Chapter 18 - Victoria’s Confession
I met Victoria in a monitored interview room.
She looked smaller without the mansion.
No designer sofa.
No pearls.
No servants.
No audience.
She still tried to sit like a queen.
“You look pleased.”
“I’m tired.”
“Is that what victory looks like?”
“This isn’t victory.”
Her mouth tightened.
“You took my son’s company.”
“No.”
“He lost his job because of his choices.”
“You took his house.”
“It was never his.”
“You took his child.”
I leaned forward.
“Leo is not something Dominic owned.”
For once, Victoria had no answer.
I waited.
“You said you had information.”
She looked toward the camera.
Then at me.
“Brooke approached me first.”
“I know.”
“No.”
“You know she wanted Dominic.”
“She didn’t.”
That surprised me.
Victoria continued.
“Brooke wanted you.”
I stared.
“What?”
“Not romantically.”
“She wanted your access.”
“Your credentials.”
“Your trust documents.”
“Your father’s estate.”
“Dominic was simply the easiest way inside.”
That matched Aaron’s story.
But Victoria continued.
“Liam’s fake paternity test was her idea.”
“You paid for it.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted Dominic to believe he had another son.”
“Why?”
Her face finally cracked.
“Because Leo frightened me.”
I almost laughed.
“He was two.”
“Not him.”
“What he represented.”
“My father’s money.”
“No.”
“Your power.”
There it was.
Victoria looked down.
“When you left for Singapore, Dominic told everyone he was sending his wife to rescue the company.”
“Six months later, nobody called it his company anymore.”
“They called it Clara’s expansion.”
“Clara’s clients.”
“Clara’s strategy.”
“My son became a footnote in the business carrying his surname.”
“So you punished my child?”
“I told myself I was protecting Dominic.”
“You were humiliating a toddler.”
Her eyes filled.
“I know.”
It was the first time she had said those words without defense.
I did not comfort her.
She continued.
“Brooke fed everything.”
“She told me Leo would grow up and hand everything to you.”
“She told me Liam could become the new face of the Sterling family.”
“And you believed her.”
“I wanted to.”
That was more honest.
Then Victoria gave me the final piece.
“Brooke has another account.”
“Where?”
“Switzerland.”
“How much?”
“I don’t know.”
“She told me it was insurance.”
“Against whom?”
Victoria looked directly at me.
“Dominic.”
The Swiss account contained $2.4 million.
Money Brooke had hidden from everyone.
Including her brother.
Including Aaron.
Including Victoria.
The transfer trail came directly from corporate theft.
Brooke’s last illusion of being manipulated collapsed.
She had manipulated all of them too.
Her attorney began discussing a plea.
The case was almost over.
May you like
Then Grace called me.
Leo had finally remembered why he stopped standing.
