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Chapter 3: The Tell
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2026-11-11 20:26:04Victoria didn’t go straight home.
Instead, she drove to a secluded overlook on the edge of the city, the engine of her nondescript sedan humming quietly as the rain resumed its assault on the windshield. She gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white, forcing herself to take deep, measured breaths.
He knows.
The look in Marcus’s eyes in the boardroom had been unmistakable. He hadn't just been confused by her sudden, sharp critique; he had been spooked by her presence. The way he looked at her—like he was staring at a corpse that had just sat up and asked for a cup of coffee—sent a dark, intoxicating thrill through her veins.
But she couldn't afford to be cocky. Marcus was a cornered animal now, and cornered animals were the most dangerous. He was a man who solved problems with money and violence, a man who had looked her in the eye while she slipped into unconsciousness and left her to drown. If he even suspected she was Victoria, he wouldn't hesitate to finish the job.
Her phone buzzed in the cup holder. A text from her handler, a private investigator named Jax who had helped her fake her death and rebuild her life from the ashes.
“Saw the board meeting notes. You pushed too hard. He’s going to start digging into your background.”
Victoria typed back quickly, her thumbs jabbing at the screen. “Let him dig. The Elara Vance identity is bulletproof.”
“Nothing is bulletproof against a billionaire with a grudge. Be careful.”
She tossed the phone aside, staring out at the glittering city lights blurred by the rain. She knew Jax was right. She had let her emotions get the better of her today. She had wanted to see Marcus squirm, to see that flash of fear. And she had succeeded. But she hadn't expected to see the paranoia in Chloe’s eyes.
Chloe had always been the weak link. She was ambitious, yes, but she lacked Marcus’s cold, calculated intellect. She was a social climber who had stepped over her best friend's dead body to get to the top. And now, Chloe was scared.
If Chloe got scared, she would make a mistake. And Victoria intended to be there when she did.
She started the car, the headlights cutting through the gloom. Tomorrow, she would return to the lion's den. But tonight, she needed to remind herself of why she was doing this. She drove to a storage facility on the outskirts of town, punched in a code, and opened a metal locker. Inside was a small box containing a single item: a diamond earring, stained with blood. The one she had been wearing the night of the "accident." The one she had clawed out of her own ear to leave a trail.
She held it in the palm of her hand, feeling the sharp edges bite into her skin. I am coming for you, Marcus. And this time, I won't be the one drowning.
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