Author’s POV
"This is a disaster."
Gina Wolfe paced the living room of her mansion like a caged lioness. The chandelier above cast long shadows across the room while her daughter-in-law sat on the couch, her legs bouncing in panic.
She had her arms wrapped tightly around herself, her eyes tracking Gina’s figure as it moved up and down the room.
"How did Finnegan find out?" Victoria cried.
"How did he know Devin is alive? We were so careful. Everything was supposed to stay buried!"
Gina ignored her, stopped pacing, and sank onto the antique sofa, her mind racing at a thousand miles per hour.
Finnegan had always been the difficult son; he asked too many questions, refused to stay in line, but this? This was sothing else entirely.
How had he connected the dots so quickly? How had he learned about Devin? Her phone rang, the shrill sound cutting through the silence. She snatched it up, seeing the number from the auction house.
"Good evening, Boss Madam," the man on the other end said nervously. "Would the boss like a copy of the video? He only watched it and left abruptly. We thought maybe he wanted the file for his records."
And that was it! Gina sat up straighter, her hawk eyes narrowing. "What do you an, ’he watched the video’? Which boss are you talking about?"
The man hesitated. "Mr. Wolfe? He ca in earlier tonight, demanding the footage from the Manhattan deal. We showed it to him as he asked. He didn’t say much, just watched it and left. So should we destroy it, or..."
Now wasn’t that hilarious, Gina thought bitterly. She had been parading Devin around as Finnegan Wolfe because people couldn’t tell the difference between her sons except her.
Now that very thing had co back and bitten her in the ass. She ended the call without another word while Victoria had a total ltdown on the couch.
"Oh God, Gina," she cried. "What are we supposed to do? If Finnegan knows Devin is alive, everything is falling apart. He’ll connect it to the Lander deal, to the money laundering, to-"
"Shut up," Gina snapped, her voice like a whip. "If you say one more word, I will throw you out of this house myself. I don’t need anyone screaming or panicking right now. I need to think."
Victoria grudgingly fell silent, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. Martha appeared in the doorway, peeking in.
"Ma’am," Martha said softly, "is everything alright? Can I get you anything?"
Gina waved her hand dismissively. "No, there’s no problem. As a matter of fact, Martha, leave the mansion. Take the night off. Go visit your granddaughter, or whatever it is you do. I don’t want to see you here tonight."
Martha bowed her head. "Thank you, ma’am. I’ll do that."
She turned and left the living room, packing up a small bag. The security guard made sure she walked out through the gates, but Martha circled back around the mansion, slipping in through a smaller, hidden gate on the far end of Gina’s estate.
Gina rarely sent her away from the house, so she was certain that sothing was about to happen.
Back inside, Gina finally picked up her phone again and dialed Devin’s number. The call connected after two rings. Music thumped in the background, mixed with laughter and clinking glasses.
"Devin, where are you?"
"Hi, Mom," Devin’s gruff voice ca through.
"At the club. What’s up? You sound tense."
Gina exhaled softly. Now, this was her son. The one who had always understood her ambitions, the one who had never disappointed her.
"You need to co ho right now. There’s been a complication."
Devin chuckled over the club noise.
"Complication? You know I hate when you’re vague, Mom. Tell what’s going on. Need a hand clearing up a bastard?"
Gina’s lips curved into a smile. "No. Finnegan knows. He found out you’re alive."
There was a pause on the other end, then Devin bit out, "I’m on my way."
Twenty minutes later, the small hidden gate creaked open. Devin slipped through, dressed in a black shirt and dark jeans, his green eyes scanning the place as he stalked toward the house.
Martha, crouched behind a shrub in the garden, clapped a hand over her mouth to smother a gasp.
How? How was Devin alive? Did Finnegan know? Why was he hiding from all of them? What was Gina planning?!
Martha had to know. She watched Devin disappear into the house before quietly following.
When Devin entered the living room, Victoria imdiately rushed toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply, passionately.
"My love," Victoria whispered against his lips. "We’re in so much trouble. Finnegan knows. What are we going to do?"
Devin pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth and glanced up at his mother, his green eyes filled with the sa cold look that mirrored hers.
Gina rose, crossing to her son and pulling him into a tight hug. "My brilliant boy," she murmured, stroking his hair like he was still a child.
"We have to act fast. Finnegan knows you’re alive. That ruins our plan to mislead Kellerman into thinking he killed her parents. We had set up the evidence on Cole’s phone to point to Finnegan. But now that he knows you’re alive, he’ll tell her the truth. We need a new strategy."
Devin sighed. "I hate all this, mother. If you had just let handle this my way, I wouldn’t have had to wait fifteen years for this."
"Co on, we still have the upper hand. If we move faster, by the ti it’s your birthday, Finnegan will be the one in prison."
"And you’ll be the one in his shoes," Victoria added, beaming up at Devin. "You’ll be Finnegan Wolfe, while he takes the fall for all your cris."
"Well, your plan better work, Mother," Devin grinned cruelly, fisting Victoria’s hair and yanking it back to drop his lips to her neck.
"Or we’ll do it my way."
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