Chapter 44 REX SEES THROUGH VANESSA

Chapter 44 REX SEES THROUGH VANESSA
Rex came across Vanessa in the upstairs corridor a little over an hour later, moving toward the east wing with a satisfied looseness in her walk that he recognized immediately. He knew her methods of operation from their toxic relationship days, back when he still trusted every one of them, and that particular walk meant she'd just finished doing something she was proud of.
He stepped directly into her path.
"What have you done, Vanessa?"
Vanessa stopped, unbothered by his confrontation and instead letting a slow smile spread across her face. "Done to who?"
"Don't even start," Rex said flatly. "I know that walk. You must have either done something, or somebody has told you something you wanted to hear and you’re feeling clever about it."
"No one told me anything," Vanessa said calmly and tilted her head. "I don't even need anyone to tell me things, Rex. I just went and had a conversation with Kira. And a friendly one in case you were wondering." Her eyes glittered with something that might have looked like simple amusement on anyone else. "I was simply sharing my experience with her… Woman to woman."
"You don't share anything unless it serves your twisted games," Rex hissed coldly. He stepped closer, close enough so that his voice barely needed to rise. "What did you tell her?"
Vanessa chuckled mischievously. "That's between us. It's girls talk, Rex, so don't go giving yourself a heart attack over it."
Rex's jaw tightened. He'd promised himself he would watch, that he would be patient, that reaction was always slower than anticipation, but standing here in the hallway with the satisfied curve of her mouth in front of him, patience suddenly felt like a luxury he no longer had time for.
"Listen to me very carefully," he said coldly. "If you work on her again, if you as much as go near her with one more of your cooked up stories, I will go straight to my father and tell him about your little escapades with Maria. Every single detail, exactly as I understand it… And I will let him draw his own conclusions about what it means that you know things about this house you were never supposed to know."
Something moved behind Vanessa's eyes, but it wasn't fear, not exactly, but it was a recalibration, a quick and silent recalculation of the ground she was standing on, but her smile still didn't disappear completely.
"Threatening me is not a very wise decision," she said sweetly, "especially given what I'm currently holding."
Rex was determined to call her bluff. "And what could you possibly be holding?"
Vanessa looked at him for a long time without answering, and he watched her decide something behind her eyes, some private weighing of costs and advantages that he had no way of knowing at the moment. Whatever conclusion she reached, she chose not to share it.
"You should be more careful," she said instead, "about where you choose to be seen. And with whom."
"Vanessa."
"Kitchens carry sound," she said pleasantly, already moving past him. "You'd be surprised how far."
She continued down the corridor without looking back, strolling in that same unhurried, satisfied rhythm, and Rex stood rooted where he was, the words settling into his chest like ice water.
‘Kitchens carry sound.’
He turned slowly and watched her disappear around the corner toward the staircase, and the cold certainty that had been building in his gut since the moment he stopped her in the hallway hardened into something solid and undeniable.
She had something. Something she was choosing not to spend yet, holding it back like a card player holds the one card that changes the entire game, waiting for the moment it would do the most damage.
And she had just told him exactly where to start worrying.
He needed to find Kira immediately.
He needed to find her to know what evil deed Vanessa had decided to sow.