𝐕𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

Chapter 32 : Unveiling Shadows

Alexander

The door of my apartment clicked shut behind me, the sound echoing through the empty space like a distant reminder of how isolated I had become. I threw my coat onto the nearest chair, not caring where it landed. My mind was elsewhere, spinning with thoughts of Scarlett, of my stepmother, and the mess that had just unfolded. The press conference had been a disaster, a public spectacle of everything I had tried so hard to control, and now everything felt like it was slipping through my fingers.

I pulled out my phone, my thumb hovering over Scarlett's contact. I had called her half a dozen times already, left countless messages, but there was nothing - no response, no sign that she even cared to hear what I had to say. Each unanswered call was like a punch to the gut, a reminder of how far apart we were growing. How did things spiral so far out of control? How did I let it get to this point?

I sat down heavily on the couch, my head dropping into my hands. The city lights outside flickered against the window, mocking me with their distance. I tried texting her again, my fingers moving almost automatically as I typed out another desperate plea: Scarlett, please talk to me. I need to explain. I need you to understand. But the message went unread, joining the others in a silent void.

I was losing her. I could feel it, like sand slipping through my fingers no matter how tightly I tried to hold on. Scarlett had been the one bright spot in the middle of the darkness that had consumed my life for so long. She had brought warmth, laughter, something real. And now, because of Vivian, that light was flickering, threatening to go out completely.

Vivian. My stepmother. I had to start using that word - had to stop pretending she was anything more than the woman who married my father after my real mother died. She had never loved me, never cared for me in any way that mattered. I was a tool to her, nothing more. A pawn to be used in her game of power and control.

But why now? Why had she gone so far, so ruthlessly targeted Scarlett? The thought gnawed at me, refusing to let go. I had always known Vivian was manipulative, that she had her own agenda, but this... this was different. This felt personal. As if there was something deeper, something darker driving her actions. But what?

I tried to push the questions aside, focusing instead on the memories that were flooding back, memories of my real mother, of the life we had before it all went wrong. My father had been a good man, a man of principles and honor. He had believed in building something that mattered, something that would last. But all of that had been destroyed the day he died, the day Vivian took control.

I had spent years trying to live up to his legacy, trying to be the man he would have wanted me to be. But under Vivian's influence, I had become something else - cold, distant, ruthless. I had done things I wasn't proud of, made choices that haunted me. But it had all been for the sake of the family, for the empire my father had built.

And now, it was all crumbling. Because of her. Because of the lies and the secrets she had woven into the very fabric of our lives.

I stood up, unable to sit still any longer. I paced the length of the room, my mind racing with a thousand thoughts, none of them offering any comfort. I had to find out the truth. I had to understand why Vivian was doing this, what she was so afraid of. And I had to fix things with Scarlett before it was too late.

I walked over to the window, staring out at the city below. The lights blurred in front of me, my vision clouded by the memories that refused to stay buried. My mother, my real mother, had always believed in me. She had seen something in me that no one else did, something that even I had lost sight of over the years. But Vivian... she had taken that, twisted it into something unrecognizable. And now, she was doing the same to Scarlett.

I wouldn't let her. I couldn't.

I couldn't stop thinking about Scarlett- how she looked at me before she left, the way her eyes were filled with so much hurt and confusion. And I couldn't blame her. Not after everything my stepmother, Vivian, had just unleashed on her in front of the world.

The phone in my hand buzzed, a new message notification lighting up the screen. My heart leaped into my throat, but it wasn't from Scarlett. It was from one of my contacts, a man I had hired years ago to dig into the past, to uncover secrets that were buried deep, suddenly came to mind. I'd kept him on a tight leash, only asking him to find the truth when it seemed necessary. But now, as everything crumbled around me, I knew it was time to unleash him fully. I needed to understand why Vivian had done this, why she had targeted Scarlett so viciously. There had to be a reason, something more than just protecting the family's reputation. Vivian's actions reeked of something personal, something dark and twisted that I couldn't yet see.

My phone again buzzed in my hand, and I checked it with a sliver of hope, only to find another missed call from a business associate. No message from Scarlett. The silence on her end was deafening, and it was driving me insane. I started typing out another text, but deleted it before I could send it. What could I even say? How could I explain all of this when I didn't fully understand it myself?

I stood up and began pacing the room,

I leaned against the wall, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on me. If Scarlett left, if I lost her because of this, I wasn't sure how I'd recover. She was the light in the darkness that had consumed me for so many years, the one thing that made me feel human again. And now, because of Vivian, because of her relentless pursuit of control, I might lose her forever.

I knew what I had to do. I had to find the truth, no matter how ugly it was. If Vivian was hiding something - and I was certain she was - I needed to uncover it. Only then could I hope to protect Scarlett, to clear her name, and maybe, just maybe, win back her trust.

I grabbed my phone again and dialed the number of the investigator I had kept on retainer. When he answered, I didn't waste time with pleasantries.

"I need you to dig deeper into Vivian," I said, my voice firm. "I want everything - every secret, every lie, every connection she has that I don't know about. Leave no stone unturned."

There was a pause on the other end, then a simple reply: "Understood."

I hung up and stared at the phone, my mind already racing with possibilities. Vivian had been untouchable for too long. She had used her power to control me, to mold me into her weapon. But now, she had gone too far. This wasn't just about family reputation anymore - this was about the truth, and I was determined to uncover it.

I moved to the window, looking out over the city. Somewhere out there, Scarlett was hurting because of me, because of the family I was supposed to protect her from. I couldn't let that happen. I wouldn't.

"I'm going to fix this," I whispered to the empty room, as if saying it out loud would make it true. "No matter what it takes."

But as I stood there, staring into the darkness, I couldn't shake the feeling that the storm was only just beginning.