Chapter 516

Chapter 516:

He typed back: I need to see the original evidence again. The documents about Victoria’s crimes. I want to verify them independently.

The response came quickly: The evidence has been provided. Your uncle’s journal speaks for itself. Doubt is a luxury that justice cannot afford.

“That’s not an answer. I want to see source documents, not just summaries and interpretations.”

The Guardian’s next message was ice-cold: Alexander, your uncle died believing Victoria Kane was responsible for destroying his life. Are you now saying he was wrong? Are you betraying his memory for a woman who chose her adopted family over her husband?

Alexander felt anger flare in his chest, but this time it wasn’t directed at Victoria, Stefan, or even Camille. It was directed at the faceless person who had been pulling his strings for months, who seemed more interested in maintaining Alexander’s rage than in finding the actual truth.

I’m saying I want to honor my uncle’s memory by making sure we have the facts right. If Victoria is guilty, the evidence should be able to withstand scrutiny.

The Guardian’s response took longer this time: Facts are what we make them, Alexander. Justice is what we decide it should be. Your uncle trusted you to avenge his death. Don’t fail him.

Alexander stared at that message for a long time, feeling pieces of a puzzle finally clicking into place. Facts are what we make them. Justice is what we decide it should be. Those weren’t the words of someone seeking truth—they were the words of someone creating a narrative to serve their own purposes.

He thought about the timing of the Guardian’s first contact. The night before his engagement party to Camille, exactly when Alexander was committing to a future…

That didn’t include revenge against anyone. Someone had wanted to poison that commitment, to turn his love for Camille into a weapon against Victoria.

But why? Who benefited from destroying both Alexander’s marriage and Victoria’s reputation?

Alexander closed his laptop and walked to the window, looking out at the city where his life had fallen apart.

For the first time in months, Alexander allowed himself to consider the possibility that he had been wrong. Not just wrong about Stefan’s intentions tonight, but wrong about everything. Wrong about Victoria’s guilt, wrong about the Guardian’s motives, wrong about sacrificing his marriage for a cause that might be built on lies.

The thought terrified him more than any enemy he could face. If he was wrong about Victoria, then he had destroyed his relationship with Camille for nothing. If he was wrong about the Guardian, then he was being used as a weapon by someone with an agenda he didn’t understand.

If he was wrong about everything, then his uncle’s real killer was still out there, probably laughing at how effectively they had turned Alexander into their unwitting accomplice.

Alexander pulled out his phone and scrolled to Camille’s number. His finger hovered over the call button for a long moment before he set the phone aside. He had forfeited his right to contact her when he chose revenge over trust, when he chose the Guardian’s narrative over his wife’s love.

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