He did not deny it.
“I gave Chloe your daughter’s number,” Victor said calmly. “I fed Julian access points. I encouraged his pursuit of the Vance deal.”
Arthur’s voice was ice. “Why?”
Victor smiled bitterly.
“Because you were going to leave everything to Clarissa.”
Clarissa stood beside her father, stunned.
Victor looked at her with contempt.
“She vanished for three years. She rejected this family. Yet the empire was still hers. I gave my life to Vance Global, and I was never more than staff.”
Arthur stepped forward. “You were trusted.”
“I wanted ownership.”
Nathaniel’s voice cut in. “So you used Julian’s greed and Chloe’s vanity to isolate Clarissa further.”
Victor’s eyes flicked to him.
“She was already isolated.”
Clarissa felt sick.
All this time, she had blamed only Julian. And Julian had deserved it. But beneath his betrayal had been another hand, quieter and colder, feeding the fire.
