Chapter 6 — The Enemy Behind the Enemy
The name Victor Lang stayed in my mind long after my father finished explaining who he was.
I had heard of him before.
Everyone in the business world had.
Victor Lang was the kind of man people described carefully.
Not because they respected him.
Because they feared him.
He was known as a brilliant strategist, a corporate negotiator, and a man who could destroy a company without ever stepping inside its headquarters.
He didn’t need to raise his voice.
He didn’t need threats.
He simply moved pieces on a board until his opponents realized they had already lost.
And now I knew something I never expected.
Nathan Ashford had not been playing his own game.
He had been playing someone else’s.
“Why would Victor Lang want to destroy you?” I asked my father.
Alexander Vale looked out the window of his office.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he answered.
“Because twenty years ago, I stopped him from taking something that didn’t belong to him.”
I waited.
My father rarely spoke about his past.
Not because he was hiding something.
Because he believed some battles were better left buried.
But now the past had returned.
“He wanted control of a company I had invested in,” my father explained.
“He used manipulation, false reports, and private agreements to force other shareholders into selling.”
“And you stopped him?”
“Yes.”
My father looked back at me.
“I exposed the entire operation.”
I understood immediately.
Victor Lang had lost.
And powerful people did not forget losing.
“He’s been waiting all these years?”
My father nodded.
“Some people forgive mistakes.”
A pause.
“Victor does not forgive humiliation.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“We believe Nathan was recruited about five years ago.”
“Before he met me?”
“Yes.”
The answer felt heavier than I expected.
Because suddenly, every memory of my marriage looked different.
The first dinner.
The proposal.
The wedding.
The promises.
How much of it was real?
How much was planned?
I hated that question.
Because I already knew the answer.
Almost none of it.
My father noticed my silence.
“Eleanor.”
I looked up.
“This is not your fault.”
I didn’t answer.
Because logically, I knew that.
But emotionally…
It was harder.
I had trusted someone completely.
And that trust had been used against me.
Daniel placed another folder on the desk.
“There’s more.”
I opened it.
Inside were photographs of Nathan meeting Victor Lang.
Not once.
Not twice.
Dozens of times.
Secret meetings.
Private locations.
Hidden conversations.
The timeline was clear.
Nathan had been working with Victor long before the abuse started.
Long before Celeste appeared.
Long before I knew something was wrong.
“He planned everything,” I whispered.
My father nodded.
“Yes.”
I looked at the photographs.
“Then why stay married to me?”
Daniel answered.
“Because your father’s company shares were never publicly connected to your name.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
My father explained.
“You were the only person who could legally influence certain family assets.”
My stomach dropped.
“Nathan needed access.”
“Yes.”
The marriage.
The affection.
The carefully created image.
Everything had been designed for one purpose.
To get close enough to take what belonged to my family.
I closed the folder.
“He never loved me.”
The room became quiet.
My father didn’t lie.
He didn’t try to make it easier.
“No.”
The honesty hurt.
But somehow, it also helped.
Because the truth was painful.
Yet the truth was still freedom.
A few hours later, we arrived at Vale International Headquarters.
I had never been there before.
Not because I wasn’t allowed.
Because my father respected my decision to live independently.
The building was enormous.
Glass walls.
Private security.
Hundreds of employees.
And everyone who saw my father immediately showed respect.
Not fear.
Respect.
As we walked through the lobby, I noticed something strange.
People weren’t looking at me because I was Alexander Vale’s daughter.
They were looking at me because they already knew.
The news had spread.
The woman Nathan tried to erase was now standing beside the man whose name could shake entire industries.
Inside the executive conference room, my father showed me a final document.
“This was recovered from Victor Lang’s private server.”
I opened it.
The title made my blood run cold.
Operation Ashford.
Below it was a detailed plan.
Phase One.
Gain Eleanor Vale’s trust.
Phase Two.
Secure access to Vale family assets.
Phase Three.
Remove Alexander Vale’s influence.
Phase Four.
Take control.
I stared at the page.
Nathan wasn’t just a cruel husband.
He was an operative in a much larger attack.
My father watched me carefully.
“What do you want to do?”
I looked up.
For months, I had only wanted justice.
But now…
I wanted the truth exposed completely.
“I want everyone involved.”
My father nodded slowly.
“Are you sure?”
I looked at the document again.
At Nathan’s signature.
At Victor’s plan.
At the life they had tried to steal from me.
“Yes.”
My voice was calm.
“They wanted to erase me.”
I closed the folder.
“Now they’re going to learn what happens when someone they underestimated finally stands up.”
My father smiled slightly.
Not because he wanted revenge.
Because he saw his daughter again.
The daughter who had survived.
The daughter who had become stronger.
But before we could begin the next step…
Daniel received an urgent message.
His face changed instantly.
“What happened?” my father asked.
Daniel looked at me.
“Nathan Ashford has disappeared.”
A silence filled the room.
“What do you mean disappeared?”
Daniel placed the phone on the table.
“He was released from his legal team’s custody two hours ago.”
My father frowned.
“Impossible.”
Daniel shook his head.
“It gets worse.”
He turned the screen toward us.
A photograph appeared.
Nathan standing beside someone outside a private airport.
Someone I recognized.
Victor Lang.
My father’s expression hardened.
Because the game had changed.
Nathan was no longer running away.
He was preparing to fight back.
And this time…
May you like
He wasn’t coming alone.
To be continued…
