Masked In Nobility: Secrets Of Mrs. Chavez

Victor and his men had been waiting outside the factory for quite some time. Ever since Winona had arrived, he’d stayed on alert, knowing her plan inside and out.

He intended to step in at the perfect moment to rescue Yvette when it would have the most impact.

Given Yvette’s current influence and reputation, it would be an invaluable asset if he could have both her and Zachary owe him a favor. But he hadn’t anticipated the driver calling the police, potentially disrupting everything.

Glancing at his watch, Victor decided it was time to move. As if on cue, his phone rang–it was Rebecca. Victor answered immediately. “Rebecca. Did everything go smoothly?”

Rebecca’s voice was calm, her tone devoid of emotion as she looked down at Robert, who lay on a hospital bed, paralyzed on one side. “Yes,” she replied softly.

“He tampered with the car, just like you said. But instead of you, he ended up taking the hit himself. The doctors say he’ll never wake fully. He’s aware, but that’s all he’ll ever be.”

Rebecca spoke with a cold detachment. She had long since lost faith in her father, especially after discovering his alliance with Winona in such a twisted plot, willing to sacrifice his own son.

Rebecca couldn’t understand how a father who had cared for Victor all these years could betray the son like this.

In the car, Victor’s expression grew dark, his gaze hardening. He had given Robert a chance, and Robert had squandered it. “Thank you, Rebecca. Once I’m done here, I’ll join you. Keep Mom and Grandpa calm in the meantime.”

After they hung up, Rebecca rubbed her temples, exhausted. She looked down at Robert, who lay staring at the ceiling, his eyes the only part of his body still capable of movement.

“If only you hadn’t pushed things this far…” she murmured.

Robert’s eyes widened slightly in response, a faint tremor passing through him.

Rebecca couldn’t help but marvel at how much Victor had matured in just a few short months, orchestrating events with such skill that it was Robert, not him, who now lay immobilized.

Ultimately, it was fate–a curse of the Carter family, forever embroiled in their own destruction.

*****

Victor turned to the men in his car, giving a brisk order. “When we get inside, stay sharp and be ready to act.”

The men nodded, ready for action.

Victor couldn’t afford any more delays; if the police arrived first and managed to rescue Yvette and Zachary, his plan to gain their gratitude would be wasted.

*****

Inside the factory, Winona’s hand shook as she aimed her gun, weakened by the pain in her stomach. She glared at Zachary, who stood firmly between her and Yvette, refusing to budge.

If Zachary was so determined to die for Yvette, she would grant his wish. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger, the bullet speeding directly toward him.

Zachary closed his eyes, accepting his fate. He wouldn’t move–not if it meant protecting Yvette.

But in a split second before impact, Zachary heard someone call him a “fool” before being forcefully pulled aside.

Zachary opened his eyes and saw Yvette standing with a sleek silver gun in her hand, aimed precisely at Winona’s weapon.

With impeccable timing, Yvette’s bullet met Winona’s in mid–air, and both fell harmlessly to the ground.

Winona’s face contorted in shock, and she tried to fire another shot, but Yvette’s second bullet had already hit her right hand.

Winona screamed in pain, her gun slipping from her grasp as she crumpled to the floor, disbelief, and terror etched across her face.

At that moment, the doors to the factory burst open as Victor and his team rushed inside. He took in the scene with narrowed eyes.

The line of kneeling men, all of whom he recognized as Winona’s hirelings, were barely conscious, kneeling in pools of their own blood. Their defeated, broken bodies conveyed the brutality they’d endured, leaving a palpable tension in the air.

Victor’s gaze shifted to Yvette, her silhouette exuding an aura of authority and quiet strength as she stood, weapon raised. For the first time, he understood that some people were born to stand above, to command the world’s respect with unyielding confidence.

Yvette turned, noticing Victor’s entrance, her expression cool and composed as she raised her gun slightly, its barrel aimed at his chest. Her eyes were icy, with a hint of suspicion in her narrowed gaze.

Zachary, regaining his balance, hurried over to Yvette, “Are you alright, Yvette?”

Yvette shook her head, her voice calm, “I’m fine. She couldn’t hurt me.”

Only then did Zachary feel at ease. He then looked at Victor, wondering why he was there.

Victor approached with a polite, respectful tone. “Mr. Chambers, Ms. Zeller, my apologies for arriving late. I only recently discovered that Winona intended to kidnap Ms. Zeller, so I hurried over. I’m relieved to see that both of you are safe.”

With no desire to be impolite to someone who had supposedly come to help, Zachary replied with a curt “Thank you,” his tone neutral.

Winona, seeing Victor, scrambled to her feet, too frantic to notice the blood staining her dress. “Victor, did you come to save me?”

Before Zachary could say anything, Victor cut her off, distancing himself from her completely. “Mr. Chambers, don’t misunderstand–I have nothing to do with Winona anymore. For such a heinous act, the Carter family will not protect her in any way.”

Victor said this without sparing Winona a glance. His eyes instead focused on Yvette, attempting to win her favor.

Hearing this, Winona’s fragile composure finally shattered. If everyone wanted to abandon her, they could all go down with her.

In a last act of desperation, she reached for the gun on the ground. Just as her fingers brushed it, Victor’s warning shout filled the air, “Watch out!”

The sudden yell startled even the unconscious Layla into a brief state of wakefulness. She opened her eyes just in time to see a flash of light as Victor’s gun fired.

The bullet hit Winona square in the chest. Blood began to pool beneath her as she stumbled, clutching her chest, her face a mask of disbelief as she looked at Victor, then collapsed.

Seeing this sudden turn of events, Layla fainted from shock again.

“Winona.” Victor approached with a cold, unfeeling expression, his disdain for Winona evident as he watched the blood flow from her wound.

Winona lay on the ground, wrapped in a bone–chilling cold that made her shiver uncontrollably, yet she had no strength left. With barely enough strength left, Winona whispered, “Why…why would you do this to me? I’m carrying your child.”

Victor looked down at her, his voice chilling. “Why didn’t I die in the trap you and Robert set for me? Why are you claiming that the child you carry is mine when it’s really my father’s?

Why did you sink so low as to seduce my father? Do you really need to ask?”

Winona’s eyes widened at his words, and with one last bitter cough of blood, she choked out, “I did nothing wrong.”

In her final moments, a lifetime of betrayal flashed before her: a mother who used her, a father who wasn’t her own, a grandfather who traded her for benefits, and a boyfriend who only pretended to care. The world was wrong, not her.

With that, her eyes closed for the last time, her body slumping as she took her final breath.

Victor looked down at her lifeless body, saying nothing. To the end, she remained unrepentant.