Chapter 9 THE RETURN OF VICTORIA DEVEREUX

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Adrian stared at the photograph, the corners of his mouth tightening as if he were trying to stop old wounds from bleeding again.

"She died in a car crash fifteen years ago," he murmured. "That's what they told me."

Leah hovered by the edge of the room, her heart thudding with unease. "Then why is she here now? Why warn me?"

Adrian looked up, pain and disbelief etched into his face. "Because if she's alive... it means she's not done with the Devereux family. And I'm guessing she wants revenge."

Marcus folded his arms, his voice low. "The intel says she's been operating in Eastern Europe under an alias. Building networks. Waiting. Looks like she's finally making her move."

Leah's voice cracked with emotion. "Adrian, who is she really?"

He hesitated before answering, then gestured for Leah to sit.

"My grandfather had two children-my father, Charles, and Victoria. Charles inherited everything. Victoria got nothing. Not because she wasn't smart or capable-she was brilliant-but because she was a woman, and the board saw her as a threat. She was cut out of the will, discredited, and forced out of the company."

Leah's eyes widened. "And she faked her death?"

Adrian nodded. "That's my guess. To disappear. To plan."

"Plan what?"

Adrian's voice dropped like stone. "To destroy the family from the inside out. And now, Caleb-our son-is the perfect pawn. Or target."

Leah's stomach twisted. "She helped me. She warned me."

"That doesn't make her an ally," Adrian said coldly. "It makes her a strategist."

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Later that night...

Leah stood by the window of the safehouse, watching the waves crash violently against the cliffside. Adrian had fallen silent after the conversation with Marcus. He hadn't touched his dinner. Hadn't spoken a word in over an hour.

She crossed the room to him. "Tell me what you're thinking."

He exhaled slowly, his gaze distant. "She was the one who taught me how to play the piano when I was a kid. Victoria. She used to call me her little shadow."

Leah's heart softened. "You cared about her."

"I did." His jaw clenched. "And she left me without a word. Just disappeared. And now she resurfaces... and gets involved with you? With Caleb?"

"She might be trying to help us. Maybe she regrets what happened."

Adrian turned to her, voice low and dark. "She doesn't regret. She avenges."

Just then, a knock came at the door.

This time, no one was on the porch. Just another envelope.

Leah picked it up carefully, opened it, and froze.

Inside was a photograph-Caleb playing in the yard just yesterday. The angle was distant but clear. Someone had been watching them.

Scrawled on the back in blood-red ink were the words:

"You took everything from me. Now I'll take what matters most to you."

Leah's hand trembled as she showed it to Adrian.

Adrian's face went pale. "She's here. She's closer than we thought."

jaw clenched so hard Leah could see the muscles twitching. He stormed toward the window, scanning the shadows beyond the trees.

"She's watching us," he muttered. "She's been watching all along."

Leah wrapped her arms around herself. "We're not safe here anymore."

Adrian turned back to her, eyes sharp. "No, we're not. Pack a bag. We leave within the hour."

Marcus nodded from the hallway, already on the phone. "I'll secure a new location. No digital trace. We'll go completely off-grid."

But Leah didn't move. Her eyes stayed fixed on the photograph.

"She knows about Caleb," she whispered. "She's using him to get to you."

Adrian knelt before her, gripping her hands. "She won't touch him. I won't let her."

Leah's eyes shimmered with tears. "I've lived in fear before. I can't do that again, Adrian. Not with my son."

"He's our son," Adrian said firmly. "And I swear on everything I have left-I'll burn the Devereux empire to the ground before I let anyone lay a finger on him."

A long silence passed between them, tension thick as smoke. Then Leah nodded.

"I trust you."

But just as she turned to leave the room, her phone buzzed.

One message.

No number.

No name.

Just a video clip.

Leah hesitated, then played it.

The footage was grainy-but unmistakable.

Caleb. At the playground.

But he wasn't alone.

A woman with auburn hair and sunglasses crouched beside him, whispering something into his ear before gently handing him a small red box.

The box looked exactly like the one from Adrian's childhood.

Leah's blood turned to ice.

"She got to him," she breathed. "She was there, Adrian. She's already touched him."

Adrian's world tilted.

Victoria hadn't just resurfaced.

She had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed.

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