Victoria was poised to discreetly administer the poison when an icy voice sliced through the tension.

"Victoria, explain yourself!"

Her pulse spiked, panic flashing in her eyes. But years of practice allowed her to mask it instantly—her face smoothed into practiced innocence as she turned.

"I was just preparing the herbal mixture for bottling," she said, tilting her head in feigned confusion. "Is there a problem?"

Amy Sinclair's fingers closed around the vial, her gaze glacial. "You didn't notice the contents? Or were you hoping no one would?"

Victoria blinked, then gasped dramatically. "Oh! I—I was so focused on grinding the ingredients, I didn't check properly. My apologies!"

A humorless smile touched Amy's lips as she examined the liquid. "This isn't a simple oversight. That's freshly extracted snake venom—one drop could stop a heart."

Earlier, Dr. Whitmore had been called away mid-extraction for an emergency, leaving the lethal substance unattended. Amy had only noticed the discrepancy when reviewing clinic records—and then spotted Victoria lurking near the workbench, Dr. Whitmore's gloves carelessly discarded nearby.

Victoria's shoulders hunched. "I swear, I didn't know! You've seen how hopeless I am with herbs—I can't even distinguish mint from basil half the time—"

Amy remained silent, watching her.

Suddenly, Victoria's knees hit the floor with a thud. "Please! It was an honest mistake! Don't let this ruin my treatment—Ms. Sinclair, I'm begging you!" Tears welled in her eyes.

The clinic door swung open. Alexander Blackwood strode in, his sharp features tightening at the sight of Victoria on the ground.

"Victoria," he murmured, helping her up. "What's going on here?"

Amy suppressed a scoff. Of course he'd arrived so promptly—Victoria must have summoned him the moment she was caught.

Victoria clung to Alexander's sleeve. "Alex, it's my fault! I nearly contaminated the medicine—if I'd damaged Dr. Whitmore's reputation—"

Alexander's glare shifted to Amy. "What could possibly justify this humiliation?"

Amy met his gaze evenly. "First, I never asked her to kneel. She did that herself before I could finish a sentence."

She lifted the vial. "Second, your precious Victoria was about to mix this venom into patient medication. One dose would have been fatal."

A bitter laugh escaped her. "And yet she's crying about reputations, not attempted murder."

Victoria's tears fell in earnest now. "I didn't know! The bottle was just sitting there—how could I guess it held poison? Ms. Sinclair claims it's deadly—if I'd touched it, I could have died! Why would I risk that?"

Her fingers trembled against Alexander's arm. "You know I'd never endanger patients. This was just... another of my clumsy mistakes."

Alexander's jaw tightened as he pulled her closer. Amy watched, the weight of his distrust as familiar as it was exhausting.

The game continued. As it always would.