Mirrors and Smoke

Mirrors and Smoke
Cole's POV

In my ears, the sirens shrieked. The crowd surged, scared, and parted as the red and blue lights swirled like a nightmare kaleidoscope.

However, the only sounds I could hear were Aria's rapid, shallow breath against my chest and the sharp, metallic smell of blood.

The blood of Victor.

Except—

Not enough of it was available.

Not for a shot.

For a man who gripped his side as if he had been slashed.

Not to mention the sly smile that curved his lips as the medical staff hoisted him onto a stretcher.

Aria gripped the front of my shirt and said, "Cole." "Did he just...?"

With frost in my veins, I whispered, "He staged it." "As if he had staged the footage."

Victor's eyes were open, and his face was pale, but he was grinning as we saw him being loaded into the back of the ambulance. A man who was well-versed in his field.

"What on earth is his ultimate goal?" I whispered.

Aria's face became tense. "He's not done, whatever it is."

The internet was already on fire when we returned to Maya's house.

The hashtag #VictorShot was popular. Once more, he was portrayed by the media as a "misunderstood patriarch caught in family warfare."

Maya said, "This is unbelievable," and threw the remote control across the couch. "He is now a victim after staging his shooting?"

Aria, who was seated next to me, added, "He bled." Not like an actual wound, though. It wasn't arterial. Panic was absent. There is no pressure.

"Fake blood?" Maya inquired.

"Perhaps," I whispered. Alternatively, he cut himself. Not enough to make a difference, but enough to startle the cameras.

On her knees, Aria's hands were clinched. "We must take action first. The case collapses if he flips this. The confession is rejected. You return inside.

As I gazed at the television, Victor's face was obscured by the title, "Billionaire Father Shot After Public Betrayal — Cole Montgomery Remains Silent," which made my throat turn.

Quiet?

No more.

I had been reluctant to return to the estate. Never.

But if Victor had one more trick up his sleeve, it was hidden in his safe, in his study, in the center of the empire he built on control and silence.

Maya easily turned off the alarm as we walked into the side entrance.

Either bribed, fired, or too scared to stay, Victor's employees were not present.

It all smelled of expensive cologne and strength. Under glossy wood, there lies decay.

"Where is the safe?" Aria muttered.

I walked over and said, "Behind the Degas painting."

Her head was cocked. "It is, of course."

My fingers moved reflexively across the latch as I wrenched the frame loose. Years had passed since I had touched it, yet the code returned with a frightening ease.

My birthday.

He used to act like a parent one day.

It opened with a click.

There were ancient tapes, hard drives, piles of files, and a huge black binder with a gold label inside:

"Mirror Protocol"

"What the devil?" I took it out and opened it.

Leaning over my shoulder was Aria.

There were pictures. Dossiers and names.

News presenters. Politicians. Competitors in business. Even Montgomery Corporation board members.

"It's blackmail," she mumbled. "He monitored everyone."

With grimness, I said, "Insurance." "Just in case someone ever attempted to defeat him."

Then the final page appeared.

A contract that has been notarized. Two signatures.

Mine.

Kaitlyn's as well.

Aria furrowed her brows. "What is it?"

My throat was dry as I gazed at it. "It's a will. A different one.

Dated the month before the alleged announcement of our engagement.

If Victor died, his whole empire would fall under my control.

Not just me, though.

Kaitlyn and I. collectively.

Reading over my shoulder, Maya whispered, "Holy shit."

Aria's tone faltered. "He intended to stage his demise."

"No," I replied. He intended to stage it and give Kaitlyn and me command. However, after I left and Kaitlyn withdrew,

"His leverage was lost," Aria said. For you to come crawling back, he arranged the shooting to make you appear like the bad guy. Otherwise, the board of the corporation would compel you to "honor his legacy."

"Or," Maya said, "to activate this provision and designate Kaitlyn as the only beneficiary if you are deemed "unfit."

My stomach turned. "He wants Kaitlyn to take charge again."

"But why now?" Aria inquired. "Why not years ago?"

Maya gave the binder a tap. "Because an investigation is underway into him. The audit of taxes. Whistleblowers. His escape hatch is this. He vanishes if he passes away, or "retires." However, if Kaitlyn is clean and the business is in her name...

"He leaves," I muttered. "Scot-free."

We packed whatever we could carry and headed out.

As if her life depended on it, Aria gripped the Mirror Protocol binder tightly.

I sat in the dark back at the flat, trying to make sense of it all.

I hadn't been battling Victor.

This was the last illusion he had been training for. One final show. And Kaitlyn would turn back into his puppet if I didn't act quickly.

Aria's hand touched my back.

"We must go public," she uttered quietly. Make use of the files. Display everything.

With a constricted throat, I faced her.

"What if it also pulls you down?"

She made no hesitation. After that, we both burn. However, I won't allow him to change the conclusion.

When Kaitlyn called the following morning.

She spoke in a panic.

"Someone was sent to my house by him."

I got up so quickly that my chair brushed the floor.

"What?"

"He needs a transfer document signed by me. It is activating Victor's will. He is resigning and wants me to take over, even though they are claiming it is a medical leave.

I felt sick to my stomach.

"Avoid signing it."

"Cole, I'm afraid," she said. "I'll regret not doing this," he said.

Aria grabbed the telephone.

“We have what we need to bury him, Kaitlyn,” she whispered. But you must testify for us. Today.

Silence fell. Then a breath.

"I'll carry it out. However, it must be made public. This time, there are no secrets.

That afternoon was the press conference.

We listened to Victor's confession on audio.

Page by page, we made Mirror Protocol available.

Pale but resolute, Kaitlyn stood next to us and announced her resignation from the Montgomery Trust, claiming extortion and coercion.

And suddenly—

The mask broke.

At midnight, Victor Montgomery was taken into custody.

He remained silent.

Didn't fight back.

Simply grinned while they removed him.

He thought he would win, even if he was handcuffed.

However, Aria discovered a letter in her mailbox later that evening.

No address for return.

Victor's handwriting just contained her name.

There was only one sentence inside:

“Mirrors never forget, but smoke fades.”