Chapter 3
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Each minute, each second felt like balancing on a knife's edge.
I displayed unprecedented calm—eating and sleeping on schedule, cooperating with examinations, always wearing a docile smile.
My obedience lulled Victoria into complacency.
Her mind now fixated entirely on the shareholders' meeting and countering the Wilson Group's takeover bid. She had no attention to spare for me—a "handled" breeding vessel.
Ethan had become my pawn, planted deep in enemy territory.
He grew unusually busy.
Each day he left early and returned late, trailing faint scents of tobacco and alcohol.
Victoria was using him to schmooze with directors and shareholders, conducting her backroom deals.
Perfect.
The more people he met, the more intelligence he could gather.
Each night, he'd come to my room under the pretense of "checking on me."
No warmth passed between us—only cold, hard information.
"The Wilson Group has quietly acquired over fifteen percent of Grant's scattered shares. They're planning to unite with smaller shareholders to seize thirty-five percent controlling interest in one move."
"Victoria plans to sell two profitable subsidiaries for cash flow and stock stabilization. The board is fighting her on it."
"Angela's father is using his medical reputation to support Wilson, claiming Benjamin's condition is terminal—all to shake investor confidence."
Piece by piece, a complete picture formed in my mind.
Victoria was drowning, surrounded by enemies on all sides.
My job was to deliver one final, devastating push to this crumbling tower.
"Not enough," I told Ethan. "This will wound Victoria, but we need something fatal. I need evidence that will destroy her completely."
Ethan's face darkened. "She's careful. All the real dirty work goes through her right-hand man, Kevin Ward. I can't get near any of it."
"Then make a way," I said, my gaze arctic. "Don't forget what's at stake. If you bring me only scraps, our deal ends. I can still burn everything down alone—but you'll be buried in the ashes."
My words struck him like a poisoned dagger.
Humiliation and resentment flashed across his face before settling into grim acceptance.
"…I understand," he said through gritted teeth.
For two days, Ethan didn't return.
I didn't know his methods, but I believed a cornered man could accomplish impossible things.
I used this time for my final preparations.
With the scalpel, I carefully sliced open the mattress and concealed it deep within.
I mentally rehearsed escape routes, memorizing camera blind spots and guard rotation schedules.
I even restricted my diet, minimizing calories to keep my body as light and agile as possible.
The baby seemed to sense my tension—its movements grew more frequent, more urgent.
I stroked my belly gently, speaking to my child in my heart:
"Don't be afraid, little one. Mommy will get us out of this hell soon. We'll go somewhere no one knows us and live free."
Late on the third night, Ethan finally appeared.
He looked wrecked—bruised lip, torn collar, reeking of alcohol.
He staggered to my bedside and thrust a USB drive into my hand.
"What is this?" My heart clenched.
"Kevin Ward," he rasped, breathing heavily. "Got him drunk. Copied it from his phone."
My heart raced.
I immediately plugged the drive into my offline tablet.
It contained a single encrypted file.
"Password?"
"Victoria's birthday," Ethan replied with bitter irony.
I typed in the numbers I'd memorized long ago.
The file opened.
Inside: countless transfer records, email exchanges, and several compromising videos.
The stars: Victoria and Kevin Ward.
The content detailed how they'd systematically hollowed out the company, funneling massive assets overseas.
Embezzlement. Bribery. Money laundering.
Any single charge could put them away for life.
But most shocking was a medical record.
Benjamin Grant's actual medical record.
It revealed Benjamin wasn't suffering from any incurable disease—but from systematic poisoning.
The poisoner: Victoria.
She wanted her adopted son—no, her illegitimate son with Kevin Ward—to inherit the Grant fortune. So she'd been slowly poisoning William's only biological son for years!
A chill shot from my feet to the crown of my head.
That woman was truly venomous—a snake in human form!
And Ethan…
I jerked my head up to look at him.
His head was bowed, his expression hidden from me.
"You… knew this all along?" My voice trembled.
He remained silent before slowly raising his head.
His bloodshot eyes held no anger or shock—only a deadened sorrow.
"I didn't know about the poisoning," he said hoarsely. "I always thought I was William's son. Now I learn I'm not even his bastard. I'm just… a mistake."
He laughed—a sound uglier than weeping.
"You were right, Olivia. I thought I'd found salvation, but I only jumped into a deeper hell—one crafted specially for me by my own mother."
Looking at him, I felt an unexpected flicker of sympathy.
We were both pawns in this game, both betrayed by our own blood.
The only difference: my mother sold me for money, while his sacrificed him for twisted ambition.
"Ethan," I asked coolly, burying my emotions, "do you have any way out now?"
He shook his head, a cold hardness flickering in his eyes.
"From the moment she gave me the Shaw name, there was no turning back."
"Good." I clutched the USB drive tightly—our blood oath, burning in my palm.
"Everything is ready. Now we just need the right moment."
I stared into the darkness outside, already envisioning the inferno that would soon rise at dawn, consuming everything in its path.
Victoria, your reckoning has come.
