Chapter 4 - The Doctor Diane ChoseThe penthouse entered full medical and security lockdown.
Cassidy refused transport by ambulance until Nathan confirmed the route and hospital team. She no longer trusted any provider recommended by the Morrisons.
Vale Medical arranged a private obstetric unit at St. Catherine’s Women’s Center, a hospital outside the Morrison network.
Brendan demanded to accompany her.
Cassidy refused.
“You created documents declaring me mentally impaired.”
“I signed what the attorneys prepared.”
“You approved the doctor.”
“My mother found her.”
“That is not a defense.”
Before Cassidy left, Nathan brought the bucket from the dining room inside a sealed evidence container.
The physician’s rapid test found traces of a prescription sedative dissolved in the water.
Not enough to knock Cassidy unconscious through skin contact alone.
But dangerous if ingested.
The champagne glass placed beside Cassidy’s dinner setting contained residue from the same drug.
Cassidy had refused to drink.
Diane had poured the water after noticing the untouched glass.
The freezing assault may have been an impulsive punishment for a failed poisoning attempt.
Or a second method to create a medical emergency.
Brendan’s face drained when Nathan told him.
“I didn’t know.”
Cassidy studied him.
“Did you know there was something in my drink?”
“No.”
“Did you know your mother wanted me declared incompetent?”
“She said the pregnancy was making you erratic.”
“You watched her build a legal fund around my collapse.”
“I thought it protected the baby.”
“You mean the shares the baby will inherit.”
He looked away.
Cassidy entered the private elevator surrounded by security.
As the doors closed, Diane shouted from the dining room.
“You would have nothing without this family!”
Cassidy did not respond.
At the hospital, Dr. Naomi Hart conducted a full examination. The baby was stable, though Cassidy showed signs of cold stress and elevated blood pressure.
“You need observation overnight,” Naomi said.
Cassidy agreed.
Nathan established security outside the room and transferred Protocol Seven operations to Arthur Vale.
Arthur was Cassidy’s uncle and general counsel. He had managed Vale Dominion after her parents died in a plane crash when she was twenty-one.
He trusted documents more than apologies.
When he arrived, he kissed Cassidy’s forehead and looked toward the fetal monitor.
“I should have moved against them sooner.”
“You warned me.”
“I warned you about the money. I didn’t know they would touch you.”
Cassidy looked through the window at the city.
“I didn’t know either.”
Arthur opened the legal folder.
Dr. Alana Reeves had signed three declarations regarding Cassidy.
One described prenatal instability.
One authorized emergency psychiatric observation.
The third recommended a scheduled delivery at a Morrison-owned clinic.
The proposed date was four weeks before Cassidy’s due date.
“What would happen to the baby?” Cassidy asked.
Arthur’s expression hardened.
“The clinic agreement gives Brendan sole temporary medical authority if you are sedated.”
Cassidy felt the room tilt.
They planned to deliver her daughter early under controlled conditions, declare Cassidy impaired, and transfer estate authority before she regained full awareness.
Arthur showed her the funding trail.
Dr. Reeves received payments through Jessica’s hospitality company.
A second doctor received money through Malcolm’s consulting account.
A private nurse had already been hired for the proposed delivery.
Her name was Elise Tanner.
Cassidy recognized it.
Elise had recently joined the penthouse staff as Diane’s “personal wellness assistant.”
She had served Cassidy tea twice.
Arthur requested the penthouse camera archive.
Protocol Seven preserved it before Brendan’s devices shut down.
The footage showed Elise entering Cassidy’s bedroom while she slept and photographing her medication labels.
Another clip showed Diane handing Elise a sealed vial.
The camera above the foyer had captured something worse.
Three nights earlier, Brendan opened the door for Elise at 2:14 a.m.
He watched her enter Cassidy’s room.
He did not follow.
He did not stop her.
Cassidy turned toward Arthur.
“He knew.”
“Maybe not everything.”
“He knew enough to open the door.”
Then Naomi returned holding the toxicology results.
Cassidy’s blood contained a low level of the same sedative found in the champagne.
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She had already been drugged before dinner.
👉 Brendan claimed ignorance, but the security archive showed him admitting a private nurse into Cassidy’s bedroom while she slept.
