“He’s in the library with the forensic accountants,” Julian Sterling whispered into his phone, crouching behind a potted palm in the hallway. “He just ordered a double espresso.”
“Don’t get caught,” Maya warned from the clinic. “If Malcolm is as smart as he looks, he’ll know what you’re doing.”
Julian waited until the maid exited the library with a silver tray. He intercepted her before she reached the kitchen.
“I’ll take that, Maria,” Julian said, flashing his most charming smile–the one that used to charm boardrooms before his fall. “Dr. Khan needs to check the caffeine content… for William’s heart condition.”
The maid, confused but obedient, handed over the tray. Julian grabbed the porcelain cup Malcolm had used. A faint lipstick stain–no, just coffee–rimmed the edge.
“Got it,” Julian texted Maya, slipping the cup into a sterile bio-bag he had concealed in his jacket. The “Stabilizers” had moved from passive observers to active detectives. They weren’t just looking for a resemblance anymore; they were hunting for a genetic match that would explain the “Mirror” terrifying the estate.