Chapter Ten

For a heartbeat, no one spoke.

The air felt heavy, thick with the scent of smoke and betrayal. My mother’s words hung between us like a blade.

“With you?” I repeated, my voice trembling. “What do you mean with you?”

Evelyn took a slow step forward. Her heels clicked softly on the wooden floor. “Your father didn’t build his empire alone. I was there from the beginning. The deals, the accounts, the offshore ties. I managed them all.”

Zayden’s eyes narrowed. “So you’re saying you helped him?”

Her gaze flicked toward him. “Helped? No. I controlled him.”

Gregory let out a cold laugh. “Is that what you tell yourself to sleep at night?”

She didn’t even glance at him. “You never understood the difference between power and control. You only ever wanted to own things. People.”

Gregory’s jaw tightened. “And you wanted to destroy everything I built.”

“Everything you stole,” she shot back.

Their voices sliced through the room, every word heavy with old war.

I stepped forward. “Stop. Both of you.”

They turned toward me, almost in unison. For a moment, I saw what they once were , two people who might’ve loved each other, but somewhere along the line, power replaced everything else.

“What does this have to do with me?” I asked.

Evelyn’s eyes softened, just a little. “You’re the last piece, Vivienne. The only one who can expose what your father did… and finish what I started.”

I shook my head. “Finish what?”

Before she could answer, Gregory pulled something from his coat pocket. A small silver remote. He pressed a button, and a faint hum filled the room.

Zayden instantly moved in front of me. “What did you do?”

Gregory smirked. “Insurance.”

Behind us, the cabin windows glowed faintly red. My stomach dropped as I realized what it was, small blinking lights fixed to the walls.

Explosives.

Zayden cursed under his breath. “You set the place up?”

Gregory’s voice was calm, almost bored. “I like to have options.”

Evelyn glared at him. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, I would,” Gregory said. “If I can’t have the drive, no one will.”

Zayden turned to me, his tone sharp but quiet. “We have to go. Now.”

But Evelyn stepped closer, blocking the doorway. “You can’t leave yet.”

Zayden’s voice rose. “Move!”

“Not until she hears the truth,” Evelyn said, eyes locked on me. “You deserve to know who you’re trusting.”

Her gaze shifted to Zayden. “You think he’s your savior, Vivienne? Ask him who gave him the flash drive.”

Zayden froze.

My chest tightened. “What… what is she talking about?”

He didn’t answer. His silence was louder than any confession.

Evelyn’s tone was soft, almost sad. “He didn’t steal it from your father. I gave it to him. I sent him to find you.”

The world tilted.

I shook my head. “No. That’s not true.”

“Viv...” Zayden started, but I stepped back.

“You knew?” My voice broke. “You knew who I was this whole time?”

He took a step closer. “I didn’t plan for this. Not you. I swear, at first it was just about the drive. But then...”

“But then you fell for me,” I said bitterly. “That’s what you’re going to say?”

His jaw tightened. “It’s the truth.”

“Truth?” I laughed weakly. “Everything between us started with a lie.”

The timer on one of the charges began to blink faster.

Zayden glanced at the wall. “We don’t have time for this.”

Gregory raised the remote again, his thumb hovering over the button. “You’re right. We don’t.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened. “Gregory, don’t...”

“Goodbye, darling,” he said coldly.

But before he could press it, Derek,who had been standing frozen near the back, lunged at him. The remote flew from Gregory’s hand and skidded across the floor.

Zayden dove for it.

Gregory turned his gun on Derek. A single shot rang out. Derek dropped, clutching his shoulder.

Zayden caught the remote and slammed his boot over it, crushing it underfoot. The lights on the walls stopped blinking.

Smoke filled the cabin. Someone had thrown a flash bomb.

Everything turned white.

Through the haze, I felt someone grab my hand. Rough, familiar. Zayden.

“Come on!” he shouted.

We ran through the back door, coughing from the smoke. The forest was dark, rain starting to fall in cold, thin sheets.

Behind us, the cabin glowed faintly, smoke curling into the night sky.

Zayden didn’t stop until we reached the bikes. He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders.

I was shaking , from cold, fear, anger. All of it.

He cupped my face gently. “Viv, look at me. Please.”

I met his eyes. There was pain there. Regret. But also something else , something real.

“I lied at first,” he said quietly. “I won’t deny that. But what I feel for you, that’s not part of any plan.”

Rain dripped from his hair. His voice cracked. “I love you.”

I wanted to believe him. God, I did. But my heart was bleeding from too many truths.

Before I could answer, a sharp sound echoed through the trees , the crunch of tires on gravel.

Headlights appeared, cutting through the darkness.

Gregory’s car.

Zayden grabbed his gun. “He’s not giving up.”

But then, another vehicle pulled in behind it , sleek, black, unfamiliar.

Zayden frowned. “That’s not his.”

The door opened.

A woman stepped out. Dressed in black, face hidden beneath a hood.

She walked toward us slowly, her heels sinking slightly in the mud.

“Who is that?” I whispered.

Zayden’s grip on his gun tightened. “I don’t know.”

The woman stopped a few feet away and lifted her hood.

I gasped.

It wasn’t Evelyn. It wasn’t anyone I recognized.

But in her hand , she held the flash drive.

“How..” Zayden started.

She smiled faintly. “You didn’t think I’d let you walk away with this, did you?”

Rain dripped from her fingers as she raised the drive, letting the light catch it.

“Who are you?” I demanded.

Her eyes met mine. Cold. Sharp. Familiar in a strange way.

“You can call me what your mother used to,” she said softly. “Sister.”

My breath caught. “You mean..”

But she only smiled. “It’s a long story.”

Behind her, Gregory’s car door slammed.

He stepped out, face pale, fury in his eyes. “You.”

The woman turned slightly, unfazed. “Hello, brother.”