Rejected: A love story

Chapter 165: Traitor

Marcus stepped inside his dimly lit apartment, Natasha’s threats regarding the police echoing in his mind. He was aware of the fact that she was quite sincere about those words. If marcus did not eliminate this woman, Natasha would make sure to ruin his life. He quickly headed towards his computer, typing like mad. marcus wasn’t planning on killing anyone. However, he could surely ruin their reputation.

Marcus used high-quality software to create several images depicting Viktoria at different spots at the gala. He then showed her at some questionable spot in Zurich, supposedly dating back to six months ago. He also came up with a false bank statement, suggesting that one of Nathan’s largest competitors had made some kind of payment transfer to a fictitious account under the name of Viktoria. Finally, he named the whole document THE TRAITOR IN YOUR HOUSE and uploaded it anonymously into Nathan’s private office computer.

The following day, Nathan found himself staring at the walls of his office, eyes weary due to lack of sleep. His focus had been on his business, but thoughts of the previous night’s encounter were haunting his mind. Suddenly, an alert flashed across his computer screen. He clicked on it, his blood running cold.

Nathan began looking through the photos. She was the same woman who claimed she had never left Russia, now seen shaking hands with individuals he knew would seek to bring down his company. The document said she was a professional "honey-trap" expert – one who dug up all the dirt on rich men to blackmail them.

The phone in his office rang, jotting him away frm his shocked state. He grabbed the phone.

"Mr. Keith," the voice of the secretary from the front lobby spoke softly into his ear. "Mrs. Viktoria is here for your appointment at ten o’clock. Do you wish me to let her up?"

Nathan gritted his teeth. Fury was now boiling inside him as he realized how close he had come to allowing her close to him, believing she was a miracle. "Let her up," he responded firmly.

After a couple of minutes, the door swung open. Viktoria stepped inside, looking as elegant and composed as ever. She was wearing a simple cream-colored gown, and her hair was neatly tied up. Everything about her appearance was exactly the same as the person he once cherished, and this realization filled him with revulsion.

"Good morning, Mr. Keith," she spoke in a soft yet steady tone. She moved towards his desk and offered him a leather-bound folder. "The final distribution contracts are here. I have successfully negotiated a reduction in shipping costs for the North Wing as you had desired."

Nathan did not take the folder from her hands. He did not move an inch. All he did was stare at her with such piercing eyes.

"Is there anything wrong, Mr. Keith?" she asked, her hand remaining mid-air as she slowly withdrew it. "You seem... unwell."

"I’ve had a very enlightening morning, Viktoria," Nathan said. He slowly turned his laptop screen around so she could see the photos Marcus had forged. "Tell me, how was the weather in Zurich last spring? The file says you were there meeting with the Volkov group. Funny, I thought you said you’d lived in Russia your entire life."

Viktoria’s eyes widened as she looked at the screen. She saw her own face, clear as day, standing next to men she had never met in a city she had never visited. "I... I don’t know what this is. This isn’t me. I’ve never been to Zurich. I’ve never met these people."

"Stop lying!" Nathan yelled, slamming down his hand on the desk, which made a loud bang that reverberated through the spacious room. "The evidence is right here. You found out about Fiona. You discovered what happened and you found your chance to march into my life with that pretty face knowing that you would shatter me with it."

Viktoria took a step back, and her heart was beating rapidly

"That is not true! I am here for a business partnership. My company is legitimate and my life is legitimate."

Nathan let out a dry, mocking laugh. "And the boy? Mateo? I suppose he’s part of the act too? You found a kid with exactly my eyes and you’re using him as the ultimate bait. I bet he’s not even as young as you say he is. He’s probably some child actor you’ve trained to call you ’Mummy’ just to pull at my heartstrings."

Viktoria’s face went from pale to a deep, burning red. The confusion was gone, replaced by a fierce, motherly rage. She slammed her own hands on the desk and leaned in close to his face.

"You can say anything you want about me, Mr. Keith," she snarled, her voice shaking with rage. "You can say that I’m lying, you can kick me out of your office, and you can rip those documents up. But don’t you ever dare drag my son into your delusions. Mateo is mine; he’s my flesh and blood. He’s just a baby, and you’re accusing him of being involved in something that only exists in your twisted imagination!"

"I look far too similar to him for this to be a coincidence," Nathan said harshly, although her words protecting the child caused a slight pang inside him. "This is a con job, Viktoria. A very costly, extremely sophisticated con job."

"This is no con!" she shrieked. "I don’t care who sent you those pictures or what their reasons were for doing so, but I’m a mother, and I’m a professional. I came here to work, not to pretend to be a ghost or a look alike to someone whose sanity I doubt!"

Nathan rose to his feet, standing above her like a colossus. "I am not going mad. I see the truth. I see you for what you really are. A ghost, yes? A ghost that is soon to be exorcised from this building."

He lifted the telephone handset and punched in the appropriate key. "Alex, come to my office. Immediately."

Viktoria stared at him, trying desperately to catch her breath. The world seemed to be turning around her, yet she remained confident in her innocence. As she was guilty of nothing, but seeing those pictures in front of her eyes, Viktoria understood that she had been caught in an impeccably prepared trap. The person who managed to do that did not aim only to kill the deal; he aimed to ruin her.

He watched her silently, waiting for the inevitable admission, or even an apology for whatever crimes she thought she had committed against him. Instead, she only stood resolutely before him, her eyes blazing with anger. He could almost see the old Fiona staring back at him, and it filled him with an entirely new wave of bitterness.