ADELINE'S POV

By the time I was done narrating everything that had led up until my death, my father, Mikhail, Natasha were all shocked.

"The bloody murderer." Nash whispered, shaking her head.

“The worst part about everything is that I never even saw this coming,” I said, and all their eyes turned back to me. “I mean… Fara. I never suspected for a second that she was Conrad’s daughter. There is a bit of resemblance, yes, but I always thought it was because she was his late sister’s child you know.”

“And the Mal case,” I continued, “I haven't seen him getting close with any other women so I couldn't even have the suspicion that he got married to another woman.”

I looked at Natasha. “You are the best with social media. Digging and stuff. Can you help me figure out who this Mal person is?"

Her phone was already in her hand.

“Absolutely.”

A flurry of taps followed and her brows drew together.

She turned the screen toward me.

“No. No way.”

“This is insane.”

Conrad Basquire. Married for two years, to Malinda Stewart.

Malinda Stewart. My high school bully. The girl who tormented me for years, followed me into college, made my life a full-time horror film. And Conrad had always been the one who defended me from her.

My father was beyond pissed.

“He deserves to rot in prison for the rest of his life.”

I turned to Mikhail,

"Is it possible for me to change quickly and for you to take me to the news station. I want to make a statement. I want to expose Conrad publicly. I want the entire press and every social media outlet to hear the truth from my mouth.”

Mikhail nodded.

"I will be sending my full security team with you. And I will come along.”

I shook my head. “No, Dad. Please. Rest.”

Natasha immediately backed me up. “She is right. You have barely eaten. Now that you have seen your daughter alive, you need to eat. I will have the chef make you something quickly.”

Father hesitated but then sat down, I could tell he was indeed very hungry.

Natasha turned to me. “Your room is still the same. Cleaned, stocked, everything is fresh. I think you should go and shower. Change, and yeah...we will move from there.”

I felt comfort at that.

“Thank you.”

Mikhail rose to his feet. “I will run home and change,” he said. “I have a patient I must check on quickly. But I will return while the sun is high. Then we will go together to the station.”

Our eyes met, and for a heartbeat I noticed for the first time just how... raw they were.

If that made any sense.

××××

[CHANNEL 37B2 — AJAX NEWS REPORT]

This was an entrance and I had to make sure everyone felt it. Natasha had practically yelled at me in the car, telling me to go big, to milk every second of this, to make sure the world knew I was alive and that Conrad Basquire’s empire of lies was crumbling.

The headlines had been insane already

“The Heiress Rises From the Dead,” “Deal With the Devil? She is Back,”people were already spinning stories and I intended to make good use of this social media heat.

I stepped out of the car, and the sunlight caught the deep red of my lipstick. My hair was in ringlets, my dress was black and perfect. My security detail flanked me, and Mikhail followed close behind.

The channel had been briefed, and they were more than ready. A woman who had died and come back to life, who wouldn’t want that story?

The podium was already waiting, the cameras were flashing and reporters crowded around. I mounted the podium, gripping the edges tightly, taking in the sea of faces staring up at me.

I held the mic, and the room fell almost completely silent.

“Conrad is a corn,” I blurted out.

The words left my mouth wrong, and the laughter that broke out from the crowd was loud.

“That came out wrong,” I adjusted my stance and spoke again, clearly this time, “Conrad Basquire is a con man.”

The room exploded. Reporters shouted over each other, some shocked, some skeptical.

One raised a mic, pointing it at me. “Are you saying Conrad Basquire is a con man?”

“Yes,” I said, holding my ground. “And I have a story to tell, a story the public deserves to know.”

I began to recount my experiences. I told them about the lies, the fake foundation, the stolen money, the betrayal, and how Conrad had pushed me from the terrace, how he had suffocated me.

“Wait,” someone shouted. “Are you saying he pushed you off a terrace and suffocated you to finish the job? That’s criminal!”

“Yes,” I said, shaking my head. “And that foundation he ran? All lies. All a con to steal from investors and manipulate people. I believed in him once and i trusted him. I was wrong.”

A reporter stepped forward, skeptical, waving his mic.

“How do we know you weren't part of this fake foundation scam? And your so called death isn't as a result of collaboration gone wrong?”

“For the past five years, all I have done is to support Conrad and do the right thing. I believed in him. I even used my own money, and additionally stole from my father, because I thought the foundation concept was real. I did not know about the lies until it was too late.”

The next question came.

“How did you survive if you were proclaimed dead?”

I looked around at all the faces.

“I don’t know how I survived. But I’m here, and I’m exposing the truth. Conrad Basquire is a criminal, and his wife, Malinda Stewart, who was my bully in high school and college, married him despite knowing everything. They are partners in deceit, and now the world will—”

Phones started dinging, notifications blowing up across social media.

I felt Mikhail’s hand on my back.

“What is happening?”

“You’re going to want to see this,” he said.

“What?”

“Conrad is live on Instagram right now,” he said. “And you will not believe the things he is saying.”

Adeline's POV

My heart skipped a couple of beats as he said the words. I didn't want to believe it but his voice had been hard, a warning that this wasn't a game.

My eyes went to the press around me. They didn't have their attention on me anymore, something else had grabbed it and I knew it was his live. They were all staring down at something on their phones.

I felt his hands on my shoulders again, heavy but telling. “We have to leave this place now. There can be no further clearing of names. He's shattering everything you've been trying to build here” he whispered strongly into my ears.

