CHAPTER 7 — Another Lie
No one spoke.
The fake pregnancy belly still lay on the marble floor.
Nathan couldn't stop staring at it.
It looked so real.
Just minutes earlier...
He had rested his hand on it.
He had whispered to the child he believed was inside.
Now...
It was nothing more than molded silicone.
A prop.
A lie.
The silence shattered when the front door opened.
Footsteps echoed through the foyer.
A tall man in an immaculate charcoal suit walked into the dining room as though he owned the house.
Silver hair.
Cold eyes.
Perfect posture.
He didn't look surprised by what he saw.
His gaze moved from Nathan...
...to the silicone belly...
...then settled on Vanessa.
Vanessa's face turned ghostly white.
Her lips trembled.
"Mr. Black..."
Nathan frowned.
"You know him?"
Vanessa couldn't answer.
The man offered a polite smile.
"My apologies."
"It seems I've arrived at an unfortunate moment."
Nathan stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
The stranger extended a gloved hand.
"Victor Black."
"Business consultant."
Ethan's eyes narrowed immediately.
Liar.
David's investigation had already confirmed that "Victor Black" wasn't his real name.
Nathan ignored the handshake.
"What do you want?"
Mr. Black looked toward Vanessa.
"I came to check on one of my clients."
The room fell silent.
Client?
Nathan slowly turned toward Vanessa.
"What does he mean?"
Vanessa shook her head violently.
"No..."
"Please..."
"Don't."
Mr. Black smiled calmly.
"You've always been too emotional."
Nathan's voice hardened.
"Answer me."
Vanessa looked at Nathan.
Then at Ethan.
Finally...
She lowered her head.
"I met him..."
"...before I met you."
Nathan waited.
"And?"
"He helped me..."
She couldn't finish the sentence.
Mr. Black finished it for her.
"I helped her create an opportunity."
Nathan frowned.
"What opportunity?"
"The opportunity..."
"...to become Mrs. Nathan Bennett."
Evelyn gasped.
Nathan's face remained expressionless.
But inside...
Everything was collapsing.
Ethan stepped between Nathan and Mr. Black.
"I think it's time you left."
Mr. Black chuckled.
"On the contrary."
"I believe it's time everyone learned the truth."
Vanessa suddenly shouted,
"No!"
Her voice echoed through the house.
"You promised!"
Mr. Black looked at her without emotion.
"I promised nothing."
"I gave you a contract."
"You failed."
Nathan slowly looked at Vanessa.
"Contract?"
She closed her eyes.
Tears rolled silently down her face.
Mr. Black reached into his leather briefcase.
He removed a thin folder.
Then placed it on the dining table.
Nathan opened it.
Inside...
Was a signed agreement.
Vanessa's signature covered the final page.
Across the top...
Three words.
Operation Heir Program
Nathan frowned.
"What is this?"
Mr. Black answered as though discussing an ordinary business deal.
"A recruitment agreement."
Nathan continued reading.
Every line felt like another knife.
Target Selection.
Relationship Development.
Marriage Timeline.
Inheritance Access.
His hands began shaking.
Then he reached one paragraph.
Objective: Gain the target's complete emotional trust before Phase Two begins.
Nathan slowly lowered the papers.
His voice had become almost empty.
"I..."
"...was the target."
Mr. Black nodded.
"Yes."
Evelyn collapsed into a chair.
"My God..."
Nathan looked at Vanessa again.
"Were any of it real?"
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Nathan repeated the question.
"Loving me..."
"Was any of it real?"
Vanessa burst into tears.
"I didn't mean for this to happen."
Nathan's expression didn't change.
"That's not what I asked."
She cried harder.
"I was supposed to leave months ago."
"I couldn't."
Nathan whispered,
"Why?"
Vanessa looked directly into his eyes.
"Because I fell in love with you."
No one reacted.
No one knew whether to believe her anymore.
Even Ethan remained silent.
Because after everything...
Truth and lies had become impossible to separate.
Mr. Black broke the silence with a cold laugh.
"Love?"
He looked amused.
"Don't embarrass yourself."
Vanessa glared at him.
"I do love him."
Mr. Black shrugged.
"It doesn't matter."
Nathan slowly turned toward Mr. Black.
"What do you want?"
"The same thing I've always wanted."
"And what's that?"
Mr. Black smiled.
"Completion."
Before anyone could react...
He reached into his briefcase again.
This time...
He removed another folder.
He slid it toward Nathan.
Nathan opened it.
His eyes widened.
Inside were copies of his personal bank statements.
Investment portfolios.
Trust documents.
Private family records.
Information no outsider should have possessed.
Nathan looked up.
"How did you get these?"
Mr. Black answered calmly.
"Vanessa."
Nathan felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath him.
He slowly turned toward her.
"You gave him everything?"
Vanessa shook her head desperately.
"No."
"I only copied what he told me."
"I never knew what he was really planning."
Mr. Black smiled.
"That's true."
"You never asked."
Ethan stepped forward.
"I've already called the police."
For the first time...
Mr. Black's smile faded.
"You made a mistake."
Ethan folded his arms.
"I don't think so."
Mr. Black glanced toward the front window.
Then calmly checked his watch.
"They won't find me."
Nathan frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Mr. Black looked directly at Ethan.
"You've been investigating the wrong business."
Ethan felt a chill.
"What business?"
Mr. Black smiled one last time.
"The pregnancy..."
"...was only the beginning."
He turned.
Walked calmly toward the front door.
No one stopped him.
By the time police sirens echoed in the distance...
He was gone.
The officers searched the neighborhood for nearly two hours.
Nothing.
No fingerprints.
No vehicle.
No witnesses.
It was as though Victor Black had vanished into thin air.
Later that night...
Nathan sat alone inside the nursery.
The room looked exactly the same.
The crib.
The blankets.
The stuffed elephant.
Nothing had changed.
Except everything.
He picked up the tiny baby shoes he had bought with so much joy.
Then quietly placed them back into the box.
Across the hallway...
Vanessa sat on the bedroom floor.
Her suitcase remained untouched.
She knew there was nowhere left to run.
Because the greatest lie wasn't the fake pregnancy.
It was believing she had ever been in control.
Just after midnight...
Ethan's phone vibrated.
A message from David.
Only six words.
I found Victor Hale's first victim.
Attached was an old newspaper clipping.
The headline read:
Billionaire Heir Dies Before Wedding—Fiancée Vanishes with Family Fortune.
Ethan stared at the photograph beneath the headline.
The young woman standing beside the billionaire heir looked hauntingly familiar.
Not Vanessa.
But someone who looked almost exactly like her.
A sister.
May you like
Or perhaps...
Someone trained to become her replacement.
