Chapter 4 - The Poisoned Feast
Dinner that evening felt like a funeral banquet. The dining table was spread with an extravagant meal prepared by Esteban. They claimed it was a celebration for Tomás's new land development deal, but the air in the room was suffocating.
"A toast," Tomás announced, standing up with a glass of red wine. He offered me a sickeningly polite smile. "To family. And to Elena’s upcoming thirtieth birthday. May it bring us everything we truly deserve."
"To Elena," Esteban echoed, his eyes locked onto mine like a hawk.
I sat frozen, my hands clasped in my lap to hide their violent shaking. Placed right next to my plate was a tall glass of water that Esteban had personally poured for me. I knew with absolute certainty that it contained the lethal dose.
Lucía sat directly across from me. Her eyes darted from my glass to Tomás’s untouched goblet of fruit juice.
Suddenly, Lucía deliberately slipped her fork, sending it clattering to the floor. "Oh! How clumsy of me!" she gasped.
As she bent down under the long tablecloth, Lucía kicked the leg of Esteban's chair with maximum force. The sudden jolt startled Esteban, causing him to knock his wine glass over, splashing dark red liquid all over his white dress shirt.
"Damn it!" Esteban cursed, leaping out of his chair to clean himself.
In those two seconds of total chaos, while Esteban was distracted and Tomás looked away, Lucía’s hand moved with lightning speed. She swapped my poisoned glass of water with Tomás’s glass of juice.
When Esteban sat back down, dabbing his shirt with a napkin, he glared at me. "Drink your water, Elena. You look exhausted. Drink it all, then I'll take you upstairs."
I picked up the swapped glass and took a small sip. Esteban watched me swallow, a sinister smile of victory creeping onto his face.
He had no idea that beside him, Tomás reached over, grabbed the poisoned water glass meant for me, and gulped it down to quench his thirst.
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Ten minutes later, Tomás’s face turned ghastly pale. Beads of cold sweat broke out across his forehead. He clutched his throat, his breath coming in violent, ragged gasps.
"I... I can't breathe..." Tomás choked out, collapsing off his chair and writhing on the dining room floor.
