Chapter 25
Life continued at Kane Industries as though nothing monumental was happening behind the scenes. Meetings were held, reports were filed, and the office buzzed with its usual rhythm. But for Victoria, everything felt like a performance. Behind her composed exterior was the chaos of Operation Find Gregory, a mission that could either bring her closer to reclaiming her legacy—or destroy her completely.
She sat at her desk, the mid-afternoon sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Her lunch—a simple salad she wasn’t particularly interested in eating—sat untouched on her desk. Her mind was elsewhere, running through the encrypted message on her phone over and over again. Gregory is alive. But for how long depends on you.
The thought haunted her. Somewhere out there, Gregory was alive. He had the answers she needed. But whoever had him wasn’t making it easy. And yet, here she was, stuck pretending everything was fine, even when nothing was.
A knock at her door snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Come in,” she called, her tone more clipped than she intended.
The door opened, and there he was—Damian. He stepped inside carrying an elaborate arrangement of flowers, a mix of roses, lilies, and orchids spilling out of a crystal vase. He grinned, holding it up like a trophy.
“For my beautiful baby mama,” he announced.
Victoria’s eyes widened, a mix of shock and disgust twisting her features. “Are you serious?” she asked, her voice flat.
“What?” Damian said, feigning innocence. He placed the flowers on her desk, ignoring the way she recoiled. “I thought I’d bring a little brightness to your day. You deserve it.”
She pushed the vase away as though it were contaminated. “Get that away from me,” she said sharply, her voice rising. “I don’t want it.”
Damian’s grin faltered, but he recovered quickly, slipping into his usual smooth demeanor. “Why are you playing hard to get, Victoria? It doesn’t suit you.”
“Hard to get?” she repeated, standing up abruptly. “You think this is some kind of game? Damian, you killed me. Do you even understand the gravity of that? You don’t get to waltz in here with flowers and pretend we’re some happy family. It’s disgusting.”
He frowned, his jaw tightening. “I’ve already told you, I never wanted to hurt you.”
Victoria let out a bitter laugh, crossing her arms. “That’s rich coming from the man who tried to choke the life out of me. You did hurt me, Damian. And now you’re here, acting like some doting father-to-be? It’s revolting.”
He stepped closer, his tone softening. “Victoria, I made mistakes—”
“Mistakes?” she interrupted, her voice rising. “A mistake is forgetting an anniversary, Damian. Murder is not a mistake. Don’t stand there and insult me by pretending you care.”
“I do care!” he snapped, his voice louder now. “I care about you, and I care about our baby. Whether you believe it or not, I’m trying to make things right.”
She shook her head, her anger boiling over. “You don’t get to make things right. Not with me. Not after everything you’ve done.”
Damian’s expression hardened, his frustration evident. “You think you can just erase me, Victoria? You think I’m going to let you raise my child without me?”
Her eyes narrowed, and her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “Watch me.”
For a moment, they stood there, the tension between them crackling like a live wire. Damian opened his mouth to speak, but Victoria didn’t wait to hear what he had to say. She grabbed her bag and strode past him, leaving the flowers untouched on her desk.
Victoria’s heels clicked against the marble floor of the lobby as she walked briskly toward the exit. She needed air, space, anything to get away from Damian and the suffocating weight of their history. Her hands were shaking, but she kept her head high, her expression carefully composed.
She was so focused on her escape that she didn’t see him until she collided with his chest. The impact was light, but it startled her enough to make her take a step back. She looked up, her breath catching in her throat.
“Zayden,” she said, her voice a mix of surprise and annoyance.
Zayden Huntington stood before her, his ever-present smirk firmly in place. He raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes glinting with amusement. “Faith just won’t leave us alone now, will it?” he said, chuckling softly.
Victoria stared at him, her mind racing. Of all the people she could have run into, it had to be him. Again.
And this time, she wasn’t sure she could keep her composure.
