Chapter 40: The Echo of Painted Lies

Vespera

The smell of cheap ink and wet newspapers filled our safehouse, drifting in through the cracked window.

Four Munich tabloids lay spread across the scratched wooden table in front of me. Their headlines were printed in large, bright red letters. The front pages were covered with clear photographs taken from a distance at the Alpine Ridge estate months ago. Someone had carefully cut and edited the pictures to make them look as bad as possible.

THE FALKENRATH HEIRESS: SEDUCED BY HER FATHER’S KILLER?

THE PRICE OF LIESEA’S TREATMENT: A SECRET DEAL IN THE ALPS.

My fingers moved over a photograph of Kasimir holding me close to his chest near the balcony.

Anyone looking at the picture without knowing what had happened that night would think we were playing some cruel game. The photograph showed none of the fear or the desperate way he had held me to protect me.

The article beside it was even worse. It made me look like a selfish woman who had traded her sister’s medical treatment for a place in Kasimir’s bed. It also claimed that I had known about Greta’s plans to destroy my family’s business and had helped Kasimir cover up my father’s murder in exchange for a share of the shipping empire.

My stomach twisted as I read. A cold, sick feeling settled deep inside me.

“It’s rubbish,” Kasimir said harshly from the doorway.

He walked into the room, his long shadow falling across the table. His left arm was still held against his chest in a dark sling. He looked exhausted, and his jaw was so tightly clenched that I could see how angry he was.

He picked up the newspaper on top of the pile and scanned the article for a few seconds. Then he crushed it in his good hand and threw it into the cold stone fireplace.

“Greta’s media team is losing control, so now she’s trying to turn everyone against us before we reach the Munich vaults,” he growled.

He came to stand behind my chair and rested his large hand on my shoulder. His fingers were warm and rough, but I could feel the anger he was struggling to hold back.

“She wants us to start doubting each other, Vespera. She wants you to question everything we’ve shared.”

I leaned back against his chest and placed my hand over his.

“I don’t care what the newspapers say, Kasimir. I know what’s real between us. But this isn’t just about ruining my reputation.”

I turned my head and looked up at his mismatched eyes.

“Read the third paragraph of the article in the Münchner Zeitung.”

Kasimir narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to the newspaper. He began reading the small, slanted text printed near the bottom of the page.

“People close to the Adler family say that Fräulein Falkenrath was forced to sign the agreements for the second trust while she was under severe emotional pressure. Because of this, her legal right to vote at the upcoming board meeting may be considered invalid under Bavarian law.”

“She’s not trying to make the public believe her lies,” I whispered. My voice shook as I finally understood how dangerous Greta’s plan was. “She’s preparing to stop my father’s ledger from being accepted as evidence at the board meeting. If the newspapers convince the court that I’m emotionally unstable and that you’re controlling me, the court could suspend my voting rights for ninety days.”

“That’s all the time she needs to sell off the company’s assets and move the money,” Kasimir said quietly.

The color drained from his face as he understood the trap Greta had set for us.

Before he could step away to use his radio, a soft electronic sound came from my father’s black ledger beside the fireplace.

The small, hidden satellite receiver inside its leather cover began flashing a bright amber light. It was connected directly to the private communication line at the second medical facility where my sister, Liesea, was being treated.

My heart seemed to stop.

I jumped out of the chair so quickly that my knees struck the table. I reached for the device, and Kasimir immediately caught my elbow to steady me.

With trembling fingers, I switched the audio to speakerphone.

The tiny speaker crackled with static. Then I heard the faint, steady sound of a machine helping someone breathe.

A moment later, a woman’s smooth, well-mannered voice came through the line. Her tone sounded polite, but there was a cold cruelty beneath every word.

“Good evening, Vespera,” Greta Adler said softly. “I hope you’re enjoying this morning’s newspapers. They’ve told your sad little love story beautifully, haven’t they?”

“Where is my sister?” I cried, gripping the leather ledger so tightly that my knuckles turned white. “What have you done to Liesea?”

“Oh, she’s right here beside me, dear child,” Greta replied calmly.

I heard the faint sound of her silk clothing moving as she spoke.

“Her condition is stable for now. But the newspapers were right about one thing. Medical treatment is very expensive, especially when the power supply to her transport unit depends on a keycard that only I have.”

Silence filled the room. Her threat was clear.

Without that keycard, Liesea’s medical equipment could lose power, putting her life in danger.

Beside me, Kasimir breathed heavily. I could feel the anger building inside him, as though he were struggling to keep himself from exploding.

“What do you want, Greta?” he growled into the microphone. His voice was deep and threatening.

“I want a simple exchange, my dear boy,” Greta replied sweetly.

“Vespera must publicly withdraw all her accusations against the Adler family before midnight. She must also surrender her father’s voting rights to my legal team.”

She paused briefly before delivering her final threat.

“If she refuses, I’ll disconnect her sister’s life-support equipment. And I’ll release the complete surveillance video of your father’s final night alive to every major news outlet in Europe.”