Chapter 14 - THE FINAL CONFRONTATION
Alexander’s entire body went cold.
“No.”
Lauren looked at him.
“What happened?”
He showed her the phone.
The picture.
Sophia.
Victoria.
Together.
Lauren immediately stood.
“She took her?”
Alexander shook his head.
“No.”
His eyes focused.
“Look carefully.”
Michael zoomed in.
The photo wasn’t recent.
The timestamp showed it was taken hours earlier.
Alexander exhaled.
“She wants us to panic.”
Michael nodded.
“She’s trying to make you react.”
Alexander looked at the picture again.
Victoria was smiling.
A confident smile.
The same smile she had worn for decades.
Because she believed she was untouchable.
But she made one mistake.
She underestimated a father.
“Find her.”
Michael immediately started working.
Within minutes, they tracked the location.
The old Sterling estate.
The house where Alexander grew up.
The house where every secret began.
When they arrived, Victoria was waiting.
She stood in the living room.
Elegant.
Calm.
Almost peaceful.
Sophia sat on the couch beside her.
But the moment she saw Alexander, she jumped up.
“Daddy!”
Alexander crossed the room immediately.
He picked her up.
Held her tightly.
Victoria watched.
“You see?”
Alexander turned.
“What?”
“You still love her.”
He stared at her.
“She’s my daughter.”
Victoria smiled sadly.
“That’s what I wanted.”
Alexander frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
“I wanted you to understand.”
She stepped closer.
“The Sterling family has always been about protecting the future.”
Alexander looked disgusted.
“No.”
“It is.”
Victoria pointed at Sophia.
“She is the future.”
“She’s a child.”
“She is the next generation.”
Alexander shook his head.
“You don’t see people.”
Victoria’s expression changed.
“You sound like your father.”
“And maybe that’s why he trusted me.”
That sentence hit her.
For the first time...
Victoria looked hurt.
“My husband was weak.”
Alexander stared.
“No.”
“He let emotions control him.”
“No.”
Alexander stepped forward.
“He loved people.”
Victoria laughed.
“And look where that got him.”
The room became silent.
Alexander noticed something.
A small recorder on the table.
He looked at Michael.
Michael understood.
He quietly activated it.
Victoria continued speaking.
“You think I wanted to hurt Sophia?”
“You lied to me.”
“I protected the Sterling name.”
“You stole money meant for her.”
“I invested in the family.”
“You abandoned her.”
Victoria’s face hardened.
“I removed distractions.”
The words were recorded.
Everyone heard them.
Alexander stared.
“You just admitted everything.”
Victoria realized.
Her expression changed.
But it was too late.
“You set me up.”
Alexander shook his head.
“No.”
He held Sophia closer.
“You destroyed yourself.”
Then the front door opened.
Police officers entered.
Victoria looked shocked.
“You wouldn’t.”
Alexander looked at her.
“You hurt my daughter.”
His voice became quiet.
“You lost the right to call yourself family.”
As officers approached, Victoria looked at Sophia.
And for a moment, Sophia looked sad.
Because even after everything...
She was still a child.
She still loved her grandmother.
Alexander noticed.
And he understood something.
Stopping Victoria didn’t mean teaching Sophia to hate.
It meant giving Sophia a chance to heal.
But before Victoria was taken away, she smiled.
A strange, confident smile.
“Alexander.”
He stopped.
“There is one thing you still don’t know.”
He turned.
“What?”
Victoria looked toward the hallway.
“Your father’s death wasn’t an accident.”
The room froze.
Alexander felt the world shift.
“What did you say?”
Victoria smiled.
May you like
“Ask Ethan.”
Then she was gone.
