Echoes of Vengeance: The Sweet Wife's Perfect Revenge-Chapter 47: Falling Pieces

In the morning, Ezra got a message from the housekeeper of one of Alaric’s villas.

[Vivienne Sinclair is in the villa]

That didn’t surprise Alaric. Damien knew about the villa and its entry code. But he hadn’t expected Damien to use his property to hide Vivienne.

Damien’s plan was meticulous. If Vivienne claimed she’d been held at Alaric’s villa, Alaric would be the prime suspect for the kidnapping. And if Alaric dared to bring in the cops? He’d still be the prime suspect. Either way, it was a trap.

Letting Vivienne stay seemed like the safest move at the time. But was it?

No.

What if the cops found her on their own? What if she ran her mouth?

Was Damien hanging a sword above his head?

There was no way this was accidental. Especially not when Vivienne’s name came up during Damien’s interrogation, and Alaric’s sister was actively backing Aveline.

And that’s why Alaric showed up in person to get rid of Vivienne from the villa and to shut her mouth for good. ƒreewebɳovel.com

Vivienne blushed under his gaze and smiled sweetly. "So... are you here to rescue me, or just to enjoy the view?"

The view she was talking about wasn’t the lake surrounded by woods, but herself.

She’d first seen Damien at one of Alaric’s parties. But her eyes had drifted to the host instead. Why wouldn’t it?

He was filthy rich and also handsome.

But Alaric was out of her league, and she knew it. He didn’t care about anyone but himself and money. She thought.

Lately, though, Alaric had changed. He was serious now about life and his business.

Just recently, she learnt that Alaric wasn’t playing around anymore. He was serious about his life and doing his own business.

So she had put on her best helpless and seductive act. If she could catch his attention, she would hit the jackpot. The Lancasters had far deeper pockets than the Ashfords.

Alaric didn’t respond. Instead, he glanced at Ezra, who calmly set an iPad on the coffee table.

A video began to play.

Vivienne’s face drained of color as the scene unfolded. A crystal-clear recording of her one-night stand from Ashvale Highlands.

Disbelief flickered, then panic. Fear of exposure. Fear of it getting out on social media. Fear of Damien seeing it.

She snapped her head toward Alaric, eyes wide. "You..."

Ezra cut in. "You have one minute to leave the villa." His voice was flat. Unyielding, leaving no room for arguments.

Vivienne had a thousand questions. But all she said was, "Alaric Lancaster, I have my needs. Damien doesn’t even have time for me." Her desperation leaked into her voice, justifying her actions.

Ezra checked his watch. "Fifty seconds."

Her eyes flared at Ezra’s words. She lashed out at Alaric. "How did you even get the video? I’ll sue you for threatening me with my explicit video!"

A few beats passed, but Alaric’s expression didn’t change.

Ezra spoke again. "Thirty seconds."

Vivienne panicked. "I’ll leave! Just don’t tell Damien. Please—don’t." She begged,

"Fifteen seconds."

Her hands trembled. Her breath quickened. The video, the implication, the humiliation, she couldn’t bear it. "Say something, dammit!" she cried, needing an assurance.

Ezra calmly began the countdown. "Ten... nine... eight..."

Vivienne bolted. She grabbed her phone and ran for the front door. The moment she flung it open, she froze and screamed.

"Ahhh!!"

Demolition vehicles stood at the ready: an excavator, loader, and two huge trucks. Eyeing Alaric and dreaming of Lancaster’s wealth, she hadn’t even heard a sound until now.

She tripped on the step and scraped her knees. The pain shot through her nerves, yet she scrambled up and moved to the side just as the excavator’s arm smashed through the entrance.

The wall groaned at the sheer force, it cracked and collapsed to the ground.

Alaric and Ezra stepped out through the bay window, watching the lake through the trees. It was the only place Alaric never partied.

The only place he always escaped for a quiet, peaceful retreat to drown out the questions that crumbled his sanity.

Now, he stood, hearing glasses shatter, walls caving. He didn’t look back, instead, his eyes glinted murderously.

"Sell it," Alaric said coldly and walked away.

Damien used to be a friend. Now, he was worse than an enemy. Alaric wouldn’t give him another weapon to use. Not if it meant even a sliver of trouble for Aveline.

They got into the car and drove off. They didn’t spare a glance or a thought at Vivienne shivering in the autumn wind, walking on gravel, in a thin lounge dress and house slippers.

––––

At Ashford Holdings,

Damien was deep in a meeting with new investors of Project Obelisk when his phone rang. Not once or twice but again and again. It was silent. He didn’t notice.

He checked his mobile after an hour when they took a small break. His jaw ticked looking at several missed calls from Vivienne.

He didn’t care about her well-being at that moment. He only cared that her disappearance might tie back to him. He didn’t want cops to use these calls against him.

He called back. His voice was already hissing when she picked up the call, "Are you f*cking crazy? Didn’t I tell you not to call me?"

There was no response on the line. Damien’s patience was running thin. He was about to snap when she spoke through her teeth.

[I’m at the police station.] Then the line went dead.

Damien: "..."

He didn’t dare to call back again while she was still inside the police station. He glanced at the new investors outside the meeting room. He couldn’t leave now. So he turned to his secretary. "Find out where Vivienne is and what’s happening. Now."

"Yes, Sir..." The secretary rushed out.

Damien pulled up the news feed. ’Vivienne Sinclair found.’ It was trending.

He opened the post and read her father’s statement.

’She lost her way in the woods. The car broke down, had no signal. She slept in her car, then walked to the road and called me.’

"Bullsh*t," Damien cursed.

Vivienne would never leave the villa on her own, and she didn’t have her car.

He had told her that they could use this situation to their advantage. Frame Aveline, twist the truth, and target Giselle through Alaric.

She would never give up that edge, unless someone forced her hand.

Her father?

Or someone else?

Before he could think further, the meeting resumed. He had to push the questions down for now.

....

At the police station,

Vivienne stared at the glass of water they handed her.

The officers were questioning her rigorously. They didn’t believe a word she said.

Her father had insulted her, calling her a fool. Said he didn’t have a smart son but a foolish daughter who brought disaster to the family.

The final blow came when she stepped out of the interrogation room and saw who was standing beside her father.

It wasn’t Damien but his secretary.

His secretary wasn’t there to help her out of the mess but to simply learn about the situation.

Her fingers curled tightly around the glass. "You used me as bait?" She whispered.

Her lips twitched into a bitter smile, "Fine..." She set the glass down. "But next time... I bite."