A Tainted Bloodline

When I woke up again, Silvana was gone.

A servant, Leo, came in with a tray of food and froze in shock at the bloody scene.

The tray slipped from his hands, the porcelain shattering on the floor. I was lying in a pool of my own blood.

"My God..." Leo rushed over. "What happened to you?"

"I have to call the Boss."

When the call connected, Darren's impatient voice came through.

"What is it? I'm busy."

"Boss, the Madam... she's bleeding badly. I think her condition is critical..."

"Blood?" Darren scoffed. "Scarlett is strong. She can handle it. Don't let her fool you."

"Tell her I won't let her die, but that child is not to be born before Angelina's."

“If she behaves, I might let the bastard live.”

The line went dead.

Leo stood there, stunned, unable to believe what he had just heard.

He looked at my dying form, his conscience and loyalty at war.

Finally, he made a decision.

"I can't just watch you die here." He knelt down and carefully lifted me into his arms. "I know a place that can help you."

He rushed out of the room with me in his arms.

A trail of blood dripped onto the marble floor of the hallway.

I drifted in and out of consciousness in his embrace, aware only of the jostling and the pain.

The car sped through the city streets at night.

Leo was constantly on the phone, arranging something.

"It's me... yes, an emergency... pregnant woman, massive bleeding..."

After what felt like an eternity, the car stopped.

Leo kept reassuring me. "Hang on, we're almost there."

But when we arrived at the clinic, the old, bearded doctor saw the needle marks on my arm, and his face went deathly pale.

"Good God... what kind of devil's work is this..."

"I... I don't know... The family's private doctor injected her..."

The doctor's hands began to tremble.

He turned to me, his eyes filled with despair.

"There's no antidote for this kind of poison."

"You need to call the Boss, now!" the underground clinic doctor grabbed Leo's arm. "This toxin is attacking her nervous system! I need professional equipment!"

"She's going to die!"

Leo's hand shook as he dialed the number.

"Boss, the doctor says we need professional equipment to save Madam Scarlett..."

"Specialized equipment?" Darren's voice was laced with scorn. "Leo, have you forgotten who all the city's top medical resources are for? They are for the true heir."

To ensure Angelina's safety, Darren had monopolized nearly all of New York City's top-tier medical resources.

All the renowned obstetricians had been "invited" to the private hospital controlled by the Falcone family.

"It was just a few injections. She'll be fine."

“In a couple of days, after Angelina has delivered safely, we can treat her. It won’t be too late.”

The phone was hung up abruptly.

The old doctor looked at me with despair, his eyes full of helplessness and pity. "I know one place."

"Maybe... maybe there will be a miracle."

He picked me up again and rushed to the black car parked outside.

I curled up in the back seat, feeling life slowly draining from my lower body.

The baby's kicks in my belly grew weaker, as if in a final protest.

"Hang on," Leo whispered in my ear. "We're going to St. Mary's Hospital."

That was also where Angelina was waiting to give birth.

When the car pulled up to the hospital, I saw a scene of utter hopelessness.

The entire maternity wing was on lockdown, crawling with Falcone's men.

A long line of ambulances stood ready, all for Angelina alone.

Leo helped me stumble toward the emergency room.

A nurse saw me covered in blood and recoiled in horror.

"Oh my God! What happened?"

"She's Darren Falcone's wife," Leo said urgently. "She needs surgery immediately!"

The nurse's face went pale, and her voice trembled.

"But... the Boss's orders. All our resources are reserved for Ms. Angelina."

I was pushed onto a gurney in the hallway, listening to their conversation.

The drug's side effects left me unable to speak, forced to watch as they debated my life and death.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the maternity wing, I could see the bright lights inside.

Darren was in there, gently keeping Angelina company.

"Please..." Leo begged. "At least let us see the Boss..."

The head nurse hesitated for a moment before picking up the internal phone.