A Doctor Risks Everything to Save an Elderly Maid From a Cruel Heiress

The Poison in the Glass

The echo of the shattering marble died down, replaced only by Clara's soft, terrified whimpering. Victoria lay among the sharp fragments of stone, her rose-red gown torn, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and burning hatred. She glared up at Julian, clutching her bruised shoulder as she tried to comprehend that someone had actually dared to lay a hand on her.

"How dare you touch me!" Victoria screamed, her voice cracking with indignation. "You are just a hired doctor! I will have you ruined for this! You'll never practice medicine again!"

Julian didn't back down. Instead, he knelt beside Clara, gently helping the shivering elderly woman to her feet. He wiped the wet flower petals from her face, his hands remarkably steady despite the adrenaline surging through his veins. He didn't look at Victoria when he spoke, but his words carried a chilling weight that silenced her instantly.

"Call the police, Victoria. Please, do it," Julian said quietly, his eyes fixed on the weeping maid. "Because when they arrive, I will make sure they analyze that red spill your maid was trying so desperately to clean up."

Victoria's face instantly drained of color. Her bravado evaporated, replaced by a sudden, desperate panic. She glanced at the dark red puddle on the floor, which was slowly mixing with the fresh water from the shattered vase. It wasn't red wine, as she had claimed to her husband earlier that morning. It was a highly concentrated, custom-blended digitalis solution—a potent heart medication that, in large doses, would look like a sudden, natural heart attack.

Clara had discovered the vial hidden in Victoria's vanity drawer. When Victoria realized she had been caught, she had knocked the vial from Clara's hand, creating the spill, and immediately began her violent assault to silence the maid before Julian arrived. But Julian, who had been treating Victoria's wealthy husband, Arthur, for his mysterious deteriorating health, had already grown suspicious. He had rushed to the estate today to confront Victoria with the toxicology reports.