Chapter 5 - The Angel in the Alley
"No, she's not dead," Alexander said softly, slowly dropping to one knee in the dirty puddles so he wouldn't tower over her. "But I would be. If it wasn't for you."
The little girl swallowed hard, wrapping her thin, freezing arms around her stomach.
Alexander took off his heavy, custom-made wool overcoat and gently draped it over the child's shivering shoulders. The coat swallowed her completely, but the warmth immediately made her let out a deep, shuddering breath.
"What's your name?" Alexander asked gently.
"Luna," she whispered, pulling the coat tight.
"Luna, I need to know exactly what you saw tonight," Alexander pleaded. "How did you know my girlfriend poisoned the cake?"
Luna looked around the dark alley nervously. "I sleep by the warm vent near the kitchen door. I heard the fancy lady come out back an hour ago. She was talking to a tall man in a grey suit. He had a big, shiny gold watch. He handed her a tiny glass vial."
Alexander’s jaw locked. Julian always wore a custom gold Patek Philippe watch.
"What did they say?"
"The man told her to pay the prep cook to put it in the chocolate dessert," Luna explained, her voice steadying. "He said it mimics a massive heart attack. He said as soon as you took a bite, you’d be dead in ten minutes, and the forged will would make them both billionaires by morning."
Alexander’s blood turned to ice. A forged will. Julian wasn't just trying to kill him; he had orchestrated a complete, legal hostile takeover of Alexander's life's work.
"Why did you warn me?" Alexander asked, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. "My guards could have hurt you. You could have just walked away."
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Luna looked down at her worn-out sneakers. "My dad died of a heart attack two years ago. We lost our house. I know what it looks like when someone's heart stops. I didn't want you to die alone."
👉 How will Alexander use this information to set a devastating trap for his best friend?
