The third move was all about crafting an elaborate illusion–making Victor believe we were backing Graham and preparing a
hostile takeover.
Faced with what he saw as a threat, Victor would inevitably take extreme actions. Combined with William’s mounting dissatisfaction with him, this would lead to the inevitable: Victor losing his status as the heir.
The only extra step I added in this timeline was inviting him to the riverbank.
If he had stayed at the Harlow Corporation headquarters, he might have uncovered the truth too soon.
Tonight’s “coup” was not without William’s cooperation.
William trusted my father.
1/3
+15 Bonus
When my father suggested that Victor might harbor ulterior motives and that a little test wouldn’t hurt, William went along with
- it.
Everything simply fell into place.
The next time I saw Victor was three months later, in the visiting room of a detention center.
It was a freezing winter night, and the cold seeped into the room like a knife, eerily reminiscent of the day I died in my past life.
Victor sat slumped in a corner, his prison uniform hanging loosely on his gaunt frame. The confident, polished financial elite he
once was had completely vanished.
It didn’t have to come to this.
But William, utterly disappointed in him, refused to see Victor even on his deathbed.
Yes, despite having a top–tier medical team, William’s heart condition only bought him three more months.
Hearing footsteps, Victor lifted his head, a faint glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.
When I entered the room, he immediately stood up and reached out to take my hand.
I stepped back, leaving his hand awkwardly suspended in midair.
“Mia, you still refuse to forgive me.”
A cold laugh escaped my lips.
“Mia, we’ve both been given a second chance. Don’t you see? It’s an opportunity for us to start over.”
“I don’t see it that way,” I replied, keeping my distance. “Our rebirth might stem from some unresolved injustice.”
The light in his eyes dimmed.
“Victor, do you know why, after all our years of marriage, I never had a child with you?”
His gaze dropped to my abdomen, a shadow of realization flickering across his face.
“It’s because, from the day we got married, I was taking birth control.”
Back then, the tension between us had become unbearable, his resentment radiating like a slow–burning poison. There was no way I would condemn a child to live within such a corrosive family environment.
“But the truth is, we did have a child once.”
Victor’s eyes widened in shock.
“When you killed me, I was already three months pregnant.”
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Chapter 12
“Why didn’t you-”
“Why didn’t I tell you?” I met his eyes unflinchingly. “Why should I give birth for someone like you?”
