Chapter 8: Victoria’s Hidden Truth
Chapter 8: Victoria’s Hidden Truth
The old mansion was silent.
Too silent.
Dominic stared at the woman standing in front of him.
Every instinct inside him told him to move.
To speak.
To demand answers.
But his body refused.
Because the impossible was standing ten feet away.
Victoria Vale.
Alive.
Her hair was different.
Longer.
Her face carried twelve years of pain.
But her eyes were exactly the same.
The same eyes that had looked at him on their wedding day.
The same eyes that had looked at him before everything was taken away.
"Victoria..."
Her lips trembled.
Hearing him say her name broke something inside her.
"I thought I would never hear you say that again."
Dominic finally moved.
One step.
Then another.
But he stopped before reaching her.
He had spent twelve years believing she was dead.
He had spent twelve years blaming himself.
Now he didn't know what was real anymore.
"Tell me the truth."
His voice was low.
"All of it."
Victoria nodded.
"I owe you that."
She looked around the burned mansion.
"This place was where they wanted me to disappear."
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
"Who?"
"The people you trusted."
A cold feeling moved through him.
"Nathan."
Victoria looked down.
"Yes."
Dominic shook his head.
"No."
"That doesn't make sense."
"Nathan saved my life."
"He pulled me out of the car."
Victoria looked at him with sadness.
"Because he needed you to believe he was the hero."
Dominic said nothing.
Victoria continued.
"That night wasn't an accident."
"It was planned."
"The explosion was meant for both of us."
Dominic's jaw tightened.
"Why?"
"Because I found out what Nathan was building."
"What was he building?"
Victoria walked toward an old wooden table.
She opened a hidden drawer.
Inside was a small black notebook.
She placed it in Dominic's hands.
"This."
Dominic opened the first page.
Names.
Dates.
Payments.
Connections.
His eyes moved quickly.
Politicians.
Business leaders.
Law enforcement officials.
Even members of his own organization.
A secret network.
Not a family.
Not a crime group.
Something bigger.
"Nathan created this?"
Victoria nodded.
"He didn't want your empire."
"He wanted control over every empire."
Dominic turned another page.
Then froze.
There was a familiar name.
Dominic Vale.
Beside it was a note.
Asset: Emotional weakness.
His expression changed.
Victoria saw it.
"They studied you."
"They studied everyone around you."
Dominic closed the notebook.
"Why didn't you come back?"
Victoria looked away.
"Because Nathan made sure I couldn't."
"After the explosion, he convinced everyone I died."
"He moved me somewhere no one could find."
Dominic's voice became darker.
"Where?"
"A private facility."
"I was kept there for years."
"Why?"
Victoria looked directly at him.
"Because I knew the truth."
"What truth?"
Her eyes filled with anger.
"The truth that Nathan wasn't your friend."
"He was never your brother."
"He was waiting for the right moment to take everything from you."
Dominic walked away.
His mind was fighting against reality.
Seventeen years.
Seventeen years beside Nathan.
Every memory now looked different.
Every conversation.
Every decision.
Every time Nathan advised him.
Was it loyalty?
Or manipulation?
Victoria stepped closer.
"I know what you're thinking."
"What?"
"You're wondering how you missed it."
Dominic didn't answer.
She continued.
"Because that's what Nathan wanted."
"He didn't defeat you with weapons."
"He defeated you by becoming the person you trusted most."
For the first time that night...
Dominic looked vulnerable.
"I buried you."
Victoria's eyes softened.
"I know."
"I saw."
"What?"
She swallowed.
"The day they told you I died..."
"I was watching."
Dominic looked at her.
"They brought me to a room with a camera."
"They wanted me to see your reaction."
"I watched you break."
Her voice cracked.
"And I wanted to scream."
"But I couldn't."
Dominic looked away.
For years, he had carried grief alone.
Now he realized she had carried it too.
A sound suddenly came from outside.
Both of them stopped.
Footsteps.
Someone was approaching.
Victoria's expression changed instantly.
"They found me."
Dominic reached for his weapon.
"Who?"
She whispered:
"Nathan."
The mansion doors opened.
A slow clap echoed through the hallway.
Everyone froze.
Nathan Cross stepped inside.
No mask.
No disguise.
Just the same calm expression he had worn for seventeen years.
"Congratulations, Dominic."
"You finally found the missing piece."
Dominic raised his gun.
Nathan smiled.
"Still protecting the people you love."
Victoria moved closer to Dominic.
Nathan noticed.
His smile faded slightly.
"Interesting."
"After all this time..."
"She still chooses you."
Dominic's voice was cold.
"You lied to me."
Nathan nodded.
"I did."
"You betrayed me."
"Yes."
"You tried to kill me."
Nathan looked almost disappointed.
"That part is complicated."
Dominic took one step forward.
"Explain."
Nathan sighed.
"I never wanted to kill you, Dominic."
"I wanted to replace you."
The words hung in the air.
Victoria whispered:
"I told you."
Nathan ignored her.
"You built an empire."
"I built the machine that would take it."
Dominic's grip tightened around the gun.
"You used me."
Nathan smiled.
"No."
"I created you."
The rain outside became louder.
Nathan continued.
"You were angry."
"You were broken."
"You wanted revenge."
"I gave you direction."
"I made you powerful."
Dominic's eyes turned cold.
"And then?"
Nathan spread his arms.
"And then you became too powerful."
A pause.
"So I had to remove the one person who could still control your heart."
Victoria looked at him with disgust.
"You mean me."
Nathan smiled.
"Exactly."
Dominic raised the gun higher.
"Where is Claire?"
Nathan's expression changed.
For the first time...
He looked amused.
"Still worried about the woman who betrayed you?"
Dominic said nothing.
Nathan stepped closer.
"That's your weakness, Dominic."
"You always believe people can be saved."
He looked at Victoria.
"Even after they destroy you."
Then Nathan pulled out his phone.
A video appeared.
Claire.
Still tied to the chair.
But beside her...
Was Harper.
Dominic's blood ran cold.
Nathan whispered:
May you like
"Now let's see how far you'll go..."
"...to save your family."
