Chapter 2 - The Fire in the GlassThe morning began peacefully.
Rain tapped softly against the enormous dining-room windows.
A fire burned inside the marble fireplace.
Arthur sat at the head of the table while Leo ate breakfast beside him, his dinosaur pajamas hidden beneath a small robe.
Julian placed a glass beside Arthur's hand.
"Your morning juice, Mr. Sterling."
Arthur smiled.
"Thank you, Julian."
He reached for the glass.
But before he could drink, Leo suddenly looked up.
"Grandpa."
Arthur paused.
The boy was staring at the glass.
"Yes?"
Leo's expression changed.
"Don't drink that."
Julian froze.
Only for a fraction of a second.
But Arthur noticed.
"What did you say, Leo?"
The child pointed toward the glass.
"I smelled it."
Arthur frowned.
Leo had always been unusually sensitive to smells.
Julian forced a smile.
"Children imagine things."
Then Leo did something that would haunt Arthur for the rest of his life.
He grabbed the glass.
"Leo!"
The boy swallowed.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then he screamed.
The sound tore through the dining room.
Leo collapsed.
His small body convulsed violently.
Blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Arthur's world shattered.
He caught the boy before he hit the floor.
"Leo!"
The child was choking.
Gasping.
Crying without making a sound.
Arthur looked toward Julian.
For one horrifying moment, he saw the truth.
Julian wasn't shocked.
He was watching.
Waiting.
And smiling.
Only then did Arthur understand.
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The glass had never been meant for Leo.
It had been meant for him.
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