mask.
Adrian tried to sit up, but his heart monitor accelerated.
Marcus held a syringe.
He said the country could survive one tragic death. It could not survive Adrian’s reforms, public audits and Sophie turning the monarchy into a courtroom.
Sophie moved between him and the bed.
“You already lost.”
Marcus looked almost amused.
“Institutions do not lose to evidence. They outlive attention.”
He ordered Sophie aside.
She refused.
Marcus seized her wrist and raised the syringe.
Adrian pulled the monitoring cable from his chest, triggering a second alarm. Then he used the bed rail to force himself upright and struck Marcus’s arm.
The syringe fell.
Sophie kicked it beneath the cabinet.
Marcus shoved Adrian back onto the bed and reached for Sophie again.
The door opened.
Dr. Elias entered with two hospital security officers. He had noticed the locked suite and bypassed the electronic system using a mechanical emergency key.
Marcus tried to escape through the bathroom service door.
Detective Ortiz met him on the other side.
The syringe contained concentrated cardiac medication. Marcus carried a second falsified medical directive declaring Adrian unresponsive after evacuation.
He had intended to make the death appear like a complication of fire and poisoning.
Marcus was arrested in the room where his brother had first named him.
Adrian’s rhythm stabilized.
Sophie’s wrist carried bruises, but she remained standing.
As officers led Marcus away, he looked at Adrian.
“You chose a stranger over your blood.”
May you like
Adrian answered weakly.
“No. I chose the person who did not try to kill me.”
