Chapter 10 Bernice

Chapter 10 Bernice
Bernice pov

I was boiling. My entire body felt like it was on fire as I replayed everything from that stupid party. The way she spoke, the way she looked at me, even the small gestures she made..it all screamed Vanessa.

She could have changed her hair, her voice, or even her name, but I knew her. I would recognize that woman anywhere. It had to be her. Vanessa Hayes. Back from the dead.

And if it was her, there was only one reason she would return. Revenge.

I could feel my pulse in my throat as I paced around my office. My heels clicked loudly on the marble floor, the sound matching the rhythm of my anger. The room was too bright, too clean, too quiet. I hated it. I wanted to break something.

If Vanessa was really alive, she was planning something. She would want to take back everything I took from her. Her life. Her name. Her place beside Elliot.

No. I would never let that happen.

The useless thugs I sent years ago had sworn they took care of her. They said she was dead. Yet they never showed me a body. I should have known better. Vanessa was too smart to die that easily.

I picked up my phone and called Anne. She was my secret manager, my problem solver, the one who handled every dirty detail that kept me where I am today. She was quick, brilliant, and loyal, mostly because I paid her more than anyone else could.

The line connected on the second ring.

“Anne,” I said sharply. “Get me everything you can on Nessa Adams.”

“Got it,” she said quickly.

“How long?”

“An hour, maybe less.”

“Thirty minutes,” I said.

I could almost hear her smile. “Understood.”

The call ended, and I leaned against my desk, taking a shaky breath. My mind was moving too fast. If Vanessa really was Nessa, then she came back prepared. Every move she made so far had been calculated. She knew exactly what she was doing.

And that scared me.

I glanced at the large clock on the wall. Time felt slower. My palms were sweating. I didn’t like waiting.

Finally, my phone buzzed. Anne.

I answered immediately. “Tell me you have something.”

“There isn’t much,” she began. “Nessa Adams appeared about two years ago. Before that, she doesn’t exist. No birth records, no past address, no family. Nothing. It’s like she just appeared out of thin air.”

“That’s impossible,” I muttered.

“She’s listed as the daughter of a wealthy businessman, but there’s no trace of the man either. No pictures, no documents. It’s all too clean.”

My stomach twisted. “Can you tell if it’s fake?”

“I checked. Everything looks real. Too real. The IDs, tax records, everything checks out. But there’s nothing before two years ago. Whoever built this identity knew what they were doing.”

I squeezed the phone tighter. “And Vanessa?”

Anne sighed softly. “Still no trace. No new activity, no travel records, nothing. If she’s alive, she’s hiding deep.”

I slammed my palm on the desk. “She’s alive, Anne. I know she is. I can feel it.”

Anne didn’t respond.

“She’s out there,” I continued, pacing again. “She’s probably watching me, waiting to ruin everything I’ve worked for.”

The silence on the line stretched before I finally spoke again. “What about the child?”

“The child?” Anne asked.

“Yes, Vanessa was pregnant before she disappeared. Find out if the child survived.”

“There’s nothing. No records, no files, no sign of a child anywhere.”

I sat down slowly, my mind spinning. That woman had erased her entire life. No trace, no proof, nothing. She had hidden every part of herself and started again.

“She’s good,” I whispered. “She’s really good.”

“Should I keep digging?”

“Yes,” I said quietly. “And if you find anything, call me immediately.”

The line went dead.

I sat there for a while, staring at my reflection in the glass table. My hands were trembling slightly. For years, I thought I was safe. I thought the past had finally died. But now, the past had a new name, a new face, and it had just walked into my world like it never left.

If I told Elliot, he would want to find her again. He would want answers. And the last thing I needed was for him to start remembering how much he once loved her.

He never really stopped, did he? I saw it in his eyes the moment he looked at her. That same old fire. That same weakness.

I swallowed the bitterness building in my throat. No. I would not lose him again.

I looked up at the mirror on the wall. My reflection looked flawless, my hair perfectly in place, my lipstick still sharp. But beneath all that, I looked scared. I hated that. I hated what she could make me feel with just her presence.

I wasn’t going to let Vanessa win again.

If Nessa Adams was really her, I’d expose her. I’d ruin her life before she had a chance to ruin mine. Elliot would believe me, and he’d fire her without a second thought.

And if that didn’t work, I had other ways to make people disappear.

My phone rang again, breaking my thoughts. Anne.

I picked up quickly. “What is it?”

“Ms. Bernice, I think I found something,” she said, her voice fast and uneasy.

“What did you find?”

“There’s a hidden file connected to Nessa’s data. It’s encrypted under a false name. I almost missed it. Someone went through a lot of effort to hide it.”

My heart started racing. “What’s inside the file?”

“I’m not sure yet. It’s protected by multiple layers of encryption, but it looks like a medical record.”

“Medical?”

“Yes. And there’s a name attached. Hayes.”

I froze. “What did you just say?”

“Hayes,” she repeated. “The same surname as Elliot. But the system just crashed while I was trying to open it. I think someone noticed the breach.”

“Can you get it back?”

“I’ll try, but this isn’t normal. Someone’s protecting this file, and they’re doing it in real time.”

I felt a chill run down my spine. “Do whatever you have to. I need that file, Anne. Don’t stop until you get it.”

The call ended, and I sat in silence, my heart pounding so loudly it almost hurt.

If that file was connected to Hayes, it could only mean one thing, Vanessa was closer than I thought. She had come back, not just to haunt me, but to destroy me completely.

I smiled slowly as a thought formed in my mind.

If she wanted to play games, I would play too. But unlike her, I didn’t lose.

No one in this company wanted a scandal. No one wanted to risk exposure. And if I had to make Nessa Adams disappear again, I would.

This time, I’d make sure there was a body.