Chapter 6 - A Mother's Desperation
Victoria knew she couldn't attack Alexander directly; his lawyers were too ruthless, his wealth too vast. But Elena? Elena was vulnerable. Elena still possessed the mindset of a servant, someone used to apologizing for existing.
Victoria met with Marcus, the shady private investigator, in a dimly lit underground parking garage.
"I need her removed," Victoria said, sliding a thick manila envelope of cash across the hood of a car. "Not killed. I’m not insane. I need her discredited. I need Alexander to believe she is a gold-digger, a thief, an unfit mother."
Marcus smirked, counting the bills. "Easy enough. We plant something. Something irreplaceable. The police find it in her possession. Even if Sterling bails her out, the seed of doubt is planted. He’ll never trust her around his assets again."
Back at the estate, Elena was struggling to adjust to her new reality. The transition from scrubbing floors to managing a staff of her own was jarring. She felt entirely out of place. When Alexander took her to high-society galas, she could feel the burning, judgmental stares of the billionaire wives, whispering behind their crystal champagne flutes.
"You're doing beautifully," Alexander whispered to her one night as they stood on the balcony of their estate, looking out over the city lights.
"I feel like an imposter," Elena confessed, wrapping her arms around herself. "Like any second now, someone is going to hand me a mop and tell me the break is over."
Alexander stepped closer, gently resting his hands on her waist. "This is your life now, Elena. You earned this. Not because you gave me Lily, but because of who you are. You are the strongest woman I know."
May you like
He leaned in, and for the first time in five years, their lips met. It was tentative at first, a bridge being rebuilt over a chasm of lost time, but it quickly deepened into a desperate, passionate kiss that promised a future they had both been denied.
But in the shadows of the garden below, a figure slipped past the security cameras, carrying a small, velvet box.
