The Billionaire's Bought Bride and Instant Mom Chapter 224

Vivian

After dinner, Orion and Aveline had settled onto the plush velvet sofa like newlyweds, whispering to each other with the kind of intimate smiles that would have made my blood boil just weeks ago. Grandmother had retired to the parlor with Mrs. Patterson, probably to gossip about the neighborhood drama over their evening tea.

I watched them from across the room, expecting to feel that familiar spike of jealousy, that burning resentment that had consumed me for so many years. But instead, there was just... nothing. Maybe it was surviving Dwayne's torture chamber, or maybe it was finally understanding what real fear felt like, but somehow their happiness no longer felt like my personal tragedy.

*Well, almost nothing,* I corrected myself as a different kind of fire ignited in my chest. I'd let go of my hatred for them, but there were others who deserved every ounce of rage I could summon.

I approached their cozy little love nest, my heels clicking deliberately against the marble floor. "While you two are playing house, our enemies are still out there plotting. Shouldn't we be doing something more productive than canoodling?"

Orion looked up with genuine curiosity. "Aveline, your stepsister has a stronger sense of justice than you do."

"That's exactly why I used to enjoy our battles so much," Aveline laughed, tucking her legs under herself. "When Vivian decides someone has wronged her, she never forgets and she never forgives."

I settled into the armchair across from them with deliberate poise. "I'm not doing this for entertainment. I'm thinking about Grandmother's safety—and yours. If I wanted peace and quiet, I could just disappear. Nobody would bother hunting me down. But that's not who I am."

Aveline nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. You could walk away from all this mess, but you won't. Because you don't run from fights, especially when innocent people might get hurt."

"Exactly." I leaned forward, my voice growing more intense. "And since you mentioned strategy—your husband’s passive approach is completely inadequate. We're waiting for them to make the next move, giving them time to regroup and plan something even worse."

Orion's expression sharpened with interest. "So what do you suggest? And before you answer, I want to acknowledge something—you suffered because of my enemies, and that makes me partially responsible for what happened to you."

The concern in his voice almost made me uncomfortable. I wasn't used to people actually caring about my wellbeing.

I let out a shaky breath, the dam of my composure starting to break. "You were right to be concerned," I said quietly. "It wasn't just kidnapping; it wasn't about ransom. They were... amusing themselves. Trying to see how long it takes for a person to break." I looked up at him, my eyes stinging. "It was exactly as bad as you feared, and then some."

"They humiliated me. Tortured me for sport. Dwayne... he almost..." I couldn't say the words, but the implication hung in the air like poison. "And at the end, when they were done playing their games, they were going to kill me. Not quickly, either."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop twenty degrees. Both Orion and Aveline had gone completely still, their faces hardening with a cold fury that matched my own.

"The same thing could happen to Aveline," I continued, my voice gaining strength from their anger. "Or to Grandmother. Or to anyone else they decide to use as leverage against you."

Orion stood slowly, his hands clenched into fists. "I will never let that happen."

Aveline immediately moved to my side, pressing a glass of water into my trembling hands and steadying me with gentle touches. "Tell us what you're thinking. I can see you've already formulated a plan."

I took a slow sip of water, letting the cool liquid calm my throat and center my thoughts. When I looked up, my voice was steady and deadly serious.

"I want swift action. Precise targeting. A single, devastating strike that ends this permanently."

Orion's eyes lit up with something between admiration and anticipation. "You can arrange something like that?"

My mind immediately conjured an image of flame-red hair, a scarred face, and eyes the color of winter ice. Dmitri Petrov—the mercenary who'd saved my life not out of kindness, but out of professional principle. The man who'd looked at me like I was worth protecting, even when he claimed it was just about money.

"I can absolutely arrange it," I said with growing confidence. "But I'll need funding. This kind of operation doesn't come cheap."

Aveline's expression grew worried. "Vivian, are you sure you want to personally involve yourself in something this dangerous?"

But Orion was already nodding with approval. "She's the victim here. If she wants to be the one to deliver justice, that's her right. And as for money—if we can eliminate this threat permanently, no amount is too much."

I appreciated his support, but I didn't want him thinking I was some noble crusader. "Don't romanticize this. I'm not doing it purely for altruistic reasons. Yes, I want to protect the people I care about, but mostly I want revenge. They hurt me, humiliated me, tried to break me—and I want them to pay for every second of it."

My smile was sharp enough to cut glass. "An eye for an eye isn't just justice—it's satisfaction."

Aveline looked between Orion and me with obvious concern. "I need your promise that you'll supervise whatever she's planning. I don't want her taking unnecessary risks or doing something that could backfire on all of us."

Orion reached over and took her hand reassuringly. "I'll keep watch over the situation, but honestly? Their target has always been you. When I think about what they did to Vivian—and what they might try to do to you—I don't think any response could be considered too extreme. They've earned whatever's coming to them."

He looked at me with something like respect in his eyes. "So tell me, Vivian—when do we begin?"

As I thought about Dmitri's cold green eyes and the way he'd moved with lethal grace through that warehouse, I felt something I hadn't experienced in years: genuine excitement about the future.

"Soon," I said, my voice filled with dark promise. "Very soon."