CHAPTER SIX
1301 Words
Elena’s POV
Vanessa. The name echoed inside my head like a crack of thunder.
“That’s impossible,” I said again, shaking my head as if the motion alone could erase the thought.
Vanessa was my cousin. My closest friend growing up. The one who had comforted me when my father died. The one who stayed with me in the hospital when my mother first got sick.
And she was the one who told me marrying Ethan would solve everything.
“She wouldn’t do this,” I whispered.
Ethan didn’t argue. But he didn’t agree either.
The silence between us felt heavier than the night air.
“Look at me,” he said quietly.
I did.
His gray eyes were calm but sharp, as if he were studying every reaction I had.
“Think carefully, Elena. Who pushed the hardest for this marriage?”
My stomach twisted.
Vanessa.
“Who insisted that I was harmless?”
Vanessa again.
My voice trembled. “She said you were… worthless.”
Ethan let out a low breath.
“Yes.”
A horrible thought crawled into my mind.
“What if she didn’t believe that?” I whispered.
Ethan’s expression hardened.
“Then she knew exactly what she was doing.”
Ethan’s POV.
Elena was beginning to see the cracks. It wasn’t easy to watch someone realize their trust had been manipulated, but it was necessary.
Vanessa had been involved from the beginning, I had suspected it the moment Elena mentioned her name weeks ago.
Vanessa Marshall was not the naive cousin Elena believed her to be. She was ambitious, calculating, and very connected. The problem was proving it.
“Elena,” I said carefully.
“Yes?”
“You need to ask yourself something.”
Her eyes met mine.
“Why would someone want you to marry me?”
She frowned.
“I thought it was because you were… poor.”
I almost smiled at that.
“Exactly.”
She froze.
And then realization slowly dawned on her face.
“If she thought you were worthless… marrying you wouldn’t benefit her.”
“Correct.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“So if she pushed for it anyway…”
“She had another reason.”
The truth hung in the air between us. Before Elena could respond, my phone rang.
Davis Whitmore.
I answered immediately.
“Yes.”
His voice came through tense.
“Ethan, we have a situation.”
“What kind?”
“A new player just entered the board.”
My grip tightened.
“Explain.”
Davis hesitated.
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
“The man funding the attacks against you… is Victor Kane.”
Elena’s POV
Ethan’s expression changed instantly. I had never seen him look like that before. He was not angry, not scared, but something darker.
“Who is Victor Kane?” I asked once he ended the call.
Ethan was quiet for a moment.
Then he said slowly, “Someone who should have stayed buried in the past.”
That answer only made me more nervous.
“What does that mean?”
Before Ethan could reply, headlights suddenly flashed across us. A sleek black car pulled up beside the sidewalk. The door opened, and a man stepped out. He is tall and impeccably dressed. His dark suit looked expensive enough to cost more than my entire wardrobe. His hair was silver at the temples, his smile calm and confident. But something about him felt dangerous.
He walked toward us like he owned the street.
“Well,” the man said smoothly.
“So this is the famous Elena.”
My heart skipped.
“Do I know you?”
He chuckled softly.
“No.”
His eyes flicked briefly toward Ethan.
“But your husband certainly does.”
Ethan stepped slightly in front of me. His voice turned ice cold.
“Victor.”
The man smiled wider.
“Hello, Ethan.”
My pulse spiked.
Victor Kane. The name Daniel had just mentioned. The air between the two men felt electric with tension. Victor studied me carefully.
“You’re prettier than I expected,” he said casually.
Ethan’s voice dropped dangerously low.
“Don’t talk about her.”
Victor raised an eyebrow.
“Protective already? That’s new.”
I looked between them, confused and uneasy.
“What’s going on?”
Victor ignored my question. Instead, he addressed Ethan.
“You’ve caused me quite a bit of trouble over the years.”
Ethan didn’t move.
“You deserved every bit of it.”
Victor laughed lightly.
“Perhaps.”
Then his eyes slid back to me.
“But things change when innocent people get involved.”
My stomach tightened.
“What does that mean?”
Victor tilted his head slightly.
“Didn’t he tell you?”
I looked at Ethan.
“Tell me what?”
Victor’s smile turned sharp.
“Your husband destroyed my empire two years ago.”
The words hit me like a punch. Destroyed? Empire?
Ethan said nothing. Victor continued calmly.
“I lost billions because of him. My companies. My influence. My reputation.”
His gaze darkened.
“And now I intend to return the favor.”
Fear crawled up my spine.
“You’re threatening us.”
Victor shook his head slowly.
“No.”
He looked straight at Ethan.
“I’m threatening her.”
My blood ran cold.
Ethan stepped forward immediately.
“You come near her again and—”
Victor held up a hand.
“Oh relax, Ethan. If I wanted her dead, she wouldn’t still be standing here.”
The casual way he said it made my skin crawl.
“What do you want?” Ethan asked.
Victor smiled slowly.
“You.”
There was silence.
“What?” I whispered.
Victor’s eyes gleamed.
“I want Ethan Carter to watch everything he built crumble.”
His gaze settled on me.
“And I think you’ll be the perfect place to start.”
My heart slammed violently against my ribs.
Victor stepped back toward his car.
“This has been a delightful introduction.”
He opened the door.
“But don’t worry.”
He paused before getting inside.
“You’ll be seeing me again very soon.”
Then the car door shut.
And the vehicle disappeared into the night.
Vanessa’s POV.
From the balcony across the street, I watched everything. Victor always loved dramatic entrances.
But this time, his performance served my purpose perfectly.
Elena looked terrified and confused., exactly where I needed her to be. Soon she would start questioning everything. Her marriage, her husband, her choices.
And when she finally broke, she would come back to the only person she thought she could trust.
Me.
I smiled quietly.
Because neither Ethan nor Victor had realized something very important.
They thought this war was between them. But the truth was much more interesting.
I was the one who started it.
Elena’s POV.
I stared at the empty street long after Victor’s car disappeared. My hands were trembling.
“Ethan…”
My voice barely worked. He turned toward me immediately.
“Yes?”
“That man… he’s serious.”
“Yes.”
“You really destroyed his empire?”
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
“Yes.”
The answer sent another wave of fear through me.
“And now he’s coming after you,” I whispered.
Ethan shook his head.
“No.”
His eyes met mine.
“He’s coming after you.”
My chest tightened painfully.
Because for the first time since this nightmare began, I realized something horrifying. This wasn’t just a dangerous situation, it was a war, and somehow, I had become the battlefield.
If Victor Kane is determined to destroy Ethan through me… how long will it be before I become his next target?
- Writer
