Chapter 441
Chapter 441:
They had carefully avoided any mention of Richard Pierce throughout the evening. His uncle remained the ghost at the feast, the name no one dared speak. All the more reason to bring the truth to light, to force acknowledgment of the man who had been more father to Alexander than Edward Pierce had ever been.
The cemetery gates should have been locked at this hour, but money opened many doors in New York. The security guard merely nodded as Alexander drove through, following the familiar path to the family plot. Richard Pierce’s grave stood slightly apart from the other Pierce headstones.
Even in death, the family had distanced themselves from the “failed” brother, the one who had taken his own life rather than face defeat. Alexander knelt on the damp grass, placing his wedding boutonniere—preserved in his suit pocket—atop the cold marble. “I married her, Uncle Richard,” he said quietly to the stone. “Victoria Kane’s daughter. The ultimate insider position.”
Night birds called in the distance. The city hummed beyond the cemetery walls. “I made peace with them tonight,” Alexander continued, arranging the boutonniere carefully against the headstone. “Mom and Dad. Not for their sake but for mine. To close that chapter so I can focus on what matters.”
His throat tightened with anger and grief long suppressed. “I’m close, Uncle. So close to exposing what Victoria did to you. The documents, the testimonies—it’s all coming together.” The white gardenia of his boutonniere looked stark against the dark stone, a symbol of his wedding day repurposed as an offering to the dead.
“I will make her admit what she did. Make her face every person she hurt with her ruthless games. Make the world see her for what she truly is.” His voice hardened with each word. “I promise you, Uncle Richard. I will expose the truth about what Victoria did to you. She will lose everything, just as you did.”
Alexander stood, his knees damp from the grass, his heart heavy with purpose. The path ahead was clear, if difficult: evidence gathering, witness testimonies, a case built methodically and irrefutably against the woman who had caused his uncle’s death—the woman whose daughter now shared Alexander’s bed, his name, his life.
As he walked back to his car, his phone vibrated with messages from both Guardian and Camille. Guardian had secured a meeting with a former Kane Industries executive. Camille was heading home early, missing him. Two lives. Two pulls on his heart. Two impossible choices.
He put the car in drive, leaving his uncle’s grave behind as he headed toward the next step in his quest for justice—a quest that would either destroy Victoria Kane or destroy his marriage. Perhaps both.
Ꮮ𝚊𝓽𝑒𝔰𝓉 сհ𝒂ⲣ𝔱𝖊𝓇𝓼 g𝖆ⅼ𝓷օⱱ𝖊𝗅𝘀[．]𝗰𝗼𝗺
The morning rain pounded against the windows of Pierce Enterprises as Alexander reviewed the latest energy forecasts. His fingers trembled slightly as he reached for his coffee, the weight of last night’s discoveries still pressing down on his chest like a stone. Across the city, Victoria Kane was discovering that someone had been probing her company’s deepest secrets.
His phone buzzed against the mahogany desk. Victoria’s name flashed on the screen, sending ice through his veins. He let it ring twice before answering, his voice carefully controlled. “Victoria. Good morning.”
“Alexander.” Her tone was sharp, cutting through the phone like a blade. “I need to see you. My office. One hour.”
.
.
.