Chapter 13 - The Poisoned Well
By Wednesday, Florence’s presence in the house had become a suffocating, toxic cloud. She was far too smart to attack me directly, opting instead for a campaign of psychological warfare designed to make me look incompetent and paranoid.
She started small. Vital documents on my desk would suddenly go missing, only to reappear in the trash. The kitchen staff, whom I had personally vetted, reported that Florence was quietly spreading rumors that I was a gold digger who had manipulated Garrett into firing his own brother.
I refused to let her poison the well. I called an immediate all-staff meeting in the grand ballroom. I stood before the fifty employees of the estate, with Garrett sitting silently supportive at the back of the room. I addressed the rumors head-on, reminding the staff that transparency and loyalty were the foundations of this household. Anyone caught entertaining Florence’s gossip would be terminated with generous severance, but terminated nonetheless. The staff, remembering the cruelty of Gertrude and Douglas, firmly pledged their loyalty to me.
Defeated in her attempt to turn the staff, Florence escalated her tactics. That afternoon, I was preparing Garrett’s post-workout protein shake in the kitchen. I turned my back for only a few seconds to grab a clean towel. When I turned back, I caught a fleeting glimpse of Florence's sleeve disappearing around the hallway corner.
My heart pounded as I looked down at the blender. The liquid inside was slightly bubbling, a chemical reaction that had not been there moments before. She had spiked his drink, likely with the same heavy sedatives Gertrude had used, hoping to make Garrett appear weak and unfit to lead again.
I didn't panic. I calmly poured the tainted shake into a sterile glass vial from my medical kit and sealed it tightly. I then washed the blender thoroughly and made a fresh batch using completely sealed ingredients.
When I brought the fresh shake to Garrett in his home office, I placed the sealed vial on his desk. I explained exactly what Florence had done. Garrett’s eyes darkened with a lethal rage. He wanted to drag her out of the house by her hair, but I stopped him.
I explained that if we kicked her out now, Evelyn would just hire someone else to do her dirty work. We needed undeniable, criminal proof of their conspiracy to lock them away for good. I told Garrett we were going to pretend that the sedatives were working.
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For the next two days, Garrett put on an Oscar-worthy performance. He began using his wheelchair again in the common areas, acting lethargic and easily confused whenever Evelyn or Florence were in the room.
The trap was set, and Evelyn was walking blindly right into it.
