Chapter 3 Poisoned bonds

The silence between Veronica and Kelvin hung heavy as they reached her apartment. Blood stained the cuff of his shirt, and still, he hadn't said a word. Neither had she.Not since Valerie's message.> "You were never just his love. You were a plan."

She replayed the words over and over, like a poison she couldn't spit out.

---

Inside, Rodriguez was waiting-pale, rattled, holding a printed still from the hotel footage.

"It's fake," he said, handing it to her. "The timecode loops. Whoever doctored this knew exactly how to make it convincing."

Veronica turned to Kelvin, searching for a reaction.

Kelvin looked at Rodriguez. "How long have you known?"

"Just confirmed it tonight."

Veronica interrupted, coldly. "Answer me. Why did your father hire someone to watch me?"

Kelvin looked away. "Because you were smart. You asked questions. You noticed inconsistencies at Fred's job. My father thought you were a threat-or an asset."

"So I was... what? Bait?" she asked, voice cracking. "The perfect pawn in your family's war?"

"No," Kelvin said, stepping forward. "You became everything they never expected-stronger than the lie."

Her eyes filled with unshed tears-but not from pain. From rage. "You used me."

"I loved you," Kelvin said. "That wasn't part of the plan."

---

Valerie's Confession

The doorbell rang.

Valerie.

Tear-streaked, disheveled, and holding a file marked Project Marionette.

"I was the one who planted the first bug in your phone," Valerie confessed. "I was told you were a corporate spy. But then I got to know you. And I couldn't follow through."

Veronica snatched the file and flipped through.

It held surveillance logs. Photos. GPS coordinates.

One note chilled her blood.> "Ensure pregnancy. Use emotional vulnerability. Discredit Fred. Secure leverage."

Veronica dropped the folder like it burned.

"You planned the baby," she whispered.

"No," Kelvin snapped. "That wasn't me. That was my father. I cut ties with him months before we met."

Rodriguez added quietly, "Your father died six months ago, Kelvin."

Kelvin turned pale.

"What?"

Rodriguez handed him an article on his tablet. A plane crash. No survivors. The official Larkson jet.

"But I spoke to him," Kelvin said slowly. "Last week."

---

The Puppetmaster Isn't Dead

Rodriguez shook his head. "No. You spoke to someone pretending to be him."

Veronica's voice dropped to a whisper. "Then who's been pulling the strings now?"

---

Secret Surveillance Room

In an undisclosed location, a man watched the trio through security cameras. His silhouette was familiar, voice distorted as he whispered into a phone.

"Kelvin still believes I'm dead. And Veronica is almost broken. The time is near."> On the screen: Daniel's crib.

The man stepped into the light.It was fred who was pretending to be kelvin's father and using it to manipulate him.

Fred was the man that was alive. Smirking. And holding a photo of baby Daniel-next to a document which contained a false DNA test report of Daniel showing that the child is for Fred.

---

That night, Veronica went to check on Daniel.But his crib was empty.In its place, a recording device.She pressed play.

Fred's voice echoed out:> "You wanted the truth? Fine. The child isn't his. He's mine. You never had a choice. And now... you never will."

Veronica dropped to her knees.Daniel was gone.