Chapter 14
Victoria sat at her kitchen table, the warm glow of the overhead light doing little to calm the storm raging inside her. Tobias shuffled through documents beside her, his brow furrowed in concentration. Elena stood by the window, pacing back and forth, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Jonathan sat at the far end of the table, his sharp eyes scanning every corner of the room, as though danger could materialize out of the shadows at any moment.
“It has to be Selena,” Elena said, breaking the heavy silence. She stopped pacing and turned to face the group. “The message on the car? That’s her style. Dramatic, public, and full of malice.”
Jonathan nodded slowly. “It could be. But think about how unstable she’s been lately. If Selena knows Victoria is alive, she might have already told others—intentionally or not. That message might not just be from her.”
Tobias frowned, setting down the document he’d been reading. “And that makes her even more dangerous. If she’s confided in someone or dragged others into this mess, we’re no longer dealing with just her or Damian.”
Victoria stared blankly at the teacup in front of her, her fingers drumming anxiously on the edge of the table. “I can handle Selena,” she muttered, though her voice betrayed the weariness she felt. “What I can’t handle is this constant guessing. Who else knows? What else am I walking into?”
Elena sighed, moving to sit beside her. “This could escalate fast. Damian knows who you are, but Selena—she’s the wild card. If she’s desperate, she’ll lash out. And with the baby…”
Victoria’s hand instinctively rested on her stomach. “The baby makes me vulnerable,” she admitted. “But it also gives me something to fight for.”
“And something for them to exploit,” Jonathan added bluntly. “Let’s be real about this. Selena is unhinged, and Damian is unpredictable at best. They both have reasons to see you gone, whether for revenge or self-preservation.”
Tobias folded his arms, leaning back in his chair. “So what do we do? We can’t just sit here and wait for them to make the next move.”
Elena leaned forward, her voice sharp. “We secure her. Double the surveillance. Change the routes she takes. The car attack was a message, yes, but it could’ve easily been more than that.”
“And then what?” Victoria snapped, her voice rising. “Hide? Run? I can’t keep living like this. I didn’t come back to be scared of shadows.”
“You came back for revenge,” Jonathan said coolly, locking eyes with her. “But revenge doesn’t work if you’re dead.”
Victoria bristled but didn’t reply, the truth of his words cutting deep.
Tobias interjected, his tone measured. “If we focus on Selena, we might be missing the bigger picture. What if this isn’t just about her? Damian knows you’re alive, Victoria. That changes everything.”
Elena nodded. “He’s right. Damian isn’t exactly Selena’s lapdog anymore. If anything, he’s more dangerous because he’s smarter. He’s playing his own game now.”
Victoria exhaled sharply, frustration bubbling to the surface. “Damian claims he wouldn’t hurt me. That he wouldn’t hurt the mother of his child.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm, her bitterness unmistakable. “But how can I believe anything he says? He stood by while Selena tried to destroy me. He—”
Her words were cut off by the sound of her phone buzzing loudly on the table. The group fell silent, their eyes snapping to the screen. The name DAMIAN glowed brightly, almost mocking her.
Victoria’s chest tightened as she stared at the phone, her breath catching in her throat. Elena leaned forward, her voice low. “Are you going to answer that?”
Jonathan frowned, his expression grim. “You might not have a choice. If you ignore him, he’ll just escalate.”
Tobias nodded in agreement. “He knows you’re alive, Victoria. He won’t let this go.”
Victoria hesitated, her hand trembling as she reached for the phone. The ringing stopped, leaving a hollow silence in its wake, only for the buzzing to start again seconds later. Damian’s name flashed on the screen once more.
“Answer it,” Elena urged. “You need to find out what he wants.”
Victoria’s jaw tightened. Finally, she swiped her thumb across the screen and brought the phone to her ear. “What do you want, Damian?”
“Victoria,” his voice came through, low and steady, yet laced with something she couldn’t quite place. “We need to talk. Now.”
Her grip on the phone tightened. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Don’t do that,” he snapped, his tone sharp. “Don’t act like this doesn’t matter. Don’t act like we don’t have unfinished business.”
“Unfinished business?” she repeated, her voice rising with anger. “You mean like the way you helped Selena destroy my life? Like the way you tried to erase me?”
Damian was quiet for a moment, then said, “I didn’t—”
“Save it!” she shouted, cutting him off. “You don’t get to play the victim. You knew what she was doing, Damian. You didn’t stop her. You didn’t care. And now you expect me to what? Sit down and have a chat with you?”
“This isn’t just about you anymore,” he said, his voice firm. “It’s about the child you’re carrying. My child.”
