Chapter 7 - Vivienne's Beautiful LieTheron collapsed against the railway platform.
Eleanor ran toward him, but Vivienne raised the gun.
“Don't.”
Eleanor froze.
“You shot your own lover.”
“He was becoming inconvenient.”
Theron pressed one hand against his shoulder. Blood slipped between his fingers.
“You're insane,” he rasped.
Vivienne laughed.
“You knew exactly what I was when you brought me into your house.”
“I brought you in because you promised to help me find Adrian.”
“Julian,” Eleanor snapped.
Vivienne turned her smile toward her.
“Names are such fragile things, aren't they? One day, you're a beloved son. The next, you're a criminal who never existed.”
Eleanor took a careful step forward.
“What do you want?”
“The phone. The ledger. And the pendant.”
“Why?”
“Because the people who hired me are tired of waiting.”
“Who hired you?”
Vivienne's expression changed.
For the first time, Eleanor saw fear beneath the polished mask.
“Your father made enemies,” Vivienne said. “Very powerful enemies.”
“My father is dead.”
“That's what everyone believes.”
Eleanor went still.
Vivienne approached, her gun steady.
“Your father discovered that Charles Ashworth wasn't the mastermind. He was a middleman. The real money came from a group that financed private security operations across several countries. They used shell corporations to buy politicians, judges, and intelligence officials.”
“And you work for them?”
“I used to.”
“What happened?”
Vivienne's smile returned.
“I met Theron.”
Theron struggled to sit up.
“Don't listen to her.”
Vivienne kicked the gun away from his reach.
“You see, Eleanor, Theron wanted to find his brother. I wanted access to the Kingsley trust. We made an arrangement.”
“You seduced him.”
“He was lonely. You were obsessed with your dead family. It wasn't difficult.”
“And the pregnancy?”
Her eyes flickered.
Eleanor noticed.
“Is there really a baby?”
Vivienne's jaw tightened.
“That's none of your business.”
“You used the pregnancy to make Theron protect you.”
“I used whatever was available.”
Eleanor looked at Theron's face.
He appeared devastated, but she no longer trusted the expression.
“You're both pathetic,” she whispered.
Vivienne slapped her.
“Don't speak to me like that.”
Eleanor staggered but remained standing.
“You murdered my parents.”
“I didn't pull the trigger.”
“You arranged the crash.”
“I arranged a transfer. Your father was supposed to be on the plane, along with the documents he carried. I didn't know your mother and brother would escape.”
“Then why did you tell me you killed them?”
“Because I needed you to be afraid.”
Vivienne leaned closer.
“Fear makes people careless. Your husband knew that. I knew that. Everyone except you.”
From the darkness came a quiet voice.
“She is lying.”
Vivienne spun around.
Chen stepped onto the platform.
Two security specialists appeared behind him.
“Put the gun down,” he said.
Vivienne laughed.
“You think you can arrest me?”
“No. I think you can surrender.”
She turned toward Eleanor, seized her by the collar, and pressed the gun against her ribs.
“Back off.”
Chen stopped.
“Vivienne,” Eleanor whispered, “you said my father was supposed to be on the plane.”
“Yes.”
“Then who was on it?”
For the first time, Vivienne hesitated.
That hesitation was enough.
A sharp movement came from behind the platform.
Someone struck Vivienne's wrist. The gun fired into the air.
Eleanor dropped to the ground as Chen's men rushed forward.
Vivienne fought violently, kicking one man in the knee and scratching another across the face. But they forced her against the platform railing and secured her hands.
Theron lay motionless nearby.
Eleanor crawled toward him.
“Theron?”
His eyes opened.
“Don't,” he whispered.
“Don't what?”
“Don't forgive me.”
His face twisted with pain.
“I know what I did. I know what I allowed. I don't deserve another chance.”
Eleanor pressed a cloth against his wound.
“I haven't decided what you deserve.”
Chen approached with his phone.
“The authorities are on their way.”
Vivienne suddenly stopped struggling.
“You fool,” she said to Chen. “You have no idea what you've just done.”
Chen's expression remained calm.
“Then explain it.”
She looked directly at Eleanor.
“You think capturing me brings you closer to the truth? You think your brother is the key?”
Eleanor said nothing.
Vivienne smiled.
“Ask your brother why your father never came home.”
The words struck Eleanor like ice water.
Chen crouched beside Vivienne.
“What did you say?”
Vivienne looked at him.
“Your precious Richard Kingsley survived the crash. But he didn't spend twenty-six years searching for Julian.”
May you like
She turned back toward Eleanor.
“He spent twenty-six years hiding from him.”
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