2025-12-11 22:59:12Victoria laughed, but it sounded forced. "You think you've already won. But you don't know what I'm capable of. You don't know the connections I have, the power I can still wield."
"Your connections are abandoning you," I informed her. "Marcus is with the district attorney right now. Daniel is in a cell. You're alone, Victoria." "I'm never alone," she said cryptically. "And neither are you. Watch your back, Ethan. Watch everyone you care about. This isn't over." The line went dead. Thomas immediately saved the recording to three different drives. "That's assault, threatening a minor, admission of embezzlement, and conspiracy. This alone could put her away for years." "Send copies to the district attorney and the FBI," I instructed. "But keep one for our records." Margaret was already on her phone with our night editor. "Run the story. Front page, digital edition goes live in one hour." She looked at me. "Are you sure you want to escalate this fast?" "She just threatened Lily," I said, standing up. "We end this now." The room became a hurricane of activity. David coordinated with our website team, preparing for the traffic surge that would come. Sarah started crafting social media posts, each one designed to maximum impact. Margaret worked with the writers, making sure every word was perfect and legally bulletproof. My phone buzzed with a text from Brandon: "Got Victoria on three security cameras near Lily's school today. She was watching. Want me to increase protection?" "Double it," I texted back. "And move Lily to the panic room if anything seems suspicious." Thomas approached me quietly while the others worked. "You know she'll run, right? Victoria's not stupid. She'll see the walls closing in and try to escape." "Let her try," I said, thinking of all the airports and train stations Maxwell had already alerted. "She won't get far." An hour later, the article went live. Margaret had outdone herself. The piece was devastating in its simplicity—just facts, numbers, and testimonials from business owners the Pierces had destroyed. Within minutes, comments poured in. People shared their own stories of being cheated by the Pierce family. Former employees spoke about unpaid wages. Contractors revealed projects they'd completed but were never compensated for. Sarah showed me her phone. "#PierceCorruption is already trending. Twelve thousand shares in the first ten minutes." My phone rang again. This time it was Marcus. "The district attorney is issuing arrest warrants," he said, his voice hollow. "They'll pick up Victoria in the morning. Ethan... thank you for showing me the truth, as painful as it was." "What will you do now?" I asked. "Rebuild," Marcus said simply. "Without her poison, maybe Daniel and I can salvage something. Maybe we can become the family we should have been." After he hung up, I looked around the room at my team, still working furiously. This was what power should be—not crushing the weak, but revealing truth and protecting the innocent. "Sir?" My assistant approached with an iPad. "You need to see this." On the screen was a breaking news alert: "Victoria Pierce Flees Country? Sources Report Pierce Matriarch Attempting to Board Private Jet." My blood ran cold. If Victoria escaped, she'd never face justice. The families she'd destroyed would never get closure. I grabbed my phone and called Maxwell. "She's running." "Already on it," Maxwell said, and I could hear car engines in the background. "We have people at every private airfield. She won't make it out." But even as he said it, I wondered if we'd underestimated Victoria one last time. She'd hidden a living person in a coma for three years. What else was she capable of? Margaret touched my shoulder gently. "The second article is ready. Should we publish?" I looked at the headline: "Victoria Pierce's Secret Medical Payments: What Is She Hiding?" "Not yet," I decided. "Let's see if she runs first. A fleeing suspect is as good as a confession." David's computer pinged with an alert. "Three of Marcus's biggest clients just terminated their contracts. They're citing 'ethical concerns' about the Pierce family." The empire was crumbling faster than even I had anticipated. By morning, there would be nothing left of the Pierce dynasty except shame and criminal charges. But as I stood in that conference room, watching my team dismantle years of lies with truth and technology, I couldn't shake Victoria's final words: "You don't know what I'm capable of." My phone buzzed. A photo message from an unknown number. I opened it and my heart nearly stopped. It was a picture of the Peaceful Gardens Nursing Facility. Room 314's door was open. The bed was empty. Below the photo, two words: "Too late."
