Victoria’s POV
I’d been waiting for this moment.
For days, I pictured it in my head, Elle breaking down, crying, losing that calm, smart little face she always wore. I wanted to see her shaken. I wanted her to know I was in charge.
And now, she was.
When I walked into the building that morning, everyone was whispering. The whole office felt different, heavy, slow, full of quiet gossip. I didn’t have to ask what they were whispering about. Word travels fast.
Elle Brooks’s daughter had been kidnapped.
I pretended to look surprised when I heard it from the receptionist. I covered my mouth, gasped, and said all the right words. “Oh my God. That’s awful.”
But inside?
I smiled.
Finally, the balance had shifted.
I walked to my office, shut the door, and leaned back in my chair. My hands
