The Blood Heir

The Tour

Dante

She looked at me like I'd just offered her a seat in hell and called it a promotion. Smart girl. That's exactly what I'd done. But watching her sit there, fury and fear warring across her face, I felt something I hadn't experienced in years. Interest. Real, genuine interest in another human being.I'd known about Rebecca Cross for three years now, ever since I'd started my quiet investigation into my father's business practices. Her case was one of dozens, maybe hundreds, but something about it stuck with me. Maybe because her daughter had been so persistent, filing complaints that went nowhere, asking questions that got her blocked at every turn. The system had failed her spectacularly, and she'd kept fighting anyway.Now she sat across from me, probably wondering if I was going to kill her or fire her or both. I should do at least one of those things. Letting her stay was dangerous for reasons I couldn't fully articulate yet, even to myself."Stand up," I said, rising from my desk. "I'll show you around, introduce you to the people you'll be working with. You'll shadow me for the first week, learn how things actually operate here."She stood slowly, suspicion radiating from every line of her body. "Just like that? You're letting me work here?""I'm letting you think you're working here," I corrected. "Every file you access, I'll know about it. Every conversation you have, every person you talk to, every question you ask, it all comes back to me. You wanted inside, Miss Cross. Congratulations. You're in. But you're in on my terms."I walked past her toward the door, catching the faint scent of cheap shampoo and something floral, probably from whatever perfume she'd dabbed on to feel more confident. It was so different from the expensive fragrances that usually filled this floor, it almost made me smile.The tour took us through the executive wing first, past offices occupied by vice presidents and department heads who'd sold their souls so long ago they'd forgotten they ever had them. I introduced her as my new assistant, watched them assess her with the same cold calculation my father had taught them. Weakness was vulnerability here. Kindness was liability.We took the elevator down to the research floors, where the real work happened behind security clearances and non disclosure agreements thick enough to choke on. Sienna's eyes tracked everything, absorbing details, filing information away. I could practically see her mind working, cataloging potential access points and weaknesses in our security."These floors require biometric clearance," I said as we walked past a particularly secure door. "Fingerprint and retinal scan. Even I don't have access to some areas without special authorization from the board.""What's behind those doors?" she asked, trying to sound casual."The future of medicine," I replied, which was technically true. Also, the documentation of crimes that would destroy my family if they ever saw daylight, but I didn't mention that part.We ended the tour in the hospital wing, the public facing side of Ashford Medical Group where actual patients received actual treatment. I watched Sienna's expression shift as we walked through pediatrics, past rooms full of sick children whose families were drowning in medical debt even as we provided care.A little girl with no hair waved at me from her doorway, and I stopped automatically, crouching down to her level. "Hey, Maya. How are you feeling today?""Better," she said, grinning with missing teeth. "Dr. Rivera says maybe I can go home soon.""That's great news." I pulled a lollipop from my pocket, something I'd started carrying after my third visit up here. "Don't tell the nurses I gave you this."Her laughter followed us down the hallway, and when I glanced at Sienna, her expression had shifted into something confused and almost vulnerable. Like she'd expected a monster and found something that didn't fit her narrative."My father thinks visiting patients is a waste of executive time," I said as we headed back to the elevators. "He's probably right. Doesn't change anything about their treatment outcomes, doesn't improve our profit margins. But my mother used to volunteer in pediatrics before she died. I guess some habits stick."Sienna was quiet for a long moment, then said softly, "My mother volunteered at a free clinic. She believed everyone deserved access to good healthcare, regardless of whether they could pay for it.""She sounds like she was a good person.""She was the best person." Her voice carried an edge of pain so sharp it could draw blood. "Which is why I'm going to prove what your family did to her, even if it destroys me in the process."We stepped into the elevator alone, and I pressed the button for the executive floor. As the doors closed, sealing us in that small space together, I turned to look at her directly."You want to know the real reason I hired you, Miss Cross? Because I've been building a case against my own father for three years. I have evidence, documentation, testimony from people too afraid to come forward publicly. But I'm one person fighting an entire system designed to protect itself. You, on the other hand, have nothing to lose. You're already willing to risk everything. That makes you either my greatest asset or my biggest liability, and I haven't decided which yet."The elevator dinged, doors opening onto the executive floor. Sienna stared at me like I'd just revealed I was an alien wearing human skin."Welcome to the game, Miss Cross," I said, stepping out. "Try to keep up