Chapter 365

Eleanor Kingsley's hands trembled as she clutched the phone.

"This...this can't be happening!" Her voice cracked with disbelief.

Victoria Lancaster's cruel words echoed in her mind—how she had referred to Ethan as that wretched child.

"No! That's not Victoria's voice!" Eleanor shook her head violently. "Vivian Prescott, how dare you fabricate evidence? You must have hired someone to impersonate her!"

Victoria snapped back to reality. She hadn't expected Vivian to be recording their conversation all along.

But she wasn't about to admit anything.

"Mom, you have to believe me. That wasn't me in that recording! It's a fake!" Victoria protested, her eyes wide with desperation.

"Alexander, someone is trying to ruin me! That video is doctored! Why would I ever hurt Ethan? He's my own flesh and blood!"

Tears welled in her eyes as she turned to Evelyn.

"Vivian Prescott, you'll stop at nothing to get Alexander, won't you? Even after that man pointed the finger at you, you're still twisting the truth! That woman in the video isn't me!"

"I knew you'd say that," Evelyn replied coolly. "But perhaps you're unaware that voiceprints, like fingerprints, are unique. Once we analyze the recording, the truth will be undeniable."

Victoria's tears froze mid-fall. Her mouth hung open, her mind scrambling for a retort.

Voiceprints.

Did such a thing even exist?

"Run the tests, then! I refuse to believe my daughter would do something so vile!" Eleanor stood firm beside Victoria. "Victoria, I believe you!"

Victoria's confidence shattered. The arrogance that had once defined her was gone.

Evelyn smirked. "Can't you see, Mrs. Kingsley? Your precious daughter is so guilty she can't even speak."

Eleanor whirled around. The moment she saw Victoria's ashen face, dread coiled in her chest.

"Victoria...?"

"Save your explanations for tomorrow. Victoria Lancaster, you're coming with us." The officers stepped forward, producing a pair of handcuffs.

Victoria jolted as if struck by lightning. She stared at the cold metal restraints, shaking her head violently.

"I won't go to prison! I didn't do it! I was framed!"

"Alexander, you have to believe me! Vivian set me up! Mom, save me! I'm innocent!"

"Victoria! Victoria!" Eleanor panicked, immediately dialing William.

Evelyn remained still, watching as Victoria was dragged away, still screaming her innocence. Satisfaction gleamed in her sharp, knowing eyes.

Victoria was swiftly taken into custody. The evidence against her was overwhelming.

Even the short man had begun pointing fingers, claiming Victoria was the true mastermind behind Ethan's kidnapping.

Eleanor refused to accept that her daughter could be so heartless.

"There must be a mistake! That witch Vivian must have manipulated everything!" she insisted, clinging to the belief that Victoria was blameless.

"William, Victoria is our daughter. We failed her once by bringing home the wrong child, robbing her of twenty years of love. You have to get her out of there!"

William placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, his aged but distinguished face lined with sorrow.

"I've spoken to my contacts at the station. The evidence is irrefutable. Victoria did plan Vivian's murder. She did orchestrate Ethan's kidnapping."

Eleanor's eyes widened in horror. "No! That's impossible! Our daughter would never—"

"Perhaps this is our fault," William murmured. "If Victoria had grown up with us, she might not have strayed down this path. Her adoptive mother kidnapped Vivian, and now... perhaps she followed in her footsteps."