"Dr. Aris is upstairs right now," Marcus said quietly. "He is preparing to sign the incapacity declaration. If that paper gets signed, Eleanor loses all legal rights, and her new Will becomes instantly contestable in court due to mental defect. We have twenty minutes."
"Then let's go," Maya said.
Marcus stared at her for one more second. Then he opened the car door.
Ten minutes later, Maya was walking through the grand foyer of the Sterling Estate, ignoring the frantic whispers of the morning cleaning staff. Marcus walked one step ahead of her, an impenetrable shield of corporate authority.
When they reached the heavy oak doors of the private library, Marcus didn't knock. He pushed the doors open.
Inside, the room felt like a courtroom. Veronica stood by the fireplace, sipping coffee from a china cup, looking perfectly composed in a sharp beige power suit. Seated at the mahogany conference table was Dr. Aris, a private physician with a sleek, over-priced look.
At the end of the table, looking incredibly small, was Eleanor. She was slumped in her wheelchair, dressed in a thick robe, her eyes glassy and unfocused from the morning drops.
"Marcus, you're late," Veronica said smoothly, before her eyes landed on the young woman standing right behind him. The coffee cup stopped halfway to her mouth. The blood drained from Veronica's face, replaced instantly by violent rage. "What the hell is she doing here? I ordered her thrown off the property!"
"Ms. Maya is here at my request," Marcus said smoothly, setting his leather briefcase on the table.
"She is a violent, fired maid!" Veronica shouted, stepping away from the fireplace. "Security!"
"Sit down, Veronica," Marcus snapped. His voice didn't rise in volume, but it cracked through the room with the force of a gavel. "Security works for the estate. Until Dr. Aris signs that paperwork, your mother controls the estate."
Dr. Aris looked uncomfortable, clearing his throat. "Mr. Vance, we were just about to finalize the paperwork. Mrs. Sterling is completely non-responsive today. The dementia has reached a critical—"
"It's not dementia," Maya interrupted, stepping out from behind Marcus. She didn't look at Veronica. She walked straight to the table and slammed the small amber vial down onto the polished mahogany right in front of the doctor.
Dr. Aris jumped in his seat.
"That is unprescribed, concentrated Scopolamine," Maya said, her voice ringing clearly in the quiet room. "I took it from Eleanor's bedside last night. It causes extreme confusion and memory loss. Any blood test run right now will flag it immediately."
Veronica’s beige facade shattered. She lunged forward, grabbing for the vial, but Marcus’s large hand clamped over it first. He slid it calmly into his own pocket.
"You little liar!" Veronica shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at Maya. "You stole that! You planted it! Doctor, she is a disgruntled former employee trying to extort us! Call the police immediately!"
"I already did," Marcus said.
The silence that followed was suffocating. Veronica froze.
"I have a private forensics team waiting in the driveway, along with two officers from the NYPD elder abuse division," Marcus continued, straightening his cuffs. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the thick, wax-sealed envelope. "And I am in possession of Eleanor’s fully executed final Will and Testament, which revokes your inheritance entirely, Veronica."
Veronica stared at the envelope as if it were a bomb. "She’s not of sound mind! That document is worthless!"
"She was of sound mind when she signed it," Marcus said coldly. "And once the doctors flush the poison out of her system, she will be of sound mind again to testify against you for poisoning her to cover up your financial crimes."
"You have no proof I gave her anything!" Veronica screamed, her voice breaking into a panic. She looked wildly at the doctor. "Aris, tell them! Tell them she has dementia!"