Chapter 51 Arrest
"The villa is ahead," Adrian said, checking his device. "Our French contacts have set up a perimeter. Helena's security team is six men, all private contractors. They haven't tried to leave."
As the car approached the last turn, he lowered his voice. "We're going in quietly. If her guards spot us too early, things could get dangerous quickly."
"So what is our plan?"
"We'll create a distraction at the north entrance and slip in through the garden. If any of them manage to send a warning, Helena might escape before we reach her, or someone could get hurt. Understand?"
"Yes, sir," the security team replied in unison.
"Stay close and watch for my signals. We can do this, but we have to be careful. Stay safe, everyone."
He turned to Eva, taking her hand in his. "Don't leave my side."
"Okay, I understand. But you have to promise me that you will stay safe."
"I can't promise that. Not yet. But the moment we move, that changes."
Eva nodded, her stomach tight with anticipation.
The plan was simple. French police would go to the villa with a legal order to arrest her, based on the evidence they had gathered.
Adrian's team would stay back, ready to step in if Helena's security put up a fight.
Eva would be there at the end, ready to look her stepmother in the eye as the cuffs closed around her wrists.
Maybe it was petty to want to see her stepmother arrested. Still, Eva needed that closure.
For years, memories of Helena's betrayal and her mother's death had replayed in Eva's mind, a wound that never fully healed.
Even now, part of her questioned if any justice could erase the loss or the years of manipulation.
Yet, facing Helena at the moment of her downfall was the only way Eva could start to reclaim a sense of power over her own life.
She craved an ending to the cycle of fear and anger Helena had left behind.
They stopped at a command post set up in a rented villa half a mile from Helena's location.
French police officers and Adrian's security team moved quietly, checking their gear and making sure everyone was in place.
"We move in thirty minutes," the French commander told them. "My team will approach from the front. Mr. Cavanaugh's team will cover the back and the coastal access. Mrs. Fransis, you will stay here until the building is safe."
"No." Eva's voice was firm. "I'm coming with you."
"Ma'am, this operation could be dangerous."
"That woman is someone I called mother, someone who tried to ruin my family. Tried to have my father killed. Probably killed my mother." Eva met the commander's eyes without flinching. "I will be there when she's arrested. That's not up for discussion."
The commander glanced at Adrian, who just shrugged.
"I've learned not to argue with her," Adrian said. "She'll stay back until the building is safe, but she will be there for the arrest."
The commander sighed. "Very well. But you must follow our instructions exactly. No changes on the spot. Please do as we say."
"I understood. I'll not make things difficult for you. I just want to watch everything with my own eyes. That's it."
Half an hour later, everyone was in position.
The operation began with careful planning.
French police cars arrived at the villa's gate, lights flashing, officers announcing their presence over loudspeakers.
At the same time, Adrian's team came in from the back, blocking any way out.
Helena's guards faced overwhelming force and had little chance to fight back. So they gave up within minutes.
They were professionals who knew when a fight was lost.
But Helena wasn't with them.
For a moment, Eva's breath caught in her throat. The villa, eerily silent now that the echoes of shouting had faded, felt too empty, too still.
The strong smell of gun oil and plaster dust filled the air, mixed with something colder—a tense feeling of fear creeping up Eva's spine.
"The villa is clear," someone reported in Eva's earpiece. "No sign of the target."
Eva's heart sank. "She knew. She knew we were coming."
"Wait." Adrian raised his hand, listening to his radio. "There is a basement level we didn't know about. They are checking it now."
The next few minutes felt long and tense.
Then came the update: "Target found. Basement safe room. She is locked inside behind a strong door with electronic locks. She can't get out, and we can't get in either."
Eva made a decision.
"Let me talk to her."
"Eva—" Adrian started.
"She won't surrender to the police. She's too proud for that. But she might talk to me." Eva was already moving toward the villa. "Let me try."
She moved forward without waiting for permission.
The villa's inside was exactly what Eva expected: stylish, expensive, and made to show off wealth and status.
She barely noticed the decorations as she followed the officers' directions through the house, stopping in front of a heavy steel door.
Behind that door was Helena Park.
This was the end of everything.
"Helena." Eva's voice was steady, carrying through the reinforced barrier. "It's Eva. Open the door."
Silence.
"I know you can hear me. I know you are watching through the cameras." Eva looked up at the security camera above the door. "It's over, Helena. The police have surrounded the villa. Your guards have given up. There is nowhere left to run."
Still nothing.
"Victor Chen betrayed you." Eva let that sink in. "The Consortium decided you caused more trouble than you were worth. All those years of loyal service, and they threw you away as soon as you became a problem."
A click from the intercom.
"You're lying." Helena's voice, distorted slightly by the speaker, carried an edge of panic beneath its careful control.
"Am I? Check your communications. Try to reach your contacts. See how many of them answer." Eva paused. "They've abandoned you, Helena. Just like you abandoned Reena."
"Reena was weak. She is a failure. Why would I keep her?"
"You call her a failure. But Reena is the reason why we found you so soon. She told us about Victor Chen, about Marcus Webb, and about the Velvet Room, where we could get information on you." Eva gave the camera a grim smile.
"Your daughter betrayed you, Helena. Just like you betrayed everyone else."
A long pause.
"What do you want, Eva?"