Chapter 6
Vivienne had always believed people underestimated her.
That was how she preferred it.
She played the elegant wife.
The charitable hostess.
The woman who smiled beside Richard at galas and pretended not to understand business.
But Vivienne understood something Richard never had.
Power was rarely about who owned the money.
It was about who knew where the bodies were buried.
And Vivienne knew everything.
Including the fact that Richard had never intended to share Blackwood Holdings with her.
For years, she had helped protect him.
She had lied to investigators.
Destroyed documents.
Paid former employees.
She had stayed because she believed that when Elias died, she and Richard would control an empire.
Then Emma appeared.
One scar.
One child.
And suddenly everything Vivienne had tolerated could become worthless.
She had not kidnapped Emma for Richard.
She had kidnapped Emma for herself.
At the abandoned laundry facility, Emma sat inside a small office.
The door was locked.
She had stopped crying.
Mostly.
A woman named Claire sat across from her.
Claire was Vivienne's personal assistant.
She looked terrified.
"I told Mrs. Blackwood this was wrong."
Emma glared at her.
"But you still helped."
Claire looked down.
"Yes."
"Then you're not better."
The words stung.
Claire stood.
"I didn't know she was going to take you."
"You drove the car."
"I thought we were moving you somewhere safe."
Emma snorted.
"My mom says adults always have a reason after they do something bad."
Claire stared at her.
"Your mother sounds smart."
"She is."
Footsteps approached.
Vivienne entered.
She had changed again.
Black pants.
Dark coat.
Hair pulled back.
"Leave us," she told Claire.
Claire hesitated.
"Mrs. Blackwood—"
"Now."
Claire walked out.
Vivienne closed the door.
Emma stared at her.
"You're going to jail."
Vivienne smiled.
"You sound very confident."
"My grandfather knows."
The word grandfather came naturally.
Emma noticed.
So did Vivienne.
"Your grandfather," Vivienne repeated.
"Yes."
"You met him tonight."
"He didn't throw me on the floor."
Vivienne's smile disappeared.
"You ruined a dress worth more than your mother makes in a year."
Emma's eyes narrowed.
"My mom can't work."
"Exactly."
"You think that makes you better than her?"
Vivienne walked closer.
"I think the world is divided between people who understand how things work and people who spend their lives complaining that it isn't fair."
Emma shook her head.
"My mom doesn't complain."
Vivienne stared at her.
"No. Your mother runs."
"She ran from bad people."
"She ran from responsibility."
"No."
Vivienne leaned closer.
"Do you know what happens if your mother returns to the Blackwood family?"
Emma said nothing.
"She becomes one of the richest women in America."
"So?"
Vivienne blinked.
"So?"
"I don't care."
"Everyone cares."
"I want Mom better."
For the first time, Vivienne had no answer.
She looked away.
Then her phone rang.
Richard.
She answered.
"Where are you?"
"Busy."
"Did you take Emma?"
Vivienne smiled slowly.
"What makes you ask?"
"Don't play games."
"Funny. You seemed to enjoy them for eleven years."
Richard lowered his voice.
"What have you done?"
"I solved our problem."
"Our problem?"
"Your father found the evidence."
Silence.
Richard said, "How do you know?"
"Because he went to First American with Mercer."
"You followed him?"
"Someone had to."
Richard swore.
Vivienne continued.
"I want fifty percent."
"Of what?"
"Everything."
Richard laughed.
"No."
"Then your father gets Emma back, and I tell him every detail about what you did to Katherine."
"You were involved."
"Later."
"You destroyed the hospital records."
"At your request."
"You bribed the investigator."
"At your request."
"You planted the financial documents."
"At your request."
Emma was listening.
Every word.
And Vivienne was too arrogant to notice the old phone hidden in Emma's hoodie pocket.
The screen was cracked.
The battery was weak.
But it was recording.
Richard said, "You think you can threaten me?"
"I know I can."
