Chapter 16 - THE WRONG HOSTAGENo one shot.
Not because they did not want to.
Because Vivian had arranged the room so that every angle placed someone we loved in the path of the bullet.
Nathan shook beneath her grip. His face was swollen. One eye nearly closed. Whatever deal he had imagined making with Vivian had clearly expired.
“Lena,” he gasped. “Help me.”
The absurdity almost made me laugh.
Hours ago, he had raised a whip because his mistress miscounted.
Now he begged me to value his life.
Vivian smiled as if watching a lesson bloom.
“You see? Power is not cruelty. Power is making others ask mercy from the person they harmed.”
My father’s gun remained trained on her. His hand did not shake.
“Let them go, Vivian.”
“All these years, Elias, and you still confuse command with leverage.”
Aurora stood from the bed.
“V,” she said.
Vivian’s eyes moved to her.
There was affection there.
Twisted, possessive, real enough to be dangerous.
“Sit down, Aurora.”
“No.”
The room changed.
Vivian’s smile faded.
Aurora looked at me, then at Jules.
“I told you mother must not come because Vivian wanted her here.”
“I know,” I said.
“Do you?”
“I came anyway.”
“Why?”
The question was not emotional. It was research.
“Because you are my daughter.”
“I do not know you.”
“No.”
“You did not raise me.”
“No.”
“You cannot love what you do not know.”
That one hit hard.
I took one careful breath.
“You’re right,” I said.
Vivian’s eyebrows lifted.
Aurora blinked.
“I love the truth that you exist,” I continued. “I love the baby I lost. I love the girl I was denied. But you? The person standing there? I want to know you. I want the chance. If you never give it to me, I will still fight for your freedom.”
For the first time, Aurora had no immediate answer.
Vivian’s grip tightened on Nathan.
“Sentiment,” she said. “Always expensive.”
“No,” Jules said.
Everyone looked at him.
He stepped forward, violin case in hand.
“Sentiment is how you found us.”
Vivian’s eyes narrowed.
“You played Lucien’s song because you remembered he loved her,” Jules said. “You kept Aurora close because she was blood. You hunted me because I mattered. You hate emotion because you can’t stop obeying it.”
Vivian’s face hardened.
Nathan whimpered as the gun pressed deeper into his temple.
“Careful, boy.”
“I’m not the hostage,” Jules said.
Vivian smiled coldly. “No?”
He opened the violin case.
Inside was not the violin.
It was a transmitter.
Keene looked startled.
My father’s eyes widened with sudden understanding.
Jules had switched cases before we entered.
His voice steadied.
“You wanted everyone in this room. You wanted Lena forced to choose on camera. You wanted Elias to break the law. You wanted federal agents compromised.”
Vivian’s expression turned unreadable.
Jules tapped the transmitter.
“So I gave you an audience.”
Keene’s radio exploded with voices.
“Live feed acquired.”
“Transmission confirmed.”
“External servers receiving.”
“Swiss authorities responding.”
Vivian glanced toward the music box.
Aurora moved first.
She crossed the room with terrifying speed and struck Nathan’s knee from the side. He collapsed, dragging Vivian’s aim downward. My father fired once. Keene fired second.
The gun flew from Vivian’s hand.
Agents swarmed.
Nathan screamed.
Vivian did not.
She looked only at Aurora.
“My brightest girl,” she said softly. “You chose them?”
May you like
Aurora stood over her, breathing hard.
“No,” she said. “I chose myself.”
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