"Who do you think he will target next, Helena?" Vivienne asked, her voice low and dangerous.
"What will his next step be if he wants control of the Vanderbilts?"
"Jennifer," Helena whispered, the realization arriving in her mind like a sudden draft.
"Exactly," Vivienne hissed.
She turned from the window, her naked silhouette frad against the dying light of the afternoon sun. She began to pace the ruined bedroom, her movents sharp and agitated, the soreness in her limbs forgotten in the face of the political threat.
"Richard," she spat the na like a curse, the taste of it foul in her mouth. "That lecherous, spineless parasite."
She stopped, looking at Helena with eyes that flashed cold.
"He is a weak man, Helena. A puppet. But my brothers..." She let out a sharp, bitter laugh.
"My brothers are doing everything to please him. They are practically on their knees, offering him whatever he wants just to secure their alliance against ."
She walked back to the nightstand, picking up the heavy cream cardstock. She ran her thumb over Alex’s bold, aggressive signature, feeling the texture of the ink against her skin.
"They want to use Jennifer as the glue," Vivienne said, her voice dropping to a dangerous low. "If she marries Richard, it’s over. The Vanderbilts lose everything. My brothers will run the company through him, pulling his strings while he plays the role of the big man."
Her expression darkened with genuine disgust.
"And Jennifer? She’ll be nothing more than a trophy for a man who can’t even look at a woman without drooling. A man who can’t satisfy her, can’t protect her, and certainly can’t handle her."
Vivienne looked up, her eyes burning with a twisted, absolute conviction.
"Jennifer doesn’t need a parasite," she said softly, the realization crystallizing into a dark philosophy. "She needs a predator."
"She needs a man who possesses real power. Soone who cannot be bought, bullied, or manipulated by my desperate brothers."
"But... Don’t you think you’re speaking too highly of him, Vivienne?" Helena interrupted, stepping over a tangle of sheets. Her voice was laced with skepticism.
"We barely know anything about him. Just that he’s violent and... effective in bed. But socially? Politically?"
She looked at the card in Vivienne’s hand.
"Why are you so sure he can handle Richard? Why are you so convinced he’s the answer?"
Vivienne didn’t answer imdiately. She tapped the card against her lips, her eyes narrowing as she looked past Helena, into the middle distance.
"Because of who he is with," Vivienne murmured. "Because of Victoria."
Helena blinked, confused. "Victoria? What does she have to do with his competence?"
"Think about it, Helena," Vivienne said, her voice sharp with analysis. "Victoria is not your usual socialite. She is conservative. She protects her reputation like a fortress. She never sleeps around, and she certainly doesn’t keep ’boy toys.’ At least, not to anyone’s knowledge."
Vivienne turned, her expression intense.
"And yet... He was with her."
"And don’t forget," Vivienne added, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "She is the best friend of Catherine Blackwood."
Helena froze. The na hung in the air like a charged wire.
"Catherine?" Helena repeated slowly, the implications clicking into place. "You think... you think Alex is connected to her?"
"Catherine Blackwood is currently fighting a war for her survival. She would never give up, despite the odds stacked against her."
Vivienne paced back to the mirror, examining a bruise on her neck with a thoughtful expression.
"I initially thought Alex was just so piece of rough trade Victoria picked up to shock us. I wanted to play with him. To break him."
She laughed, a low, self-deprecating sound.
"But last night proved wrong. He is no toy, Helena. He dominates. He commands. He moves like soone who is used to having absolute authority."
Helena watched her boss, her mind racing as the pieces fit together.
"Are you saying..." Helena whispered, looking back at the empty bed with a new sense of awe. "You think he’s acting the part of a boy toy, but he’s actually sothing else? A weapon?"
"I’m saying that n like Richard are loud because they are weak," Vivienne replied, eting Helena’s gaze in the reflection. "n like Alex are quiet because they are dangerous."
"If he is Catherine’s secret weapon..." Helena murmured, a slow, dangerous smile touching her lips. "If Catherine still has cards left to play... then this fight is going to be very interesting."
She looked at Vivienne sharply.
"Wait. Don’t tell you’ve decided to side with Catherine already? Just because he gave you a good night?"
Vivienne shrugged, the movent elegant and noncommittal.
"Who knows?" Vivienne said, a wicked glint in her eyes. "In this city, you don’t side with the good or the bad, Helena. You side with the competent. You align yourself with the formidable."
She looked back at the empty bed... the tangled sheets a silent testant to the violence she had survived.
"And right now? I am waiting for the proof of her capability. I am waiting to see if Catherine truly has the teeth to match the bite."
She turned away, dismissing the topic with a wave of her hand.
"But let’s give up on the conspiracy theories for now. We need facts before we pledge our allegiance."
She turned away, the decision made.
"Let’s clean up first. Afterward, you can dig into his movents. Find out if he has actually t Catherine Blackwood. We need to be sure."
She walked toward the en-suite, her bare feet silent on the plush runner. She made it halfway to the door before she realized the silence behind her was too heavy. There was no sound of following footsteps.
She stopped and looked back.
Helena hadn’t moved. She was standing by the foot of the ruined bed, staring at the empty space where Alex had been. Her eyes were unfocused, spacing out as the reality of what they were about to do finally hit her.
Vivienne softened her expression, stepping back just enough to catch her cousin’s eye.
"Don’t worry too much about her, Helena," Vivienne said softly.
She tilted her head, her voice taking on a lighter, more deceptive tone.
"I’m still her mother. It’s not like I’m going to grab her and throw her into his bed in chains."
She looked at Helena with a look of utter, practiced self-deception.
"My job is just to... show her the way. To open the door. To introduce her to a reality she doesn’t even know exists."
She smirked, a dark, knowing expression that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
"It’s still up to her to walk through it. Whatever happens... that’s her choice. To follow, or to run."
It was a lie. A beautiful, comforting lie.
They both knew the truth. Once Jennifer walked into Alex’s trap, there would be no choice. There would be no escape. Alex didn’t let things go once he decided he wanted them.
But it was a lie that allowed Vivienne to sleep at night.
Helena watched her cousin for a long mont, seeing the ntal gymnastics, and then she slowly nodded. She let the last of her morality slip away, grateful for the excuse.
"You’re right," Helena agreed, her voice steadying. "She deserves better than Richard. She deserves... greatness."
Vivienne smiled, a ruthless, satisfied curve of her lips.
"Then let’s give it to her."
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