The cold jade box felt incredibly heavy in Anya's trembling hands. Her facade of timid fright was easy to maintain; the genuine shock of a political poisoning in her new life was not. The Lin Matriarch, despite her frail appearance, was playing the most dangerous game of all: using her own impending death to secure her legacy.
"You are dismissed, Anya," the Matriarch whispered, a faint, dry smile touching her lips. "If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I will ensure your father disowns you before the poison kills me. Go. And prove you are not as useless as they claim."
Anya retreated, her mind racing. This was a direct, life-or-death challenge to the Dr. A identity. It offered not only vengeance against Julian and Elena but the Lin voting power—a crucial asset in stabilizing Kaius's position against external corporate raids.
Anya locked herself in her room in the east wing. She took off her glasses, and the Oracle's intensity returned. The first step was diagnosis.
She retrieved a concealed kit from her wooden box: a set of fine silver needles, specialized litmus paper, and a miniature chemical testing kit she'd prepared with the help of Chloe's flower shop supplies.
First, she analyzed the Matriarch's medicinal tea—a weak herbal infusion left on the side table. The modern chemical test was useless, but the ancient method was swift. She placed a single drop on a specialized strip of litmus paper she had treated with rare minerals. The paper turned a faint, dull bronze.
Potassium Cyanide—slow release, masked by heavy herbal oils.
"Amateurs," Anya muttered, her voice devoid of emotion. Julian and Elena weren't brilliant; they were relying on slow, untraceable poisoning disguised as a terminal illness. The killer likely used the Lin family's own pharmaceutical lab, making it seem like a medicinal mistake.
Next, she analyzed the jade box. Inside was a tiny, desiccated shard of a rare medicinal fungus. The Matriarch's signal was clear: Find the source of the antidote.
Anya recognized the fungal remnant immediately. It wasn't an antidote; it was a compound that neutralized the poison's neurological effects temporarily, allowing the victim to appear lucid and functional even as the poison accumulated. This meant the Matriarch had been fighting this for months.
The poisoning began at least four months ago. The accumulated toxins will cause cardiac arrest within days if not neutralized.
Anya's priorities shifted. She didn't have time to create a slow-acting herbal cure. She needed a quick, potent, modern-grade antidote synthesis, which required resources far beyond her meager workshop. She needed Thorne Group's technology.
Anya waited until midnight. She activated her secure line and sent a direct, encrypted message to Kaius Thorne's personal terminal.
> Phoenix: (Encrypted Message, Extreme Priority): Mr. Thorne, the crisis is not digital. It is biological. I need to negotiate my next consultant fee.
>
The response was immediate. Kaius was awake, clearly anticipating her communication.
> K.T.: (Encrypted Reply): We are in the middle of a global tech investigation. What biological threat? This is not your area of expertise.
>
Anya typed back rapidly, her fingers flying across the keypad. She had to use Kaius's own language: leverage and assets.
> Phoenix: (Encrypted Message): The threat is a destabilized Lin Voting Bloc. Matriarch Lin is being poisoned. Slow-release cyanide. Cause: Internal Lin family strife (Julian/Elena). Asset at risk: Matriarch Lin controls the swing votes on the Lin-Thorne co-signed development project. Her death now guarantees the project collapses and causes massive stock volatility.
>
A few tense minutes passed before Kaius replied.
> K.T.: (Encrypted Reply): I need proof of diagnosis. Immediately.
>
> Phoenix: (Encrypted Message): Send a Thorne Group bio-analyst team to the Lin Mansion disguised as Matriarch's routine physical therapists. They must discreetly analyze her primary liver enzymes and neurological function. The diagnosis will confirm my finding: Potassium Cyanide accumulation.
>
Anya was giving Kaius a move-by-move playbook, demonstrating her unique access and strategic advantage.
The Alliance Proposal
The next exchange was the most critical.
> K.T.: (Encrypted Reply): If your analysis is correct, what is your consultant fee?
>
> Phoenix: (Encrypted Message): My fee is not monetary. My fee is access and a formal alliance. I require twenty-four hours of discreet access to Thorne Bio-Research Lab 4—the synthetic chemical synthesis unit. I need to synthesize a counter-agent. The fee also includes one full audit of the Shadow Syndicate's financial holdings in Switzerland.
>
Kaius stared at the screen in disbelief. This 'Phoenix' was demanding highly classified research access and was tying the life of the Lin Matriarch to a demand for financial espionage. This wasn't a mercenary; it was a strategic partner with a ruthless agenda.
He thought of the clean Aegis system and the humiliation of Silas Trent. Phoenix delivered results.
> K.T.: (Encrypted Reply): If the Matriarch's life is stabilized and the Lin votes secured, I grant the bio-lab access. I will run the Swiss audit myself, but you must provide the access credentials. Do not fail. I will send the analysts tomorrow afternoon.
>
Anya smiled, a genuine, cold smile of victory. She had secured the necessary lab time for Dr. A and secured the ultimate investigative tool for Phoenix's revenge against the syndicate—a direct alliance with the CEO.
Just as Anya was about to collapse from the mental strain, her private phone (the one only Chloe had) buzzed.
> Chloe: (Frantic Text): Anya! Someone was here! I came back late, and the back door to the shop was jimmied! They didn't take any flowers. They only went through the boxes I moved to the back office! I think it was Julian! I'm scared!
>
Anya's triumphant mood vanished. Julian was desperate. He didn't believe the 'art' story; he suspected the Matriarch had hidden something tangible. He was closing in on the Hidden Workshop.
The Oracle knew she had to create a distraction.
She quickly sent a brief, innocuous message to Julian Lin's public social media account—a message designed to be seen by the entire Lin family.
> Anya Lin: (Public Post): Dearest Cousin Julian, I am so sorry for all the trouble I've caused. I know you're worried about the family heirlooms. Please, meet me tomorrow afternoon at the City Art Museum entrance. I have something important for you. I hope this proves I mean no harm. 🙏
>
She had used the 'art' lie to create a public, visible target for Julian. This would pull him away from Chloe's shop and give her time to move the crates.
And the location—the Art Museum—was the perfect setting for Xiao's grand public debut.