Chapter 136: Victoria’s Schemes and Olivia’s Revenge
Chapter 136: Victoria’s Schemes and Olivia’s Revenge
(Victoria’s POV)
The phone nearly slipped from my trembling fingers as I recognized the voice on the other
end.
“Connor Blackthorn,” I whispered, my heart racing. “How did you get this number?”
His dark chuckle sent shivers down my spine. “I have my ways, Victoria. Did you miss me during my time in Moonstone County Correctional?”
I glanced nervously at Emma’s bedroom door, making sure it remained closed. “You shouldn’t be calling me. If Ethan finds out-”
“If Ethan finds out what?” Connor interrupted, his voice hardening. “That you orchestrated the ‘accident‘ meant for his precious mate? That you promised me we’d be together once she was
out of the picture?”
I moved toward the staircase, keeping my voice low. “Things are complicated right now. I’m in
a wheelchair after the elevator incident.”
“A wheelchair?” Concern immediately replaced his anger. “What happened?”
As I started descending the stairs, my attention divided between the conversation and my
footing, my heel caught on the edge of a step.
I lost my balance completely, tumbling down the remaining stairs with a piercing scream.
Pain exploded through my body as I landed in a crumpled heap at the bottom.
“Victoria? Victoria!” Connor’s panicked voice came through the phone that had fallen nearby.
“What happened? Are you hurt?”
I groaned, reaching for the phone with shaking hands. “I fell down the stairs.”
“I’m coming over,” he declared immediately.
“No!” I shouted, then winced at the pain the sudden movement caused. “You can’t come here. Ethan’s security would detect your scent.”
There was a pause on the other end. “You’re still with him, aren’t you?” The hurt in his voice
was palpable. “After everything we planned together.”
I needed to regain control of the situation quickly. “Connor, please understand. I’m doing this
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for Emma.”
“For Emma?” His voice grew suspicious. “Or for yourself?”
+25 Points >
I forced tears into my voice, a skill I’d perfected over years of manipulation. “How can you say
that? I’ve sacrificed everything for our daughter. Look at me now–paralyzed and alone while
Ethan chases after Olivia.”
“Our daughter,” he repeated softly, the anger draining from his voice. “How is she?”
I seized the opportunity, shifting the conversation to Emma. “She misses you, even though she
doesn’t know who you are. She keeps asking why she doesn’t have a father like the other
pups.”
It was a lie, of course: Emma had never questioned Victoria about her father, content with the
attention Ethan lavished on her. But Connor didn’t need to know that.
“I want to see her,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.
I winced as I pulled myself into a sitting position against the wall. “It’s too dangerous right
now. Ethan is watching me closely after the incident with Olivia.”
“What incident?” Connor demanded.
I sighed dramatically. “She pushed me into an elevator shaft. That’s why I’m in this wheelchair.
The doctors aren’t sure if I’ll ever walk again.”
The lie flowed easily from my lips. In reality, I had orchestrated my own “accident” to gain sympathy from Ethan and the pack. But Connor’s protective instincts would be useful to me.
“She tried to kill you?” His voice had turned deadly calm. “And our daughter could have been
left motherless?”
“Connor, please don’t do anything rash,” I pleaded, secretly delighted by his reaction. “Emma needs me. And I need you to be patient.”
I could almost hear his internal struggle through the phone. “Give me the security code to
Rosewood Haven. I need to see you tonight.”
I hesitated, calculating the risks. “2-4-7-8. Come after midnight when the guards change
shifts. But you must be gone before dawn.”
After ending the call, I pulled myself back into my wheelchair, smiling despite the pain from my fall. Connor would be the perfect weapon against Olivia–and once he served his purpose, I would ensure he disappeared permanently.
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Chapter 136 Victoria’s Sche
+25 Port
Emma was never his daughter. The child was merely a convenient tool in my arsenal, one I
tolerated only because of her usefulness in manipulating Ethan.
Soon, I would eliminate both Olivia and Connor, securing my position as Ethan’s only option. And Emma? Well, boarding schools existed for a reason.
Later that night, I heard the soft beep of the security system being disarmed. Connor had
arrived.
He appeared in my bedroom doorway, his tall frame silhouetted against the hallway light.
Despite his time in prison, he remained handsome in a dangerous way.
“Victoria,” he whispered, crossing the room in three long strides.
His lips found mine with desperate hunger. I responded with equal fervor, pulling him closer
despite my supposed paralysis.
“I’ve missed you,” I murmured against his mouth. “Every day.”
Connor’s hands tangled in my hair as he deepened the kiss. “I thought of nothing but
Emma while I was locked away.”
you
and
I guided his hands to my body, letting him believe that my paralysis hadn’t affected my ability
to feel pleasure. In truth, I felt nothing for him beyond his usefulness to my plans.
