Vivian POV
"We need to find those recordings," I said as Daniel and I walked back toward his car. "If there's footage of what really happened, "
"There you are."
I spun around. Bella stood at the edge of the property, perfectly composed in a white sundress that made her look like some vengeful angel. How long had she been watching us?
"Bella." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "How did you know we were here?"
"I know a lot of things now, Vivian. Things I didn't know when I was nine years old." She stepped closer, and I noticed she wasn't alone. Madeline Newton emerged from behind a black sedan parked on the street.
"Mrs. Newton?" I looked between them, confusion giving way to cold dread. "What are you doing here?"
"Taking care of family business," Madeline replied, her voice carrying that familiar edge of disdain. "Something that should have been done years ago."
Daniel moved slightly in front of me. "I think we should go."
"Oh, please stay," Bella said, her smile sharp as a blade. "I've been looking forward to this conversation for such a long time."
"Bella, I know you're angry, "
"Angry?" She laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Angry doesn't begin to cover what I am, dear sister."
"Then tell me. Help me understand what happened to you."
"What happened to me?" Bella's voice rose. "I'll tell you what happened to me. I was nine years old, and my sister pushed me into a pool knowing I couldn't swim. I nearly drowned, and instead of saving me, she saved herself."
"That's not true. I tried to save you, "
"You tried to save yourself! You let me sink while you swam to safety!"
"Bella, that's not what happened, "
"Isn't it?" She pulled out her phone, swiping to a video. "Would you like to see what really happened that day?"
My heart stopped. "You have footage?"
"Oh, darling, I have everything." Madeline stepped forward, her smile predatory. "Every second of that afternoon. Every moment of precious Vivian's cowardice."
Daniel grabbed my arm. "We're leaving. Now."
"No." I pulled free. "Show me."
Bella held up the phone, and I saw myself at twelve years old, standing at the edge of the pool. The image was grainy but clear enough to see Bella in the water, flailing, going under.
"Watch carefully," Bella said. "Watch how long it takes your precious sister to jump in after me."
On the screen, I saw myself hesitate for what felt like an eternity but was probably only seconds. Then I dove in.
"You waited," Bella said, her voice deadly quiet. "You stood there and watched me drown while you decided whether or not to save me."
"I was scared, "
"You were calculating. Wondering if it would be easier to let me die."
"That's not true!"
"The camera doesn't lie, Vivian. Unlike everyone else in our family."
I stared at the screen, watching my twelve-year-old self struggle in the water with Bella. The angle was wrong, it looked like I was fighting her off instead of trying to save her.
"This is edited," Daniel said firmly. "The timing is off."
"Is it?" Madeline's voice was silk over steel. "Or is that just what you want to believe?"
"Where did you get this footage?" I demanded.
"From the same place I got Bella," Madeline replied. "From the people who were smart enough to be watching that day."
"You were the one watching us."
"I was protecting my interests. Your father had borrowed considerable money from some very dangerous people. When those people decided to collect their debt using you girls as collateral, I had to act quickly."
"So you took Bella."
"I saved Bella. From drowning, from those criminals, and from a family that would have let her die."
"We thought she was dead!"
"Because that's what we needed you to think," Bella said. "It was the only way to keep me safe while Madeline dealt with the real threat."
"What real threat?"
Madeline and Bella exchanged a look.
"The people your father owed money to weren't just loan sharks, Vivian. They were competitors. Business rivals who wanted to destroy the Grants empire from the inside."
"I don't understand."
"They were going to use you and Bella to force your father to sign over everything, the company, the properties, all of it. Then they were going to kill you both anyway."
"So you faked Bella's death to protect us?"
"I faked Bella's death to protect Bella," Madeline corrected. "You were never part of the plan."
The words hit me like ice water. "What do you mean?"
"I mean you were expendable. Bella was the heir your father actually cared about. You were just the spare."
"That's not true, "
"Isn't it? Think about it, Vivian. Who did your father blame for the drowning? Who did he tell should have died instead? Who did he let carry the guilt for ten years while he knew his precious Bella was safe?"
Each word was a dagger, precisely placed. Because she was right. Dad had blamed me. He had wished I'd died instead.
"He was protecting me by pushing me away," I said weakly.
