Chapter 5 - Victoria Begged Her Sister for Forgiveness
Victoria came to me the next morning.
She looked exhausted.
No silk.
No diamonds.
No makeup.
Just my sister.
She sat across from me.
“I’m sorry.”
I said nothing.
“I believed them.”
“You wanted the inheritance.”
“Yes.”
“You tried to steal my pendant.”
“Yes.”
“You worked with Lucien.”
“Yes.”
She started crying.
“I hated you.”
That surprised me.
“Why?”
“Because Grandpa loved you.”
“You had everything.”
“That was the problem.”
She looked down.
“Everyone loved the version of me they created.”
“And me?”
“They feared the real you.”
I stared.
Victoria continued.
“You were the only person in the family who never needed permission to be good.”
I didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
She pulled out a key.
“I stole this from Dad.”
“What is it?”
“The final trust vault.”
Adrien entered.
Victoria froze.
He looked at her.
“Why bring it here?”
She answered,
“Because I'm done being their daughter.”
The key opened another vault.
Inside was proof of my father's crimes.
And proof my mother had helped conceal them.
My parents were arrested.
Victoria cooperated.
The Whitmore empire collapsed.
But Lucien's death remained unsolved.
Then Ethan discovered another name.
Marco Volkov.
Adrien's cousin.
A man I had seen once.
A man everyone trusted.
He had ordered Lucien's death.
But why?
Marco wanted Adrien's position.
The trust would give him leverage.
My marriage to Adrien would change everything.
He needed me either controlled or dead.
We confronted him.
He smiled.
“You've become difficult, Elena.”
I looked at him.
“I learned from the best.”
He laughed.
“I expected Victoria.”
Adrien stared at him.
“You always underestimate her.”
Marco's smile disappeared.
“You think she loves you?”
Adrien's voice was cold.
“I know.”
Marco pulled a weapon.
Rocco fired first.
Marco fell.
He survived.
The case became national news.
For the first time, my name appeared in public.
Not as the forgotten daughter.
As the Whitmore heir.
The woman who exposed her own family.
The woman who survived.
I hated the attention.
Adrien understood.
He moved the ceremony.
“What ceremony?”
“Our wedding.”
I stared at him.
“You're still doing this?”
“I asked you.”
“You didn't ask.”
“I chose you.”
“That sounds dangerously close to possession.”
He smiled.
“Then let me ask properly.”
He took my hand.
“Elena, do you want this?”
I thought about my family.
Their lies.
Their bargains.
Their fear.
Then I looked at him.
“Yes.”
“Because of the trust?”
“No.”
“Because you think you owe me?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
I whispered,
“Because for the first time, someone looked at me and didn't ask me to become someone else.”
May you like
He kissed my forehead.
“We can work with that.”
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