Chapter 5: The Poisoned Truth
Kimberly stared at the photo of Declan’s secret child, her fingers trembling—not from grief, but from the cold, calculating fury settling in her bones.
“How long have you known?” she asked Lucian, her voice eerily calm.
“Long enough.” He swirled his bourbon, watching her like a chess master anticipating his opponent’s next move. “The question is, what will you do with it?”
She set the photo down deliberately. “Not what you expect.”
Lucian arched a brow. “You don’t want revenge?”
“Oh, I do.” Kimberly smiled, slow and dangerous. “But ruining him financially is too clean. Too quick.” She met his gaze. “I want him to see everything he built crumble—before I bury him.”
A flicker of something dark and approving passed through Lucian’s eyes.
Her phone buzzed—a breaking news alert.
“Walsh Holdings Stock Plummets 30% After Holden Group Recalls Loans.”
Kimberly’s lips curved. “Right on schedule.”
Walsh Enterprises, 11:03 AM
Declan’s office was in chaos. Lawyers shouted into phones, assistants scrambled with paperwork, and Valerie paced like a caged animal.
“Call the board!” she shrieked. “Freeze the assets before—”
The door slammed open.
Kimberly stood there, sleek as a panther in a black tailored suit, Lucian a shadow behind her.
Declan’s face twisted. “You bitch—”
“Tsk.” Kimberly tutted, tossing a folder onto his desk. “Save the tantrum. You’ll need your energy to explain this to your investors.”
Valerie snatched the folder—and paled.
Bank records. Offshore transfers. And a paternity test.
“You—”
“Oh, don’t look so surprised.” Kimberly tilted her head. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out about your little family?”
Declan’s hands clenched. “What do you want?”
Kimberly leaned in, her whisper a blade. “I want you to beg.”
That Evening, Holden Manor
Kimberly stood in her father’s old study, the USB Valerie had threatened her with in hand.
She should’ve burned it.
But curiosity was a venomous thing.
The screen flickered to life—her mother’s medical records. Then, a video.
Static. A hospital room. Her mother, frail and unconscious. And—
Declan, standing over her, disconnecting the ventilator.
Kimberly’s blood turned to ice.
A new voice spoke from the shadows: “Now you understand why I waited for you.”
Lucian stepped into the light, his eyes burning with something far beyond revenge.
“We’re not just ruining him, Kimberly.”
“We’re going to destroy him.”