hapter 275
Damian stormed out of the villa, his entire body trembling with rage.
“Mother, why would you debase yourself like that in front of that bastard?” His voice was a low, dangerous growl. “You’re the rightful Mrs. Kingsley now, and I’m still the heir to this family. We don’t have to take this!” Every muscle in his body ached, but the humiliation burned worse than any physical pain.
“Shut your mouth.” Victoria’s hand twitched, the urge to strike him nearly overwhelming. But seeing the sweat glistening on his forehead, she forced herself to lower it. She exhaled sharply, struggling to maintain her composure. Lately, her emotions had been slipping more frequently—all thanks to her reckless, impulsive son.
“Even if you wanted to fight back, you couldn’t,” she muttered, her voice tight with suppressed fury. “Did you not notice? Alexander has skills. That man has been trained.”
Which meant Alexander wasn’t the helpless invalid they had all believed him to be. He had been hiding his true strength this entire time.
“I saw it,” Damian snarled, his teeth grinding together as he imagined tearing Alexander apart limb by limb. “But that doesn’t mean we just surrender and let him walk all over us!”
Victoria’s lips curled into a cold, calculating smirk. “Let him play his little games. He was the one who struck first. It’s only a matter of time before Richard finds out.” She hesitated, something darker flickering in her gaze. “Alexander may suspect us, but he doesn’t have proof. Not yet.”
Damian, nearly shaking with rage, exploded. “Alexander is completely unhinged! Amelia didn’t die, and he still tried to kill me. If she had actually died, would he have come for my throat?” The thought only fueled his fury, making it burn hotter. “And now, Amelia’s fine—better than fine. It’s like she had some miraculous recovery, suddenly able to speak again. I should be the one being thanked, not treated like a criminal!”
Victoria’s eyes sharpened. “Enough. Keep those thoughts to yourself. She’s Richard’s only granddaughter. You need to start acting like her doting uncle—or at least pretend to care, for heaven’s sake.” She took a slow, steadying breath, trying to suppress her rising irritation. “Alexander is cunning, and I still don’t know all the cards he’s holding. We can’t afford to act recklessly.”
She paused, her gaze narrowing. “But something doesn’t add up… That explosion should have worked. It wasn’t just a mistake. And during the race—how did Isabella manage to evade so easily?” Isabella’s face flashed through her mind.
For all her quiet, unassuming demeanor, Victoria knew there was something wild lurking beneath the surface.
“Investigate Isabella thoroughly,” Victoria ordered, her voice like ice. “She might be the key to bringing Alexander down.”
Damian scoffed, still unable to see how Isabella could possibly be useful. To him, it was nothing more than dumb luck.
“For now, we lie low,” Victoria continued. “No more reckless schemes. Let them trip over their own arrogance. Everyone has a weakness. We just need to find his.”
She turned to stare out the window, her expression colder than steel.
“And when the time comes,” she murmured, almost too softly to hear, “we won’t leave any loose ends.” Her gaze turned lethal. “Everyone involved in that race, the kidnapping—they all disappear. No one lives to tell the tale.”
