Echoes of Vengeance: The Sweet Wife's Perfect Revenge-Chapter 51: The Quiet Cracks

At Starlink Apartments,

It was one of the luxurious apartment towers in Velmora. Damien drove through the gates with ease, security letting him in without a second glance.

Riding the elevator to the twelfth floor, he entered the security pin like he owned the place.

’Beep.’

Damien froze as the lock buzzed with an error pin. He didn’t try again. Vivienne had changed the passcode.

So, he pressed the doorbell and knocked on the door, but there was no response.

Her silence was louder than any argument she had ever made.

Damien stood outside the door, fists clenched. After all these years of effort, he wouldn’t let Vivienne slip through his fingers. He could free Aveline but not Vivienne.

Did his absence hurt her?

Or was this petty revenge?

Whatever it was, Damien wasn’t giving up. He was determined to achieve what he planned. Burying the rage pulsing through his nerves, he forced himself to walk away.

But Vivienne wasn’t the only woman he had to handle. He dialed Aveline’s number once he drove out of the apartments.

She answered, "Damien!?" Her soft voice eased his bruised ego.

"Nina!?" He said, sounding drained, "Where are you? I’ll pick you up."

He didn’t realize his actions weren’t detailed anymore. Because his thoughts were scattered, pressure was closing in from every side. Vivienne, business, and the poisoning incident.

"I’m at Blackwoods. And no, please don’t come here. You know my parents. They are still angry. Give me some time to coax them."

Her voice was gentle. She didn’t mention divorce. Instead, she asked for time.

Damien gritted his teeth. This wasn’t part of the plan. The Laurents should be pleading with him to fix the situation, not turning against him.

And he blamed Aveline for that shift.

"But Nina..."

Aveline cut in, "I hired a team to tidy Sterling Villa. It should be good to go. You need rest, Damien, you can’t overwork yourself. It’s not good for your health."

He frowned. Her voice carried no warmth. No anger, no sadness, and nothing. It was like she was talking to a stranger.

Uneasiness crept in. "Nina, is everything alright?" He probed.

"Huh..." She sighed, "I mean, no. The treatment has side effects. I threw up twice, I feel weak. The meds make me sleepy."

Damien was too tired to fake worry when she was going to decline anything he offered. "You need rest, Nina. Go to bed. I will call you tomorrow."

She hummed, "I will see if I can meet you tomorrow. Good night, Damien." And the call ended.

While one triggered him, another one nursed his ego.

While one was selfish, another one was a saint.

Should he discard Vivienne and have docile Aveline beside him?

Anyway, Damien shifted focus back to his company problems. The women could wait.

....

At Blackwood residence,

Scarlett refused to use the guest room. She sat on Aveline’s bed, watching her stare into the darkness. "Linnie, this is draining you."

Not just the poison in her body, it was the revenge, the lies, the exhaustion, the manipulation., Scarlett could see it all.

Aveline’s jaw tightened. She knew. Her morals, her principles—they all clashed with what she was doing.

One moment she felt guilty, another moment she wanted to do anything and everything to protect what mattered. She also wants to kill Damien, all the while dealing with her wounds.

She even found herself strange in the mirror.

This wasn’t the life she wanted. It was too complex, too suffocating. She was afraid to trust anyone, even to eat. Every act of kindness made her shrink, afraid of hidden intentions.

But it was only the beginning.

She couldn’t quit. Could she?

When she turned around to face Scarlett, she flashed a weak smile, "I’ll be alright." She also assured herself.

Scarlett tapped the bed beside her, and Aveline sat. "And it’s alright to cry," she said gently.

Before she could stop herself, a warm tear rolled down Aveline’s cheek. Then she broke, venting the heaviness from her heart.

Scarlett got close to her and brushed a hand through her hair, saying nothing. Just holding her as she cried.

She had never seen Aveline like this. Not even sad before the marriage. A girl who found joy in the mundane was now drowning in something colder than sadness.

.....

At the Lancaster mansion

The contrast couldn’t be sharper.

Isabella hadn’t even reached the stairs when a car screeched outside. She didn’t need to check; she already knew.

Giselle Lancaster was angry.

Edward stepped out of the study. Another man in his early thirties followed him.

Nicholas Lancaster.

Alaric’s stepbrother. The stepbrother who couldn’t stand watching Alaric do better. The stepson, who adored Isabella for making Alaric’s life miserable. The son, who resented his father for remarrying. The brother who stopped loving his sister for going soft on their stepbrother.

Nicholas frowned at Giselle’s furious stride. "Mom..." He moved close to Isabella. "What happened?"

Before Giselle could cross the sitting area to reach Isabella, Edward blocked her path, "Giselle, think before you speak." His voice was low and dangerous.

Giselle halted, breathing steadily. She was here as a daughter to fix the mess before it goes out of control. If she came as a lawyer, no one, neither Isabella nor the Lancasters, would be able to stop her.

"Amazing." She muttered, easing the fire in her chest. "Dad, I warned Mom. I warned you, too. Don’t interfere in Ric’s life."

She stepped forward, "He isn’t a little boy anymore. Not the one waiting for his mother while she ran behind another son. Not the one turning to his father, hoping to be protected."

"Sis, what the hell are you saying?" Nicholas interrupted.

"Fuck off." Giselle didn’t even blink.

"Giselle." Edward hissed under his breath.

But she didn’t stop. "Dad, just like you are trying to protect your woman, he is protecting his."

"He has a woman!?" Nicholas scoffed, intrigued.

Giselle shot him a glare, silently warning him to stay out of it. Then she turned back to Edward, who glanced at Isabella in disappointment.

He had hoped Isabella would stop. She didn’t. Now Giselle stood where Isabella should’ve.

"When mom gives up everything to be with you, why can’t he? Is Obsidian more important than Ric?"

She rolled her eyes, "For god’s sake, Obsidian wasn’t even her idea. The concept, the report, was Ric’s. Matthews acted on his behalf. Because, of course, she never listens to Ric."

(Alvin Matthews - A founding member of Obsidian.)

Isabella stood there frozen. She had believed Alaric was just helping her manage the Obsidian. Now she realized he had built the foundation she stood on.

Edward held back, refusing to argue with Isabella in front of their children.

Instead, he stood for his wife, "It doesn’t give you the right to speak to your mother like this."

Giselle agreed, "You are right." Her tone switched to formal and cold, "Next time we meet, I will be representing Alaric Lancaster. And my client has decided to file restraining orders against Chairwoman Isabella De’Conti."

Isabella lowered her head. She didn’t know whether to be proud of Giselle for choosing Alaric or shattered that Giselle wouldn’t even try to change his mind.

Edward’s expression shifted. Panic flickered in his eyes. He stepped forward, grabbing Giselle’s wrist, "Giselle, no."

Giselle looked at her father, then glanced at Isabella. She never understood why Edward always held back, especially when it was about Alaric.

"He isn’t a prisoner, Dad. He deserves to live his life. If not me, someone will represent him. With the evidence he has, even a rookie could win."

Edward’s grip faltered. What he feared was happening. "No, no... Just give me time, I’ll fix it."

Giselle didn’t want this either. Alaric wouldn’t listen to her, and if Edward refuses to let her talk to Isabella, he would have to take charge. "Tomorrow, half past four, Dad. That’s how long you have got."

And she left.

Edward turned to Isabella, but she was already climbing the stairs. He followed quietly.

Nicholas shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets and chuckled. "Interesting." He muttered, heading back to the study, "I need to meet this woman."