Chapter 158
“What are you doing here, Isabella? Do you find this amusing?”
“And what if I do? You’ve done far worse to me. Am I not allowed to enjoy the show?” Isabella’s voice dripped with icy contempt as she stared down at the kneeling Victoria.
Victoria’s jaw tightened. “You vile creature, Isabella! You planned this all along, didn’t you? Spending three days in prison just to create a scandal and destroy me at the final hour. You tricked me into signing that compensation letter. This was your scheme from the start!” she shrieked.
“Surprisingly, you’re not completely stupid. But you missed one detail. I never had a recording of your conversation with Isadora. I fabricated that to frighten you. And these photos? I’ve had them for much longer than yesterday. Do you know why I held back? Because if I’d revealed them then, you wouldn’t have put on such a convincing performance for the family today. They never would’ve seen your true nature,” Isabella explained, her tone cool and dominating.
Victoria’s face flushed with rage. “You wicked witch! I’ll kill you! I swear I will!” She lunged, fingers clawing toward Isabella’s throat.
Isabella caught her wrists effortlessly, locking eyes with her. “If I’m wicked, what does that make you? If I hadn’t been cautious, I’d be behind bars right now. You tried to ruin me. I’m merely returning the favor. Haven’t you done enough damage over the past five years? Did you really think I’d just stand by and let you walk all over me again?”
“Let go of me!” Victoria snarled. “Who are you to judge? You’re the one who forced me to take those nude photos that went viral! You set me up during the Guci shoot! You’ve been sabotaging my reputation from the start! I despise you! I want to tear you apart! You vicious monster… I won’t forget this!”
“You’re right. I am vicious,” Isabella smirked. “But I’ve done worse. Take a look. Who’s at the door?”
Victoria turned. Alexander stood there, his expression shattered. Her face went white. Her lips trembled. “Al… Alexander, my love.”
Alexander could scarcely believe what he had just witnessed. The gentle, kind-hearted Victoria he thought he knew was nothing but a facade. Moments earlier, she had convinced him she was the victim of a smear campaign. He had even met with William to plead her case. William had refused to listen, and Alexander had been desperately searching for a way to save her. Now the truth was staring him in the face.
He looked at Victoria, his voice strained with disbelief. “What did you mean about Isabella forcing you to take those photos? You told me you didn’t care about winning the Guci contract. Yet you harmed all those models and framed Isabella over it?”
He couldn’t process it. After their last conversation, he had given her space to recover while he tried to reason with Isabella. If Isabella remained stubborn, he was prepared to expose her secrets…
All this time… Victoria had been scheming behind his back?
Victoria scrambled to her feet and clutched his arm. “Alexander, darling, I was just angry. Isabella provoked me! She was cruel, and I said those things to upset her. You heard how she treated me!”
“No. Answer me. What about the nude photos? What did you mean—she forced you? You told me she photoshopped them!”
If Isabella had forced her, that meant the photos were real. She had been lying to him from the very beginning. Victoria’s face lost all color. Her mind raced, scrambling for an excuse, but… What was left to say?