CHAPTER 4 — Victoria’s Perfect Story
CHAPTER 4 — Victoria’s Perfect Story
By sunrise, the story had already begun.
Not the truth.
Victoria's version of it.
It appeared first on a local news website.
Then on social media.
Then in newspapers.
Within hours, the entire city was discussing Clara Vance.
And almost every version began with the same sentence:
Julian Vance's missing wife did not disappear. She ran away.
Julian stood in his study staring at the screen.
His hands were shaking.
A photograph of Clara filled the page.
She was smiling.
Young.
Healthy.
Happy.
The caption beneath it read:
Sources close to the Vance family reveal that Clara Vance abandoned her husband four years ago after secretly becoming involved with another man.
Julian's stomach turned.
"No."
He scrolled.
Another article.
THE WOMAN WHO LEFT EVERYTHING BEHIND
Another.
Did Clara Vance Fake Her Own Disappearance?
Another.
Inside the Marriage That Wasn't What It Seemed
Julian threw the phone onto the desk.
Victoria had moved fast.
Too fast.
Someone had prepared the story long before Clara was found.
He opened the first article.
The source was anonymous.
But the details were specific.
Too specific.
It mentioned the restaurant.
Clara's argument with Julian.
Her supposed unhappiness.
Her supposed affair.
And one devastating claim:
Clara allegedly left voluntarily because she no longer wanted to remain married to Julian.
Julian stared at the screen.
Then he noticed something worse.
A photograph.
Clara standing beside another man.
The image had been carefully cropped.
But Julian recognized the location.
It was outside the Bellmont restaurant.
The night Clara disappeared.
He enlarged it.
The man beside her was blurred.
But Julian knew who it was.
Arthur Kane.
Clara entered the study.
She was wearing one of Julian's sweaters.
She looked fragile.
But determined.
"What happened?"
Julian turned the screen toward her.
She read the headline.
Her face went white.
"I never did that."
"I know."
"They're saying I left you."
"I know."
"They're saying I had someone else."
"I know."
Clara stared at him.
"They're going to believe it."
Julian stood.
"Not everyone."
She laughed bitterly.
"People believe whatever story sounds easiest."
Julian walked toward her.
"I don't."
She looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because I know you."
Clara's eyes filled with tears.
"You knew me once."
"I still do."
She looked away.
"You don't know what four years did to me."
Julian stopped.
"No."
He spoke softly.
"But I want to."
By noon, Victoria held a press conference.
Julian watched it from the television.
She appeared dressed in black.
Perfect makeup.
Controlled expression.
A grieving relative.
Not an accomplice.
"I never wanted to speak publicly about Clara," Victoria said.
Julian laughed.
"Of course not."
Victoria continued.
"But recent events have forced me to protect the Vance family's reputation."
Clara stood beside him.
Her face tightened.
Victoria sighed dramatically.
"Clara was struggling in her marriage."
A reporter raised a hand.
"Did Mr. Vance know?"
Victoria lowered her eyes.
"I tried to help."
Julian's fists clenched.
"She's lying."
Clara whispered:
"Let her."
Julian looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because liars eventually contradict themselves."
Victoria continued.
"On the night Clara disappeared, she told me she intended to leave Julian."
The reporters reacted immediately.
Julian stared at the screen.
"That's impossible."
Victoria's voice became softer.
"She said she felt trapped."
Clara whispered:
"That's exactly what she did to me."
Victoria looked directly into the cameras.
"Clara wanted freedom."
A reporter asked:
"Are you saying she abandoned her husband voluntarily?"
Victoria paused.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
The room erupted with questions.
Victoria continued:
"I begged her to reconsider."
Julian almost laughed.
She had never begged anyone.
She had ordered.
Threatened.
Manipulated.
Destroyed.
But never begged.
Then came the sentence Victoria had saved for maximum effect.
"Clara told me she was in love with someone else."
Clara gasped.
Julian turned off the television.
The room fell silent.
Clara whispered:
"She wants me to become the villain."
Julian looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because if people believe I betrayed you, nobody will ask why I disappeared."
Julian understood.
Victoria wasn't merely defending herself.
She was preparing the public to distrust Clara's testimony.
If Clara claimed she had been imprisoned, people could say she was lying.
If Clara accused Victoria, people could say she was unstable.
If Clara claimed she had been abused, people could say she was retaliating against the family.
Victoria was building the courtroom before the trial even began.
That afternoon, Julian received a call.
His public-relations director sounded nervous.
"Sir, we've got a problem."
"What?"
"Several major investors are asking whether the story is true."
"Tell them it's false."
"We did."
"And?"
"They want evidence."
Julian looked at Clara.
"What evidence?"
"Proof that Clara didn't leave voluntarily."
Julian's jaw tightened.
"We have four years of investigation."
"Most of it is missing."
He closed his eyes.
