Chapter 57: Web of Lies

The silence in the room was suffocating. My mind raced, struggling to process Liam’s revelation. Olivia Sinclair, my mother—the very thought sent a ripple of disbelief through me. How could she? How could the woman who raised me, who I had trusted above all others, have been the mastermind behind all of this? The pieces of the puzzle I thought I’d already solved seemed to be shifting in ways I hadn’t expected, turning everything upside down.

I glanced at Dominic, who stood beside me, his jaw clenched, his face an unreadable mask. His eyes, though, betrayed the storm raging inside him. We were both trapped in the same web, bound by lies and manipulations that we couldn’t yet understand. And the worst part? We were both too close to the edge to back away now.

Liam’s words echoed in my mind. “Olivia Sinclair has been playing all of you like fools.”

I shook my head, trying to push the disbelief aside. It was impossible. My mother, the woman who had always stood strong for our family, had orchestrated this entire mess? She’d had her reasons, right? Hadn’t she?

“What proof do you have?” Dominic’s voice was cold, cutting through the tension in the room. His eyes remained locked on Liam, a flicker of distrust in his gaze.

Liam smirked, leaning casually against the desk. “I’ll show you. I’ve got more than just words. But first, let me remind you both of something. The enemy is not just within our families, Dominic. It’s bigger than you think. This goes all the way to the top.”

The air seemed to grow heavier as Liam’s words sank in. I turned to Dominic, trying to gauge his reaction. The fire in his eyes was a warning sign. He was done with playing games, but this? This was more than either of us could have anticipated.

“Show us, then,” Dominic said, his voice steady, though I could feel the intensity behind it. “I want to know what the hell is going on.”

Liam nodded, almost satisfied with our response. He straightened up, walking over to a filing cabinet tucked away in the corner of the room. He pulled out a manila folder and placed it on the desk in front of us, opening it with deliberate slowness. As he did, I couldn’t help but feel a knot tightening in my stomach.

“This is everything,” Liam said quietly. “The records, the phone logs, the meeting notes—everything you need to see who’s been pulling the strings.”

I stepped closer, my eyes scanning the papers. Names. Dates. Contracts. It was all there, written in black and white. The documents painted a picture that I wasn’t ready to see. There were mentions of high-profile meetings between my mother, Victor Caldwell, and various senators, including my own father. The connections were undeniable.

“I don’t understand,” I whispered, my throat dry. “What does this all mean?”

Liam leaned in, his voice lowering as though he were revealing a secret. “Your mother, Elena… she didn’t just want control over the Sinclair legacy. She wanted more. She wanted to destroy the Caldwells. She wanted your father’s career to crash, and she was willing to use you as a pawn to make it happen.”

I felt the ground beneath me shift. My stomach churned, and I had to steady myself on the desk to keep from swaying. How could my mother have done this? How could she have allowed her own daughter to be used in this game?

“Are you telling me she set me up to marry Dominic?” I asked, barely able to get the words out. My voice trembled, the weight of the revelation too much to bear.

Liam nodded, his expression colder than I had ever seen. “Yes. She knew the only way to destroy your father’s career and bring down the Caldwells was by forcing you into this marriage. The truth is, neither of you were meant to be together. You were just tools to further their ambitions.”

Dominic’s hand shot out, grabbing the edge of the desk as if he were holding onto something—anything—to keep from losing control. His fists were clenched at his sides, his breathing heavy. I could see the muscles in his jaw flex as he struggled to keep his composure.

“So, what now?” Dominic asked through gritted teeth. “We just sit here and let you tell us how deep this goes? You think you’ve won?”

Liam’s smirk didn’t falter. “Oh, I don’t need to win, Dominic. I’m just here to show you that everything you thought you knew about this battle is wrong. And now that you’re in it, there’s no easy way out. You both need to understand that.”

I swallowed hard, my mind reeling. The pieces of the puzzle weren’t falling into place—they were shattering into a thousand unrecognizable shards, and I couldn’t figure out how to put them back together. The truth, the lies, the betrayal—it was all too much.

But Dominic wasn’t backing down. His gaze was sharp as ever, filled with the same fire I had always admired in him. “If what you’re saying is true, then we need to confront Olivia. We need to stop this before it goes any further.”

Liam chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re so naive, Dominic. You don’t think she’s prepared for that? She’s always ten steps ahead of you. She’s been working on this for years, and now, you’re walking into her trap, thinking you can take her down with a few revelations.”

I turned to Dominic, feeling the weight of the situation press on me. It wasn’t just about our families anymore. It wasn’t just about our marriage. This had become something bigger, something that had been building in the shadows for far longer than either of us could have imagined.

“We can’t let this happen,” I said, my voice stronger now, though I could feel the trembling fear still gnawing at my insides. “We need to confront her. We need to stop her before she destroys everything.”

Dominic looked at me, his eyes softening for just a moment before hardening again. “I’m not going to let her win,” he said, his voice low and determined. “But we need to be smart about this. If we go after her head-on, she’ll crush us. We have to play this carefully.”

Liam’s smirk faded, replaced by a look of cold amusement. “Careful, huh? I hope you both know what you’re getting into. This isn’t a game anymore. This is war.”

The tension in the room thickened, the air crackling with unspoken threats. I could feel the weight of Liam’s words, the finality of them. We were on the edge of something far more dangerous than we’d ever anticipated. And the deeper we went, the harder it would be to escape.

I glanced at Dominic again, trying to read his expression. His eyes met mine, and in that moment, I saw something—something that hadn’t been there before. Trust. A silent understanding that we were in this together, no matter how twisted the path ahead might be.

“We’ll stop her,” Dominic said, his voice unwavering. “But we’re doing it on our terms. Not hers.”

Liam gave a mock applause, his eyes glittering with something dark and dangerous. “Good luck, Dominic. You’ll need it.”

As he turned and walked out of the room, the door clicking shut behind him, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the storm was just beginning. And we were standing in the eye of it.