"He was protecting himself," Bella snapped. "Do you know what I've spent the last ten years doing, Vivian? I've been learning. About business, about law, about everything our father tried to keep us from understanding."
"Why?"
"Because Madeline showed me the truth. About Dad's debts, about his business practices, about the way he was willing to sacrifice both his daughters to save his empire."
"And now?"
Bella's smile was cold as winter. "Now I'm taking it all back."
"Taking what back?"
"Everything. The company, the properties, the money. Everything Dad gave away to keep us safe." She stepped closer. "Everything Evans bought with our blood."
"Bella, Evans was trying to help, "
"Evans was trying to own us! Don't you see? He paid our father's debts, yes. But in exchange, he got control of everything. The company, the properties, and you."
"That's not, "
"You're his pet, Vivian. His kept woman. His consolation prize." Bella's voice turned vicious. "Did you really think he loved you? Did you really think he chose you over me?"
"He chose you. At his party, he chose you."
"He chose me because I have something he wants. Something he's been trying to get for ten years."
"What?"
"Legal proof that everything he bought from our father was obtained under false pretenses. That the contracts were signed by a man who was being blackmailed." Bella's smile was triumphant. "I have documentation of everything, Vivian. Every debt, every payment, every lie."
"You're going to destroy Evans."
"I'm going to destroy everyone who destroyed our family. Evans, our father, everyone who was involved in this elaborate charade."
"Including me?"
"Especially you." Bella's voice turned soft, almost gentle. "You see, dear sister, I've learned something very interesting about that day at the pool."
"What?"
"The people who wanted to hurt us? They didn't just want collateral. They wanted to send a message. And the message was very specific."
"What message?"
"That the Grants family needed to learn the consequences of crossing them. So they arranged for an accident to happen at the pool. An accident that would eliminate the heir they couldn't control."
"They were trying to kill us?"
"They were trying to kill you, Vivian. You were the target. I was just supposed to be the witness."
"That's impossible, "
"Is it? Think about it. Who dared who to jump in the pool? Who was standing on the edge when the 'accident' happened? Who was supposed to drown that day?"
The world tilted beneath my feet. "You're saying I was the intended victim?"
"I'm saying you were supposed to die, and I was supposed to watch. But something went wrong. I ended up in the water instead of you."
"So they took you to cover up their mistake."
"They took me to finish the job. But Madeline got to me first."
I looked at Madeline, who was watching this conversation with satisfaction.
"You saved her to use her against me."
"I saved her to use her against everyone," Madeline corrected. "Your father, Evans, you. Everyone who thought they could play games with the Newton family."
"And now?"
"Now it's time to collect." Bella pulled out a thick envelope from her purse. "Legal documents, Vivian. Proof that everything Evans owns legally belongs to the Grants estate. Proof that your father was coerced into those contracts."
"You're taking everything back."
"I'm taking everything back." Bella's voice was steel. "Starting with Evans."
"He'll fight you."
"Let him try. I have ten years of evidence, ten years of preparation, and ten years of anger on my side." She stepped closer. "But that's not why I'm here."
"Then why are you here?"
"I'm here to give you a choice, Vivian."
"What choice?"
"You can walk away. Disappear again. Live quietly somewhere far from here, and I'll leave you alone."
"Or?"
"Or you can stay and fight me. Try to protect Evans, try to save what's left of our father's reputation, try to keep the life you've built on lies."
"And if I choose to fight?"
Bella's smile was sharp as broken glass. "Then I'll destroy you the same way you destroyed me. Slowly, methodically, and completely."
"Bella, I never meant, "
"Intent doesn't matter, Vivian. Results do. And the result is that you took everything from me. My family, my home, my childhood, my life."
"You're my sister, "
"I was your sister. Now I'm your reckoning." She turned to leave, then paused. "You have twenty-four hours to decide. After that, the choice is made for you."
"What happens after twenty-four hours?"
Bella looked back over her shoulder, and for a moment, I saw something in her eyes that made my blood run cold.
"After twenty-four hours, everyone will know the truth about what really happened at that pool. Everyone will know what kind of person you really are." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And then we'll see how much Evans loves you when he knows you tried to murder his precious Bella."