Chapter 503 A Hidden Danger
On the Hotel Rooftop.
"If it's not Lavinia, I can't imagine who else would help you," Victoria said coolly. "I'm surprised you'd work with someone who's about to marry your ex. Did you two strike some kind of deal?"
Victoria narrowed her eyes, her gaze piercing through Clara.
After a moment of silence, Clara continued her denial. "I know you're clever, but you're wrong this time. I don't know any Lavinia."
Victoria let out a soft laugh. Standing with her hands behind her back, she maintained an elegant yet relaxed posture, amusement dancing in her eyes.
"Is that so? I'm wrong?" She then took a small step forward before stopping. "Then why are you so nervous, Clara?"
"I'm not nervous!"
"Perhaps you don't even realize you have a tell when you lie?"
Victoria glanced at Clara's right hand, and Clara followed her gaze.
"Whenever you lie, your right index finger fidgets with your thumb," Victoria explained with a smirk.
Clara immediately hid her right hand behind her back—essentially confirming Victoria's observation.
Under Victoria's intense gaze, Clara grew increasingly uneasy. Despite the blazing sun, a chill ran down her spine.
But Lavinia had promised to help her escape if today's plan succeeded. She couldn't falter now.
Seeing Clara lost in thought, Victoria took another step forward. Clara immediately backed away, her eyes wide with alarm.
"Stay back!" she warned. "Or I'll have the boy pushed off the roof!"
Victoria ignored the threat. "Let me guess what deal you two made, shall I?"
Clara stared at her in confusion.
Victoria continued advancing, one small step at a time.
"Lavinia Harrison has always had feelings for my husband," she said smoothly. "Today she planned to replace me at my own wedding. As for you—she promised to help you escape wherever you're being held, didn't she? Perhaps even promised that Lucas would take you back? And when Lavinia agreed to marry Lucas, that was part of the plan too—another bride swap to get her into the Tudor family instead of you. Am I right?"
With each word, Victoria moved closer, leaving Clara stunned.
In truth, Victoria had only pieced this together moments ago when she saw Clara. She'd had Dylan tracking both Lavinia and Lucas—Lucas had been behaving normally, but Lavinia had secretly hired someone skilled in disguise techniques, which raised suspicions.
Lucas certainly knew nothing about Lavinia's scheme. Despite his flaws, he would never reconcile with Clara.
The shock in Clara's eyes confirmed Victoria's theory.
Only ten minutes had passed since Victoria received the message and came to the roof. How could she have figured everything out so quickly?
"I don't know what..." Clara began.
Victoria's cold stare cut her off.
"But you both forgot something—I never enter a battle unprepared!" Victoria declared.
Clara's pupils contracted in fear. What did she mean?
Footsteps sounded behind Victoria. Clara turned to see several men in suits approaching, led by Alexander.
She froze in disbelief.
How was this possible? The only entrance to the roof was the door behind her—which should have been sealed shut from both sides.
Yet they hadn't used that door. Where had they come from?
Taking advantage of Clara's momentary confusion, Victoria lunged forward and grabbed her by the throat.
Clara gasped for air as Victoria's grip tightened. She tried to pry Victoria's hand away, but Victoria tossed her aside like a piece of paper.
Clara crashed hard onto the floor.
Until now, Victoria had hesitated to act because she wasn't sure of Ignatius's safety. But Alexander's arrival meant he had rescued the boy, as Victoria had instructed in her message.
"Darling, are you alright?" Alexander stepped past Clara's prone form and pulled Victoria into his arms.
"I'm fine. You arrived so quickly she didn't even have a chance to do anything," she smiled.
Dylan's men took control of Clara, who remained completely bewildered. She hadn't even had time to act—how had everything fallen apart so quickly?
Hadn't Lavinia promised to arrange people to help her? And wasn't Alexander supposed to be detained elsewhere?
Her questions went unanswered.
"By the way, darling, look at this video," Victoria said, pulling out her phone and showing Alexander the live security feed from her dressing room.
"See?" she handed it to him.
Alexander glanced at the screen, which showed another "Victoria" sitting in the dressing room.
"Guess who that is?"
"Lavinia," he answered without hesitation.
"How did you know?" she asked, surprised. She hadn't told him about this part of the situation, wanting to see what Lavinia would do before responding accordingly.
"Dylan may follow your orders, but he's still my man," Alexander explained, gently tapping her forehead. The implication was clear—whatever information Dylan gathered for her, Alexander would also know.
"I see," she murmured.
"So what do you want to do now?" he asked.
Alexander noticed the mischievous glint in her eyes and knew she wouldn't simply expose Lavinia's scheme right away.
She smiled wickedly and beckoned him to lean down.
Alexander complied, bending slightly toward her.
Victoria whispered something in his ear.
Alexander's handsome face immediately showed distaste and reluctance.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked with a frown.
She nodded. "Otherwise, she'll never learn her lesson. Since she's a threat, we need to eliminate it completely."
As for the Harrison family's reputation—Victoria had no mercy to spare for that.
Originally, Victoria hadn't planned to do anything to Lavinia, but her attempt at this bride-swap scheme changed everything.
Lavinia knew perfectly well that Victoria and Alexander were already married, yet she still tried this. Such a person either had serious character flaws or was mentally disturbed.
Did Lavinia truly believe that after swapping places, she would actually be married to Alexander?
Victoria couldn't fathom what was going through Lavinia's mind.
Since Lavinia had no shame, Victoria would make sure she got what she deserved.
Victoria smoothed Alexander's furrowed brow. "Just ignore her. It will only take a few minutes, and I'll handle it quickly. It won't affect our wedding."
Meanwhile, in the dressing room, Lavinia—disguised as Victoria—changed into the wedding dress Angela had brought.
Angela had been confused when she received the call, not understanding why Victoria wouldn't wear the specially designed gown.
Kimberly had called her, specifically instructing that if "Victoria" asked about the original dress, she should say it was accidentally damaged and couldn't be worn.
"Angela, don't you think Mrs. Howard's attitude is completely different from this morning?" one of the shop assistants whispered.
Angela glanced at the "Victoria" who was touching up her makeup and frowned slightly. The behavior did seem different from the Victoria she knew, though their acquaintance was limited.
"Don't gossip about our clients," she reprimanded sternly.
The assistant immediately mimed zipping her lips.
The wedding ceremony was about to begin.
At 1:00 PM—the time chosen by the Howard family—the proceedings would start.
The grand ballroom was a spectacular sight, filled to capacity with excited guests as the wedding officiant began the opening remarks.
What truly captivated everyone was the venue's decoration.
Guests had entered with high expectations, and they weren't disappointed—the reality exceeded their imagination.
The space resembled a galaxy, with the fifteen-foot ceiling reflecting an exquisite starscape. In the center hung two giant interlocking rings, symbolizing the couple's intertwined love.
The guests gasped in appreciation.
The decor, construction, and lighting created a perfect atmosphere.
Many women couldn't help but feel envious.
They unanimously agreed this was the most stunning wedding they had ever attended—one they would likely remember for a lifetime.
Little did they know, this wedding would indeed become unforgettable, providing gossip material for years to come—though not for the reasons they expected.
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