Exactly.
Victoria had destroyed the evidence before releasing the story.
She had planned for this moment.
Then something arrived.
An envelope.
No return address.
Inside was a USB drive.
And a handwritten note.
WATCH THIS BEFORE VICTORIA FINDS OUT.
Julian connected the drive.
A video appeared.
Security footage.
The Bellmont parking lot.
Four years earlier.
Clara stood beside her car.
Victoria approached.
They argued.
The video had no audio.
Then Arthur Kane entered.
Clara stepped backward.
Victoria grabbed her arm.
Arthur opened the rear door of a black sedan.
Clara resisted.
Then another figure appeared.
A man.
Julian leaned toward the screen.
His father.
Victor.
Alive.
Clara was forced into the car.
The video ended.
Julian stared at the screen.
"This is the proof."
Clara nodded.
"Yes."
He turned.
"Who sent it?"
The answer came through another message on the drive.
Someone who is tired of being afraid.
An hour later, another video appeared online.
But it wasn't Julian's.
It was Victoria's.
She had released another statement.
This time, she claimed the opposite.
She said the footage had been manipulated.
She accused Julian of fabricating evidence.
Then she released photographs of Clara.
Photographs from the hidden room.
Clara working.
Clara eating.
Clara walking through the estate.
Victoria claimed they proved Clara had been living voluntarily in the house.
The public reaction was immediate.
People began arguing.
Some supported Julian.
Others attacked Clara.
Comments filled every social platform.
She probably wanted attention.
Why didn't she escape?
If she was really imprisoned, why didn't she tell anyone?
Maybe Julian is lying.
Clara read the comments.
Her hands trembled.
Julian took the phone away.
"Don't read them."
"I need to know."
"No."
"I've been silent for four years."
She looked at him.
"I won't hide now."
That evening, Victoria sent Julian a message.
One sentence.
Come alone if you want to know where your son is.
Julian stared at it.
Clara saw the screen.
"Elias."
Julian nodded.
"She knows where he is."
Clara's face crumpled.
"We have to go."
"No."
She grabbed his arm.
"Julian."
"It's a trap."
"I don't care."
"You could be hurt."
"They took four years from me."
Her voice broke.
"I'm not losing another minute."
Julian looked at her.
He understood.
But he also knew Victoria wanted exactly this.
A desperate husband.
An emotional mother.
A private meeting.
No witnesses.
No police.
No evidence.
He typed a response.
Tell me where.
Victoria replied immediately.
The old Vance hotel. Midnight.
Julian looked at the clock.
Eight hours.
Eight hours to find a way to beat a woman who had spent four years planning every possible move.
At 11:43 PM, Julian arrived.
He wasn't alone.
Two undercover officers were positioned across the street.
A forensic team waited three blocks away.
His legal team had copies of every file.
And Clara was safe inside a secured location.
Victoria didn't know.
At least, he hoped she didn't.
He entered the hotel.
The lobby was empty.
The lights flickered.
A voice came through the speakers.
"Welcome home, Julian."
Victoria.
He looked around.
"Where is my son?"
"Always business first."
"Where is he?"
"You've changed."
"No."
Julian looked toward the camera.
"I finally stopped trusting you."
A door opened.
Victoria appeared.
She wore a white dress.
No security.
No weapon visible.
She looked almost peaceful.
"You want the truth?"
Julian stepped forward.
"Yes."
Victoria smiled.
"Then stop pretending Clara is innocent."
Julian's expression hardened.
"What did she do?"
Victoria's eyes narrowed.
"She discovered something she wasn't supposed to discover."
"What?"
"Your father's real business."
Julian went still.
Victoria continued.
"Your father didn't build Vance Holdings through honest investments."
She smiled.
"He built it through blackmail."
Julian said nothing.
"And Clara found the records."
"What records?"
"Names."
"Whose names?"
"Politicians."
"Executives."
"Judges."
"People powerful enough to destroy your family."
Julian stared.
"That's why you imprisoned her."
"No."
Victoria shook her head.
"That's why your father imprisoned her."
"Then why did you help?"
Victoria's expression finally cracked.
"Because he threatened me too."
Julian narrowed his eyes.
"What did he have on you?"
She didn't answer.
"Victoria."
She whispered:
"He knew about my daughter."
Julian frowned.
"You have a daughter?"
Victoria looked toward the dark hallway.
"Had."
Then a sound came from upstairs.
A child's voice.
"Mom?"
Victoria froze.
Julian's heart stopped.
He knew that voice.
He had heard it once before.
On an old recording.
A voice belonging to the baby whose existence had been hidden for four years.
Victoria looked at Julian.
And suddenly the perfect story she had built began collapsing.
Because the child upstairs had spoken.
And Julian knew one thing with absolute certainty.
May you like
The boy was calling Victoria Mom.
To be continued.
