𝐕𝐞𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

Chapter 45 : New Beginnings, Old Shadows

Alexander

I stared at the morning light filtering through the blinds of my office, the familiar view of the city’s skyline now tinged with an unfamiliar sense of responsibility. The Blackwood Estate Company had always been a part of me—its foundations intertwined with my life since I was old enough to understand what it meant to be a Blackwood. But today, it felt different. Today, it felt as though I was looking at the company through new eyes, seeing it for what it really was—a kingdom that had been both my sanctuary and my prison.

Vivian was gone, and with her, the lies that had shrouded my life for so many years. She had controlled everything, weaving a web of deceit so intricate that even I, with all my instincts and intellect, had been caught in it. But now, I had the truth. And with that truth came the power to reshape everything—my life, the company, and the future that lay ahead.

I leaned back in my chair, letting the silence of the office settle around me. The world outside was waking up, but inside these walls, it felt as though time had paused, waiting for me to make the next move.

Henry was back. That was the thought that lingered in my mind, tugging at my focus. Henry, my uncle, the man who had been a distant presence in my life, always on the periphery, always just out of reach. He had been away for business, or so I had been told. But now, as I pieced together the fragments of the truth, I realized that his absence had been orchestrated, just another piece of Vivian’s grand scheme.

Today was the day he returned, and I was prepared to face him, to confront the secrets that had been kept from me for so long. My thoughts were interrupted by the soft click of the door as it opened, and there he was—Henry, standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable, his presence a stark contrast to the vibrant energy that usually filled this office.

“Alexander,” he greeted me, his voice calm, almost too calm. It was as if he had expected this moment, as if he had known all along that the truth would eventually come to light.

“Henry,” I replied, keeping my tone measured, my gaze locked on his. “You’re back.”

He nodded, stepping further into the room, closing the door behind him. “I am. I heard about Vivian. I’m… I’m sorry for everything.”

I studied him for a moment, searching for any sign of the guilt or remorse I had expected to see. But there was none. Instead, there was a quiet acceptance, a resignation that unsettled me.

“You don’t seem surprised,” I observed, leaning forward slightly. “In fact, you seem almost…relieved.”

Henry’s lips twitched into a small, bitter smile. “I suppose I am,” he admitted, taking a seat across from me. “Relieved that the truth is finally out, that Vivian’s control over you—and over this company—is over.”

His words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning. I felt a surge of frustration, the questions that had been simmering in my mind now demanding answers. “You knew, didn’t you? You knew what she was doing, what she was capable of. And yet, you said nothing.”

He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly as he looked down at his hands. “I knew,” he confessed, his voice laced with regret. “But I couldn’t tell you, Alexander. I was…bound, trapped by the same web of manipulation and threats that held you. Vivian was not just your stepmother—she was a master manipulator, and she had her claws in every part of this company, in every part of our lives.”

His words stirred a mixture of emotions within me—anger, betrayal, but also a strange sense of understanding. I had seen the signs, the hints of unease in Henry’s behavior over the years, but I had dismissed them, too focused on my own battles to see the larger picture.