The next morning, Bridget returned to the Costello estate with sterile saline hidden beneath her cleaning supplies.
For the first time in years, she walked through the mansion knowing exactly what kind of danger surrounded her.
But something had changed.
She was no longer the woman everyone ignored.
She was the only person who knew the truth.
No guard searched her.
No servant questioned her.
No one even looked twice as she pushed her cleaning cart through the marble halls.
That was the mistake powerful people always made.
They only feared the people they considered important.
They never feared the ones standing quietly in the corner.
Bridget entered Dominique Costello’s suite and carefully closed the doors behind her.
Her hands shook.
Not because she was afraid of him.
Because she knew what would happen if she failed.
She moved toward the IV line attached to his arm and replaced the poisoned medication with the sterile saline solution she had brought.
For several minutes, nothing happened.
Then Dominique’s breathing changed.
His fingers moved slightly.
His eyes opened.
The man who had once controlled an empire with a single phone call looked fragile, almost like a stranger.
His lips moved.
At first, no sound came.
Then his ruined voice scraped through the silence.
“Who are you?”
Bridget froze.
“Bridget Collins.”
His eyes narrowed.
“The maid.”
“Yes.”
She held up the amber vial.
“And I think your doctor is murdering you.”
For a moment, the room went completely silent.
Dominique stared at the vial.
Then he looked back at Bridget.
Something changed in his expression.
The weakness disappeared.
The fear disappeared.
For the first time in months, the mafia boss returned.
Not physically.
Not yet.
But mentally.
Because Dominique Costello understood one thing better than anyone.
People only tried to kill you when they believed you had something worth taking.
“How long have you known?” he whispered.
“I heard Vincent and Dr. Pendleton talking yesterday.”
At the mention of Vincent’s name, Dominique’s face darkened.
“My cousin…”
“He wants your empire,” Bridget said quietly.
Dominique looked away.
For years, he had trusted Vincent like a brother.
He had protected him.
Given him power.
And now that same man was waiting for him to die.
But Bridget wasn’t finished.
“There’s more.”
Dominique looked at her.
“I checked the label. The medication wasn’t just poison. It was designed to make someone appear like they were slowly dying from a natural illness.”
A dangerous silence filled the room.
Because that meant Vincent had planned everything.
Not just murder.
A takeover.
“How did you find this?” Dominique asked.
Bridget hesitated.
Because the answer was embarrassing.
“Because nobody notices me.”
The words hit harder than she expected.
“I’ve spent years walking through rooms full of people who think they’re better than me. They talk around me. They insult me. They forget I’m there.”
She looked down at the vial.
“But that’s why I heard everything.”
Dominique studied her.
For the first time, he wasn’t seeing a maid.
He was seeing the person who had saved his life.
“You understand what happens if Vincent finds out?” he asked.
Bridget nodded.
“He’ll come after me.”
“No,” Dominique said.
His voice was weak, but his eyes were sharp.
“He’ll come after you because you are the only person who can destroy him.”
Bridget stepped back.
“I’m not part of your world.”
Dominique gave a faint, almost bitter smile.
“Neither was I, once.”
Before she could answer, a sound came from outside.
Footsteps.
Someone was approaching.
Bridget immediately hid the vial.
Dominique closed his eyes and returned to looking like a dying man.
The door handle slowly turned.
Someone entered.
And Bridget recognized the voice instantly.
Vincent.
“Uncle,” he said softly.
A fake smile crossed his face.
“I heard you had a difficult night.”
Bridget stood silently beside the bed.
Invisible.
Just like always.
Except this time…
She knew exactly what Vincent had done.
And Vincent had no idea the woman he never bothered to notice had just become Dominique Costello’s greatest weapon.
But before Bridget could leave the room, Vincent stopped.
His eyes moved toward her.
For one terrifying second, she thought he knew.
Then he smiled.
“Actually… Bridget, I need you to do something for me.”
Her heart stopped.
Because Vincent’s next words revealed something she never expected.
He knew more about her than she realized.
And he had been watching her all along.
TO BE CONTINUED…