Chapter 4 - The Unraveling Web
The silence in the room was deafening.
Alexander stared at the tiny glass vial in his daughter's hand.
Slowly, the pieces of the past three months began to click together in his mind. The sudden spells of dizziness. The chronic fatigue that no doctor could explain. The terrible, pounding headaches that seemed to hit him every evening, right after he finished his work in the study.
He had blamed it on stress. On grief. On overworking himself to provide for Sophie.
But it wasn't stress.
It was her.
Alexander stood up slowly. He felt as though he were moving underwater. He turned to face the doorway.
Victoria was no longer looking arrogant. She looked like a trapped animal.
“Alexander, it’s a lie,” Victoria stammered, taking a step backward. “The child is a compulsive liar! She hates me! She’s been trying to ruin our relationship since the day you proposed!”
“Officer Reed,” Alexander said, his voice terrifyingly calm. “Arrest her.”
“Alexander, please!” Victoria cried, panic finally breaking through her elegant facade.
Officer Reed didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Victoria by the wrist, twisting her arm behind her back with practiced efficiency.
“Victoria Hayes, you are under arrest,” Officer Reed barked as she pulled a pair of steel handcuffs from her belt.
“Get your hands off me!” Victoria shrieked, struggling wildly. Her perfectly styled hair fell into her face, making her look unhinged. “You can’t do this! I am going to be the lady of this house! Alexander, you need me!”
The handcuffs clicked shut over Victoria's wrists.
“I need you out of my sight,” Alexander snarled, stepping toward her. “You came into my home. You wore my ring. And you tried to poison me? You threatened my daughter?”
“You were never going to give me what I deserved!” Victoria spat, the mask finally falling completely. Her eyes burned with a venomous hatred. “Your precious money was all locked up in trusts for her! That brat! I was drowning in debt, Alexander, and you refused to pay off my loans! You said we needed to build a life together. What a joke!”
Alexander stared at her, feeling a wave of nausea wash over him.
He had met Victoria at a charity gala a year after Claire died. She had seemed so kind. So understanding of his grief. She had played the perfect supportive partner, bringing him coffee, organizing his schedule, pretending to care for Sophie.
It had all been a long, calculated game.
She wanted the Bennett fortune. But the prenuptial agreement Alexander had insisted upon protected Sophie’s inheritance.
Unless Alexander died before the wedding, leaving his estate in chaos.
“You’re a monster,” Alexander whispered.
“I’m a survivor,” Victoria sneered.
“Move,” Officer Reed commanded, shoving Victoria toward the staircase. “We’ll get a warrant to search the rest of this house, Mr. Bennett. We’ll find whatever else she’s been hiding.”
“Tear her room apart,” Alexander said coldly. “Take whatever you need.”
May you like
As Victoria was led down the stairs, screaming curses that echoed through the grand foyer, Alexander turned back to the dark room.
He walked over to the corner, lifted Sophie into his arms, and carried her out of the shadows.
