Chapter 33 The Threat
"I raised my daughter to be strong." Helena's eyes hardened. "Something you never were, Eva. All those years, watching you shuffle around like a kicked puppy, letting Derek and his family walk all over you—it was pathetic. Reena had more spirit at ten than you've shown in your entire life."
Helena meant every word to hurt.
There was a time when they would have.
But Eva had stood up to her half-sister, even when a knife was involved. Reena, desperate and furious, had cornered her, the blade trembling in her grasp as she hurled years of resentment at Eva.
When Reena lunged, Adrian had stepped between them, taking the blow meant for her.
She had seen the man she cared for take a blade to protect her. That had changed everything. In that hospital hallway, as she waited for news, Eva decided she would never be weak again.
"Is that why you're here, Helena? To tell me how pathetic I am?" Eva tilted her head. "Or is it because you know your empire is crumbling, and you're looking for a way out?"
Helena's jaw tightened.
For a long moment, stepmother and stepdaughter stared at each other in silence. After nearly ten years under the same roof, it was finally clear who was hunting and who was being hunted.
Then Helena smiled.
Her smile held no warmth.
"You've grown some courage. I guess I should be impressed." She reached into her purse and pulled out a thin envelope. "But you're right, Eva. I'm not here for pleasantries. I'm here to make you an offer."
She held out the envelope.
Eva didn't take it.
"What kind of offer?"
"The kind where everyone gets something." Helena's smile grew. "I'll leave the country. You can get your divorce, have your children in your custody, and keep your precious lover, Adrian, to yourself. Your father never has to know all the details of... certain things."
She leaned in, her voice lowering. "You know as well as I do that people from the courts are watching you, Eva."
Eva pursed her lips.
"Your reputation is already weak, your affair is already in the newspapers, and one wrong story could make you lose custody. I have proof that, if made public, would destroy any chance you have of keeping your children."
Helena straightened, her eyes hard and confident. "I am the only one who can make all these problems disappear quietly. Everyone wins."
Eva didn't worry about that. Because of their deal, Derek promised not to fight for custody. But the court can always change its mind if it believes Eva is unable to care for the children.
So she can't make any more mistakes.
"And what do you get?"
"My freedom. And some money for my years of service to this family." Helena's eyes shone. "Let's say... twenty million dollars."
Eva looked at her in disbelief.
Then she laughed.
Her laugh was anything but kind.
"You tried to have my father killed," Eva said quietly. "You raised your daughter to hurt me. You've been stealing from this family for over a decade. And you think we will pay you to leave?"
"Think very carefully about your choices, Eva. You won't get this offer again." Helena's voice dropped, her fake calm fading.
"Because if you don't, Eva, I will destroy everything. You may not know what is at stake here. Your father's good name. Your custody fight. Your new relationship with the Cavanaugh heir."
Eva's heart shook.
"I have secrets that would ruin it all. So you better behave."
"What secrets?"
Helena's smile turned dangerous. "Do you really think you know everything about your new lover, Adrian Cavanaugh? Do you know what happened to his family when his father died? About the people who were killed so he could become the leader?"
Eva felt her heart skip a beat.
"That's right." Helena moved closer, her voice a sharp whisper. "Your knight in shining armor has blood on his hands. And I can prove it."
Eva forced herself not to react.
Her thoughts raced, but she kept her face steady. She wouldn't let Helena see that her words had any effect.
"Everyone has secrets," Eva said calmly. "Even you."
"You are right. But mine are not public. You made a mistake by revealing the identity of your children's father. My secrets are not on tabloids, not linked to a man who is all over the tabloids as the real father of your children." Helena's eyes shone.
"The media would love it, don't you think. 'Billionaire's Dark Past Revealed.' 'Cavanaugh Heir Linked to Mysterious Deaths.' How does that sound?"
Helena smirked cruelly, "Can you imagine how that would hurt your custody case? Your children's lives?"
Eva clenched her hands at her sides.
She thought of Adrian, who was inside, still pale and bandaged, patiently listening to Lily's chatter.
She remembered how he jumped between her and Reena's knife without thinking. How he held her in the car afterward, whispering promises into her hair.
No matter what Adrian had done before, she knew the man he was now.
She wouldn't let Helena use that against her.
"This is what will happen, Helena." Eva's voice was steady, cold, and sure. "You will leave this house. Get in your car and drive away. And within two days, you will turn yourself in to the police."
Helena laughed. "And why would I do that?"
"Because if you don't, I will share everything we have on you. Every document. Every deal. Every proof that shows you planned crimes for twenty years." Eva stepped closer, looking her stepmother in the eyes without blinking.
"And I'll make sure the media gets it first. Just like how Adrian is on every tabloid, you will be on every tabloid, every news site, every social media page."
Helena's smug look flatered.
"Your face will be everywhere. Everyone will know about the crimes you committed. And you won't be able to hide because everyone will be looking for you."
Helena's smile faded.
"You're bluffing."
"Am I?" Eva tilted her head. "You've spent your whole life thinking I was weak, Helena. A pathetic person. Someone easy to control." She leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You were wrong. I took care of Reena, now it's your turn."
For the first time, fear showed in Helena's eyes.
"You wouldn't dare."