Chapter 37
It had been a few days since Zayden’s arrest, but the shock of that night still lingered in Victoria’s mind. Despite everything, she forced herself to show up at work. She couldn’t afford to falter now—not with Damian and Selena watching her every move. The whispers of employees followed her through the halls, the weight of speculation and judgment heavy on her shoulders.
Victoria entered her office, placing her bag on the desk, but before she could settle in, the door opened abruptly. She didn’t need to look up to know who it was—Damian’s arrogant presence filled the room like an unwelcome shadow.
“Well, well,” Damian said, his voice dripping with mockery as he leaned against the doorframe. “How’s it going, Victoria? Adjusting to life with your boyfriend behind bars?”
She stiffened but refused to look at him. “What do you want, Damian?”
“I just wanted to check on you,” he replied, his tone falsely sweet. “It must be hard, finding out the man you’ve been cozying up to is a murderer.”
At that, she looked up, her gaze sharp. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, don’t I?” Damian smirked, stepping further into the office. “Let’s see. He was arrested with a dead body in his cellar. And somehow, you’re still defending him. I guess you’ve got a thing for criminals.”
Victoria’s hands curled into fists on her desk. “You have no right to talk about things you don’t understand.”
“Understand?” Damian scoffed. “I understand perfectly. That’s the kind of man you want around my child? The kind of man you think should be a stepfather?” His voice dropped, his tone becoming colder. “I won’t allow it, Victoria. I’ll take the baby from you before I let that happen.”
She felt the sting of his words, but she refused to show it. Instead, she stood, meeting his gaze with unwavering determination. “You don’t get to make those decisions, Damian. And you certainly don’t get to threaten me.”
Damian laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “Threaten? That’s not a threat, Victoria. It’s a promise. You’re making reckless choices, and I won’t stand by while you put my child in danger.”
She held his gaze, refusing to let him see the doubt creeping into her mind. He had no idea what had really happened, just like she didn’t. But the thought of Zayden—so confident, so composed—being tied to something as horrific as a murder… It didn’t sit right. And Damian’s taunting only fueled her need for answers.
“Get out of my office,” she said, her voice cold and firm.
Damian smirked again, but he complied, backing toward the door. “You’ll see, Victoria. I’m the only one who truly cares about what’s best for you and the baby.”
As the door clicked shut behind him, Victoria sank into her chair, exhaling shakily. Damian’s words echoed in her mind, but so did Zayden’s. He had seemed so genuinely confused, so adamant that he had no idea how the body had ended up in his cellar. She needed to understand the truth.
Later that evening, Tobias sat across from her in the living room, a mug of tea in his hands. The warmth of the room contrasted sharply with the cold knot of unease in Victoria’s chest. She leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees as she tried to make sense of it all.
“It doesn’t add up,” she said, her voice laced with frustration. “Zayden’s statement… It lines up with everything I know about him. He’s never been violent. He’s never given me a reason to doubt him.”
Tobias nodded, his expression thoughtful. “You said he claimed he didn’t know the body was there?”
“Yes,” Victoria said, running a hand through her hair. “He said he had no idea how it got there. And the way he reacted… Tobias, he looked genuinely shocked when the police told him it was Roger Steele.”
Tobias sipped his tea, his gaze distant as he considered her words. “What about his alibi? Did he have one for the night Roger went missing?”
Victoria nodded. “Yes. He was hosting a charity event—dozens of witnesses saw him there. And the timing doesn’t match up. He couldn’t have done it, Tobias. Someone’s framing him.”
Tobias leaned back in his chair, his expression darkening. “If that’s true, then whoever did this knew how to make it look bad for him. They wanted him out of the way.”
Victoria frowned, her mind racing. “But why? Why Zayden? He’s not even directly involved in the company. And why hide the body in his cellar? It’s sloppy—almost too obvious.”
“Exactly,” Tobias agreed. “It’s almost like they wanted it to be found. Like they wanted to create chaos.”
Victoria felt a chill run down her spine. “And it worked. Everything’s falling apart—Gregory, the HR manager, now Zayden…”
Tobias leaned forward, his voice low. “You think Damian and Selena had something to do with this?”
“I wouldn’t put it past them,” she said bitterly. “But even they aren’t this careless. Whoever’s behind this… they’re playing a different game.”
Tobias set his mug down, his gaze steady. “You’re right about one thing: something’s missing. There’s a piece of the puzzle we haven’t found yet.”
Victoria nodded, her jaw tightening. “And until we do, Zayden’s going to take the fall for something he didn’t do. I can’t let that happen.”
Tobias watched her for a moment before nodding. “Then we dig deeper. If someone’s trying to frame Zayden, we’ll find out who—and why.”
