Chapter 3

3.

The chamber for the family test was located in the deepest part of the estate. It took fifteen minutes to get there, passing through courtyards, galleries, and a stone garden. Behind a rock formation sat a row of low buildings with black tiles and white walls, looking like servant quarters.

He pushed the door open―and it was an operating room.

Surgical lights, metal tables, and glass cabinets filled with medical instruments and vials. The light was blindingly white, making everyone's face look like it had been stripped of skin.

"This is―"

"The test," Sebastian said, standing in the doorway. "Your grandfather was a combat medic in his youth. He believed a family's core strength was its ability to make decisions under extreme pressure. So, he kept this room. Every heir must pass this before moving into the estate. The rules are simple―you stay here for twenty-four hours. We will release an experimental gas. It's odorless and colorless, but after four hours, it causes acute respiratory failure."

"The antidote is in this room. You find it―or―"

He looked down.

"Or you give up. Sign the delegation of voting rights. We stop the gas immediately."

"This is murder."

"This is the Sullivan way."

He pulled a drawer open next to the surgical table. Inside was a row of syringes, the needles glinting under the harsh lights.

"I suggest you sign. Now."