My hands began to shake where they had been still. This couldn't be happening to me, not after everything. I had been through so much, the injuries and the heartbreak. How would Conrad ruin everything in just seconds of a live stream?

I was still thinking when I felt myself move. It was Mikhail, he was leading me off the stage slowly and gently. But I didn't want to move, I didn't want to run, not again, I had done that before. I would be a coward to let him do it again.

"No,” I said to him, standing my ground. We weren't facing the press anymore, our backs had been turned to them now, the no had left my mouth easier.

Mikhail's face twisted into shock, "What do you mean by no? The live started, he's spitting so many lies. These vultures are going to do so much when he's done"

He was right, I knew he was but I didn't want to leave. It would be giving another win to Conrad. He would think I was scared and who knew, it might even symbolize to the public that his lies were true.

"And if I leave, they're going to find it easier to believe him. They'll think I ran because I couldn't stand the heat of the truth. I can't let him win again” I insisted.

He gave me a look, not totally understanding but a little less strong, "And you can't stay here either, at least not right now. We have to know everything he's saying, we have to see it for ourselves. I don't think it should hold now”

I knew he was right even if a part of me wanted to fight against it.,was one thing to bolt at the mention of the live but it was another to state our exit. “Then we tell them that. We don't let them form a reason but give them the right one instead”

His face morphed into an impressed look. "You're right, a minute. That's all I can give you. Get this done and we leave now” he let my hands go and I took a deep breath before turning around.

I stepped back towards the podium, hands shaking with nervousness but mind strengthened. I wouldn't fall at the slightest pressure Conrad placed on me, no - his empire would fall instead. I cleared my throat and began, "I'd like to announce my exit. I've got to deal with the current situation but this press conference will still hold”

It was as if my voice had brought them back from wherever they had been. They all looked up from their phones, "When will this be ma'am?” One of them asked.

My eyes closed for a moment, there had to be a definitive date but I didn't think there was. Not until so much had been dealt with and so far, nothing had been dealt with. “The day and date will be communicated to you through my team" I paused, “Thank you"

The questions began as soon as I turned away, asking me if he was speaking the truth. Asking why I hadn't defended myself and so much more. It broke me that I couldn't say anything, not yet at least but I eventually would.

Mikhail took my hands as he led me off the stage, through the back to where the cars had been parked. “Get in" he said quickly, leaving me at the door as he went around the other side. Of course I did as he asked, there wasn't really a choice and nowhere else to go.

Once we were inside the car, we sped off and into the night back home. My heart raced in my chest, "Is the live still on?” I asked him.

He looked at me as if he wasn't sure what to say- the truth or not. “Yes, it has but my people say it hasn't really taken off. He's waiting for so many people to join it."

I had to know, “How many people are there now"

He looked hesitant, taking a moment before he answered me, “Two million"

I felt my heart stop for a moment, it felt like a knife going through me. Two million was more than enough to destroy my reputation, my father's and even his and somehow he was still waiting for me? I shook my head, “How could he"

He was about to speak when the car stopped. I looked to see that we had arrived home. Mikhail didn't wait for me to say anything, he was out of the car in a flash and on my side already. His eyes searched the compound as he helped me off the car, probably being cautious that the media hadn't found its way in.

We rushed inside where father was already seated, along with Mikhail's assistant and his - Jake and Donald. Everyone looked struck by the image on the screen. It was Conrad. He had dressed up in a suit which was laughable since it was an Instagram live, his eyes were downcast and I knew that look. It was the same look I had suffered for years whenever he told me one heart wrenching lie or the other.

The view bar increased and I was observing as it rose to 2.6 million when I felt a hand on my waist. It was soft, jolting me from thoughts, “Take a seat" Mikhail said, not even waiting for my agreement or disagreement as he led me to the chairs there.

Father looked at me for a moment, his face had fallen and I hated that I was the cause of it. They softened at the edges for a moment, “Are you okay?" He asked.

I nodded, “I'm worried about you" I said back, I wasn't the only one who was at stake here. And my downfall had been the cause of my stupidity - something that my father shouldn't have to suffer from.

He shook his head and whispered back, “Don't worry about me"

It was the throat clearing that brought us back to the live showing on the television. The views had increased in less than five minutes, they had hit 3.5 million and they were still increasing.

He began to speak, “Just like I said before, I'll be debunking whatever stories she's begun to tell and reveal the truth on this live. I will not let my years of hard work go down the drain due to a pitiful story told by a scorned woman" the expression on his face was purely vile.

I couldn't believe it, the man standing in front of me. Even though he had tried to really kill me, it surprised me that he was doing this. He was pretending to the world like I hadn't been the one to champion his success. I had been the funds to his frivolities but now I was simply a “scorned woman" I felt my heart squeeze in pain.

The views had increased to four million and he officially began, “A few days ago, something happened. And yes, I will admit my fault” his voice was low and so were his eyes, it was as if he had done some magic and turned the fire off. He looked like a grieving man at that moment.

"A betrayal of mine revealed itself, I had cheated on Adeline. And although it happened only once, with one woman, it broke her or at least that was what I thought”

The lies had already begun. He hadn't done it once, he hadn't done it as a mistake. It had been a well thought out plan and the fire that had left his eyes began to simmer in my veins.

"But then can that betrayal justify the pain she wants to cause to me? Can it justify the planning she carried to ruin my empire?” His question went unanswered but the comments had already begun to pour in.

The world was not silent.