As he worshipped my body with his touch, I closed my eyes and imagined Ethan in his place.
Soon, I promised myself. Soon.
(Olivia’s POV)
The surveillance photos from Hunter Morgan arrived at midnight, showing Connor Blackthorn
slipping into Rosewood Haven. I studied them carefully, noting the security code he entered
and the way Victoria greeted him at the door–definitely not as a stranger.
I dialed Lucas’s number, knowing he would still be awake.
“Liv?” His deep voice answered immediately. “Is everything alright?”
“Connor Blackthorn was just released from prison,” I explained, flipping through the photos.
“And he went straight to Victoria’s.”
Lucas was silent for a moment. “The same Connor who tried to kill you by tampering with
your car brakes?”
“The very same,” I confirmed. “But there’s something else. Look at the way he’s watching Emma in these other surveillance photos.”
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+25 Points >
I sent the images through our secure messaging app. They showed Connor observing Emma
from a distance at her training den, his expression unmistakably paternal.
“You think he’s Emma’s father,” Lucas stated rather than asked.
“It would explain a lot,” I replied, my mind racing with possibilities. “Victoria’s mysterious
pregnancy, her sudden return to Shadow Creek five years ago, her desperation to secure Ethan
as a replacement father figure.”
Lucas’s voice grew thoughtful. “If we can prove this connection, it would undermine her entire position with Ethan.”
“Exactly,” I said, hope flickering for the first time in months. “And if Connor truly loves his daughter, he might reveal how Victoria has been mistreating Emma.”
After ending the call, I fell into a restless sleep, my dreams filled with possibilities for justice-
not just for me and Lily, but for Emma too.
I woke the next morning to find myself in Ethan’s arms, his warm body curved protectively
around mine. For a disorienting moment, it felt like the past–before Lily’s illness, before
Victoria’s return, before everything fell apart.
Reality crashed back quickly. I extracted myself from his embrace, creating as much distance
as possible between us.
Ethan’s amber eyes opened, watching me with an unreadable expression. “Make me breakfast,” he said, his tone somewhere between a request and a command.
I stiffened, hating how easily he slipped back into our old dynamic. “I’m not your servant.”
“No,” he agreed, stretching his powerful body like the predator he was. “You’re my mate. And I miss your cooking.”
The casual reminder of our bond made my wolf bristle with anger. Still, I needed to maintain
the fragile peace between us for my mother’s sake.
In the kitchen, I deliberately selected the strongest spices for the venison steak he preferred. I added three times the normal amount of pepper, along with extra garlic and a dash of bitter
herbs.
When I placed the plate before him, I watched with satisfaction as he took the first bite. To my disappointment, he didn’t immediately react to the overwhelming flavors.
“You’ve changed your recipe,” he commented, continuing to eat despite the obvious discomfort
in his eyes.
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I shrugged innocently. “I thought you might appreciate something different.”
+25 Points >
After breakfast, he asked me to prepare his formal Alpha jacket for an important meeting. “The ceremonial emblem needs adjusting,” he added, heading for the shower.
I examined the silver and moonstone emblem that marked him as Alpha King of the Northern Territories. With careful precision, I loosened several of the tiny pins holding it in place, ensuring it would fall off at the most embarrassing moment possible.
My phone buzzed with a message from Hunter Morgan: “Subject CB observed at Crescent Moon Training Den watching subject EF from distance. Followed subjects to Crescent Moon Mall, then back to Rosewood Haven. Photos attached.”
The images showed Connor standing in the shadows, watching Emma with undisguised longing as Dorothy Lawson led her through the mall. His expression was unmistakable–the look of a father desperate to be part of his child’s life.
Lucas called moments later. “I’ve seen the evidence,” he said without preamble. “My team can obtain DNA samples to confirm our suspicions.”
“If Emma is truly Connor’s daughter,” I replied, hope rising in my chest, “we can expose Victoria’s cruelty toward her own child and her manipulation of Ethan.”
“Leave it to me,” Lucas promised. “I’ll have results within days.”
After we hung up, I allowed myself a small smile. For the first time since Lily’s death, I felt like justice might actually be possible.
(Lucas’s POV)
I deployed my most trusted operatives to collect the DNA samples we needed. One posed as a janitor at Crescent Moon Training Den, retrieving Emma’s discarded water bottle. Another managed to obtain a cigarette butt Connor had dropped outside Rosewood Haven.
The results came back faster than expected, thanks to my connections at the territory’s top genetic testing facility.
As I reviewed the report, a sense of grim satisfaction settled over me. The DNA match was
undeniable–Connor Blackthorn was Emma Frost’s biological father.
