Sophie's tears rolled down her cheeks as she continued pointing toward one particular maid.
Her voice shook.
"The kitchen lady put the bad medicine in it..."
She paused, struggling to breathe.
"...again."
Jonathan felt his heart stop.
Again?
The single word echoed through his mind.
He slowly turned toward the kitchen staff.
Every face had gone pale.
The maid Sophie had pointed at refused to meet his eyes.
Jonathan knelt beside his daughter.
"What do you mean... again?"
Sophie wiped her tears.
"Last week I saw her pour the same bottle into your tea."
"I asked Mommy why."
"Mommy told me never to talk about it because she wanted to find proof first."
Jonathan's blood ran cold.
His wife, Amelia, had died unexpectedly three months earlier after what doctors believed was a sudden heart condition. In the weeks before her death, she had quietly mentioned feeling uneasy about several members of the household staff but never explained why.
Jonathan had dismissed her concerns as stress.
Now everything felt different.
He stood slowly.
Without taking his eyes off the teacup, he spoke firmly.
"No one leaves this kitchen."
Then he called his head of security.
"Seal every entrance."
"Call the police."
Minutes later, forensic investigators tested the untouched tea.
The results stunned everyone.
The drink contained a slow-acting toxic compound designed to mimic symptoms of natural heart failure if consumed repeatedly over time.
The same substance was later discovered in medical records connected to Amelia's mysterious illness.
As officers escorted the terrified maid away in handcuffs, Jonathan hugged his daughter tightly.
If Sophie hadn't walked into the kitchen at that exact moment...
He would have taken another sip.
And history might have repeated itself.