Chapter 57 VICTORIA HUNT PART 3
It was a low blow, and they both knew it. Alexander's face went pale, but he didn't back down.
"My father would tell me to choose my own path. To build something worth building, not just protect an image."
"Your father is dead, Alexander. And if you don't start thinking strategically instead of emotionally, his legacy will die with him."
Vivienne couldn't watch anymore. She turned away, busying herself with removing the mocap sensors even though her hands shook too badly to manage the clasps properly.
She shouldn't be hearing this. Shouldn't be part of this family drama.
"Who is she, anyway?"
Victoria's question made Vivienne freeze.
"Who?"
"The woman. This Vivienne Cross. Where did she come from? What's her background?"
"And what does her background have to do with anything?"
"Everything that affects this company is my concern. And you, dear boy, are this company." Victoria's voice sharpened. "So I'll ask again: who is she? Really?"
There was a pause. Vivienne held her breath.
"My star talent," Alexander said finally. "That's all you need to know."
"Talent." Victoria's laugh was bitter. "Oh please. I saw how you looked at her, Alexander. The same way you used to look at..."
She stopped. Cut herself off mid sentence.
Vivienne's hands stilled on a sensor.
"The same way I used to look at who?" Alexander's voice had gone dangerous.
"No one. It doesn't matter." Victoria waved it away, but she knew she had crossed an invisible line.
"You were going to say Elara."
Hearing her name spoken out loud after so many years hit Vivienne right in her vitals. Her knees almost gave out.
"Ancient history," Victoria said dismissively. "That girl is long gone. Dead, most likely."
"You don't know that."
"I know she ran away with a fortune and was never heard from again. I know she was a gold digger who saw an opportunity and took it. And I know you wasted years searching for someone who clearly didn't want to be found."
Each word was like a knife. Vivienne's vision blurred.
"She didn't run away," Alexander said quietly. "Something happened to her. I know it."
"What you know is a fantasy. Let it go, Alexander. Let her go. Focus on what's in front of you, not ghosts from your past."
"What's in front of me is Tyranny. And Vivienne Cross is making it happen."
"Ah yes. Vivienne Cross." Victoria drew out the name like she was solving a puzzle. "Tell me, does she know about your tragic first love? Does she know you're still hung up on a dead girl?"
"Stop."
"Or does she think she has a chance with the great Alexander Hunt? Poor thing. She has no idea she's just a replacement. A fill in for someone you'll never stop mourning."
"I said stop." Alexander's voice cracked with barely restrained anger.
"Fine." Victoria smoothed her suit, composing herself. "But understand this: you will bring a proper date to that gala. Either Camille, or someone of appropriate standing. Not some nobody with a mysterious background and questionable motives."
"Vivienne will be there. As the face of Tyranny."
"Then Camille will be there too. As your date. Non negotiable."
"Mother..."
"Unless you'd like me to look more closely into Ms. Cross's background? I'm sure there's an interesting story there. No social media before nine years ago. No digital footprint. Almost like she appeared out of thin air." Victoria's smile was predatory. "Makes one wonder what she's hiding, doesn't it?"
Vivienne's hands clenched into fists. She wanted to scream, to run, to tear off these sensors and disappear, but she stayed glued to the spot.
"How do you even know so much about her already, Mother?"
"I have my ways." Victoria smirked.
"Fine," Alexander bit out. "Camille can attend. But she's not my date."
"We'll see." Victoria gathered herself, preparing to leave. "Oh, and Alexander? Do try to be more discreet with your coffee shop meetings. The press is already speculating, and we don't need more scandals."
She started toward the exit.
Then she stopped.
Turned back.
Her eyes found Vivienne across the studio, standing alone on the green screen, still pretending to work on her sensors.
"Ms. Cross," Victoria called out. Her voice was pretentious, making Vivienne's skin crawl.
Vivienne looked up, meeting those cold eyes across the distance.
"I look forward to meeting you properly at the gala," Victoria said, each word deliberate. "I have so many questions about you. And your work."
Vivienne managed a nod, her throat too tight for words.
Victoria held her gaze for one more endless moment, then finally, mercifully, turned and left.
The studio door clicked shut behind her.
Vivienne's knees buckled. She caught herself on the edge of the green screen, breathing hard, her whole body shaking.
Alexander stood frozen where his mother had left him, staring at the closed door like it might burst open again at any moment.
The silence stretched between them, heavy with everything unsaid.
Finally, Alexander turned. His eyes found Vivienne across the studio.
They stared at each other, two people with too many secrets, too much history, and too little time before everything came crashing down.
"Vivienne," he started, taking a step toward her.
But she was already moving, already running toward the changing room, toward safety, toward anywhere that wasn't here with him and his mother's sudden suspicions.
She heard him call her name again, but she didn't stop.
Victoria Hunt knew something. Maybe not everything, not yet, but enough.
Only a matter of time before this becomes a nightmare.