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Chapter 2 5: Protecting the Innocent
The safehouse was nothing like our mansion—just a simple two-story home in a quiet suburb, surrounded by normal families living normal lives. But it had something more valuable than marble floors or crystal chandeliers: anonymity. No one would look for Lily here, hidden among tricycles on driveways and basketball hoops in yards. Brandon's security team had swept it three times, installed cameras that covered every angle, and stationed guards who looked like regular neighbors working on their gardens. Lily sat on the living room carpet, coloring in a book Emma had brought. She didn't know why we'd moved so suddenly, only that it was an adventure. Her innocent trust broke my heart. Soon, very soon, I'd have to tell her the truth about her parents' death, about Victoria's role in making her an orphan. But not today. Today, she just needed to be safe. Dr. Sarah Mitchell arrived at noon, carrying a leather bag filled with toys and books instead of medical equipment. She was the best chi
chapter 24
The building loomed before me, dark windows like empty eyes. Somewhere inside, Victoria waited with Lily's mother, playing her final game. But she didn't know what I knew now. She didn't know Robert had confessed, that we had proof of murder, that her entire empire had crumbled while she hid in shadows.I entered through the main doors, following signs to the ICU ward. The hallways were dusty, abandoned equipment covered in sheets like ghosts. My footsteps echoed too loudly, announcing my presence. Victoria wanted me to feel alone, vulnerable. But Brandon's team was outside, Morrison's units surrounded the building, and justice itself stood behind me.Room 314 had light coming from under the door. I pushed it open slowly, finding exactly what I expected. Victoria stood "You came," she said, her voice strange, almost surprised. "I wasn't sure you would.""You can't hide anymore," I said simply. "It's over, Victoria. We know everything. The murders, the stealing, all of it."Victoria l
Chapter 23: The Shallow Grave
Maxwell's hands shook as he set the folder on my desk. I'd never seen him like this—face pale, eyes haunted, looking like he'd discovered something that changed everything. He'd been investigating all night, following paper trails that started with Lily's trust fund and led somewhere neither of us expected."You need to see this," he said quietly, opening the folder to reveal death certificates, police reports, and insurance documents. "Lily's parents didn't just die in an accident. They were murdered."The words hit me like cold water. I stared at the documents, each one telling part of a story I didn't want to believe. James and Sarah Chen, Lily's parents, had died five years ago when their car went off a cliff on Mountain Road. The investigation had ruled it an accident—brake failure on a rainy night. But Maxwell had found something everyone else missed."The insurance payout was three million dollars," Maxwell continued, pointing to highlighted sections. "It went into a trust for
chapter 23
Twenty-three lives. Victoria was willing to commit mass murder to avoid prison. The woman's descent into evil was complete. I immediately texted the information to Detective Morrison, Brandon, and the fire department. They needed to evacuate that building now."There's more," Sophia said, pulling out a folder. "I found these in her safe. I think... I think they're about your mother."My hands froze as I opened the folder. Inside were photographs I'd never seen—my mother when she was young, beautiful, happy. Standing next to her in several photos was a younger Charles Blackwell, my grandfather. They looked in love, completely absorbed in each other. But in the background of one photo, barely visible, was Victoria. Watching. Always watching."She was obsessed with your grandfather," Sophia explained quietly. "She thought if she could get rid of your mother, Charles would choose her. But he chose your mother instead, and Victoria never forgave either of them."The pieces clicked together
chapter 22: Following the Money
Maxwell's office looked like a financial crime scene at three in the morning. Papers covered every surface, laptop screens glowed with spreadsheets, and empty coffee cups formed small cities on his desk. He hadn't slept since the kidnapping attempt, and his usually perfect suit was wrinkled, tie loosened. But his eyes were sharp as a blade when he waved me over to his main computer screen."Found it," he said simply, pointing at a transaction history that looked like abstract art. "The kidnappers were paid fifty thousand each, wired from an account in the Cayman Islands yesterday morning."I leaned closer, studying the numbers while Lily slept safely at the estate with Emma watching over her. The screen showed a maze of transfers, each one bouncing through different countries, different banks, designed to hide the source. But Maxwell had followed every thread, untangled every knot."The Cayman account belongs to a shell company called Celestial Holdings," Maxwell continued, pulling up
chapter 21
The second man was younger, nervous. His leg bounced constantly, and sweat beaded on his forehead despite the cool room. He looked like someone who'd made bad choices and knew more were coming. When they asked about Victoria, his eye twitched—just for a second—but he said nothing.I studied them both, these men who'd tried to steal Lily's innocence again. They were tools, weapons aimed by someone else's hand. But tools could sometimes be turned against their users.Brandon stood beside me, his anger radiating like heat. "Give me five minutes alone with them," he muttered."No," I said, though part of me wanted the same thing. "We do this legally. Every step by the book. Victoria's the real enemy, not these hired thugs."Back in the counselor's office, Lily had fallen asleep in the chair, exhausted by trauma and tears. Looking at her peaceful face, I made a decision. The penthouse wasn't safe enough anymore. The security was good, but Victoria had resources we hadn't discovered yet. Sh
