Chapter 4
966words
She locked the door, approached the massive mahogany bookshelf, and—as we watched in astonishment—pulled several hardcover books in a complex sequence I'd never seen before.
The bookshelf slid silently aside, revealing a wall safe.
Emma removed what looked like an ordinary necklace and used its pointed pendant to enter a series of numbers on the combination dial. With a soft click, the heavy door swung open.
Alex and I exchanged glances, mutual shock mirrored in our eyes.
Inside were no jewels or cash—only meticulously labeled file folders, external hard drives, and about a dozen voice recorders.
"My collection over the years," Mother said calmly, pulling out a folder labeled "Private Life" and tossing it onto the desk.
Photos spilled out—Father with different women in various hotels and apartments, intimate scenes that made me look away in disgust.
Next came an external hard drive. "Evidence of him abusing his position to funnel benefits to his mistress's family business. Every transaction, meticulously documented."
Finally, she gestured to the voice recorders. "Recordings of him plotting against your grandfather, trying to undermine board members, scheming behind everyone's backs."
Looking at this arsenal, I saw my mother truly for the first time. Not the gentle housewife who only knew flower arrangements and tea ceremonies, who always deferred to her husband. She was a predator who had been lying in wait for years, patiently gathering ammunition for the perfect kill shot.
Alex stared at her, his lips trembling, unable to form words.
"I've never been blind," Mother said, meeting our gaze. "I've simply been waiting for the right moment to destroy him completely. And now, he's handed it to me himself."
She pulled up a chair and sat down. In an instant, the study transformed from Father's domain to her war room.
She took a blank sheet of paper and sketched a simple organizational chart.
"The Victor family power structure is straightforward," she pointed to "Grandpa" at the top. "Though retired, Grandfather still controls the family trust. Any changes to core assets require his signature."
She drew two branches below, writing "Victor (CEO)" on one and "Thomas (Director)" on the other.
"Your father, as eldest son, became CEO, but his arrogance has created many enemies. And his uncle—your grand-uncle Thomas—has always resented that Grandfather passed him over for Victor."
Mother's pen pressed heavily on the name "Thomas."
"War requires allies," she said. "And Uncle Thomas, who has always coveted the CEO position, is our perfect entry point."
I listened, heart pounding, feeling like I was witnessing a master class in corporate warfare from this woman I'd underestimated my entire life.
Suddenly, Alex's phone buzzed frantically.
The family group chat was exploding with notifications.
I leaned over to look, and my stomach dropped.
Nina had posted a prenatal check-up report with the caption: "A little surprise! Can't wait to welcome the newest Victor! 😊"
Minutes later, Father had replied: "Thank you for the wonderful news. Since Alex isn't available, I'll make sure you're well taken care of."
Below were confused but enthusiastic congratulations from various family members.
"BASTARD!" Alex roared, grabbing his phone to smash it against the floor.
"Wait!" Mother's sharp command froze him mid-motion.
Alex's arm hung suspended. He looked at his mother, tears mixing with the dried blood at the corner of his mouth. "Mom! They're still humiliating me! Right in front of everyone!"
Mother didn't comfort him. Her gaze locked on the screen, studying Nina's profile picture as if trying to place something.
Suddenly, as if struck by a memory, she grabbed her own phone and began scrolling through her photos.
After a long search, she stopped on one image, enlarged it, and handed me the phone.
"Ava, look at this."
It was a family gathering photo. In the background hung several paintings, including a framed photo from a company party.
Mother's finger pointed to a corner of the party photo. "Look at this person..."
I leaned in and felt like I'd been struck by lightning, gasping audibly.
The girl in the server's uniform, standing awkwardly in the corner with a tray—it was unmistakably Nina!
"Is that... Nina?!" I exclaimed. "But Alex said he met her at the company party two years ago, when she'd just been hired..."
"Exactly," Mother's gaze sharpened. "But this photo is from three years ago. She knew your father at least three months before she ever 'met' Alex."
Mother and I locked eyes, each seeing the same chilling theory forming.
"There's more," Mother continued. "When she first visited, a child's photo fell from her purse. She claimed to be an orphan... yet she knew exactly which whiskey your father drinks and about Grandpa's vinyl collection. These aren't things a new daughter-in-law would know."
The pieces clicked together in my mind, revealing a chilling truth.
Nina's target from the beginning was never Alex.
Facing this revelation that had nearly broken Alex, Mother's face, surprisingly, showed a cold smile.
She reached out, gently squeezing Alex's trembling shoulders. "Don't worry, son. The more impatient she gets, the more mistakes she'll make."
"Pregnant?" Mother chuckled, a sound filled with cold calculation. "Perfect. We'll demand a DNA test. And she's just given us the ideal pretext—an emergency board meeting to address a 'major dispute regarding the family heir.'"
She calmly picked up the phone, paused briefly at Grand-Uncle Thomas's name, then dialed decisively.
While waiting for the connection, she looked at us, her gaze solid as granite.
"In this family, the greatest weapon isn't money or power," her voice rang clear and forceful in the quiet study. "It's rules and reputation. I'll make them both pariahs in the eyes of every Victor."
The call connected.
"Uncle Thomas? It's Emma."