"Where is she?"
"Safe."
"Tell me."
"No."
"Vivienne."
"Fifty percent."
Richard's voice became quiet.
"Be careful."
She smiled.
"That's what Katherine told you, isn't it?"
Emma's stomach turned.
Vivienne ended the call.
Then she looked at Emma.
"Your uncle is not very happy."
Emma stared at her.
"Neither am I."
Vivienne almost smiled.
"You're definitely a Blackwood."
"I don't want to be like you."
Vivienne's expression hardened.
"You know nothing about me."
"I know you hurt people when you're embarrassed."
The words landed.
Vivienne slapped the desk with her palm.
"You spilled food on me in front of half the city!"
Emma flinched but didn't look away.
"It was an accident."
Vivienne breathed hard.
Emma whispered, "What you did wasn't."
Outside, Claire stood by the door.
She had heard enough.
She pulled out her phone.
And called 911.
At the same time, Elias was speeding toward Queens with police vehicles several blocks behind him.
Daniel sat beside him.
"I sent the evidence to the district attorney."
"Good."
"And the board."
"Good."
"Richard's attorney is already calling."
"Ignore him."
Daniel looked at Elias.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"The video of Vivienne taking Emma isn't the only footage."
Elias turned.
"The waiter who rescued you is named Noah Grant."
"I know."
"He gave police his phone."
"And?"
"He recorded the entire restaurant incident."
Elias's jaw tightened.
"Vivienne dragging Emma?"
"Everything."
"Why was he recording?"
"He said Vivienne had been berating staff for ten minutes before Emma dropped the tray."
Elias stared through the windshield.
"He thought someone should document it."
"Smart boy."
"Very."
The car turned into an industrial street.
Police lights flashed ahead.
The laundry facility.
Elias jumped out before the vehicle fully stopped.
An officer grabbed him.
"Sir, stay back."
"My granddaughter is inside."
"We received a 911 call from someone named Claire Morrison. She says the child is on the second floor."
"Then go."
"We are."
A tactical team moved toward the building.
Elias saw movement at a side door.
A woman ran out.
Claire.
Police stopped her.
"She's upstairs!" Claire shouted. "Vivienne has her!"
Then another sound.
A car engine.
Behind the building, a black SUV shot through a loading gate.
"Elias!" Daniel shouted.
They watched it speed away.
In the rear seat, Emma slammed both hands against the window.
"Grandpa!"
Elias ran into the street.
"Emma!"
The SUV disappeared around the corner.
His phone buzzed.
Vivienne.
He answered.
"You have five seconds to put Emma on the phone."
Vivienne laughed softly.
"You don't give orders anymore."
"Touch her again and I will spend every dollar I have making sure you never see daylight outside a prison."
"Very dramatic."
"What do you want?"
"Margaret's files."
"You already know I copied them."
"Then I want something more valuable."
"What?"
"Your signature."
Elias went still.
"On what?"
"A temporary transfer of voting control."
"To Richard?"
Vivienne laughed.
"No."
"To whom?"
"Me."
Now Elias understood.
This was no longer Richard's conspiracy.
Vivienne was making her own move.
"Where?"
"I'll send instructions."
"Let me speak to Emma."
A pause.
Then Emma's voice came through.
"Grandpa?"
Elias shut his eyes.
"I'm here."
"Don't sign anything."
Even now.
Even terrified.
She was fighting.
"Emma, listen to me. You're coming home."
Vivienne took the phone.
"How touching."
Elias's voice became deadly calm.
"You made one mistake tonight."
"Only one?"
"You gave Emma her phone back."
Silence.
Vivienne looked over her shoulder.
Emma stared at her.
The cracked phone was still recording.
Vivienne's face changed.
She grabbed it.
But before she could destroy it, Emma hit SEND.
The recording went to Katherine.
And Richard's voice was on it.
May you like
Clear.
Confessing enough to destroy him.
