Second Vows Adored by the Billionaire novel Chapter 8

Victor inhaled slowly, forcing down the guilt gnawing at him, and lay down next to Eloise.

"Work's been crazy with the company growing so fast. I haven't been around much, have I?" His voice went low and gentle—practiced, almost. "What do you say we fix that? Tell me what you want. A gift, a trip, anything. Let me make it right."

Houses. Cars. Jewelry. Handbags. The things people assumed women wanted.

Eloise had never lacked any of them. Her family was wealthy enough to provide everything.

What she'd wanted was real. She'd wanted his heart.

But Victor had given that away long ago.

"Mm..." Eloise paused, her voice quiet. "I don't need anything. But I was planning to transfer the company out of my name on our fifth anniversary anyway. All the paperwork and legal liability—it's been exhausting to deal with."

Victor's chest tightened like someone had punched him. "You're giving me the company?"

"Yes." She nodded.

At twenty, Eloise had put everything in her name without hesitation—became the legal representative, personally guaranteed tens of millions in loans, shouldered all the risk and liability. For Victor.

At twenty-five, all she wanted was out. The company, the assets in his name—none of it mattered anymore.

Money was never what she'd wanted.

After all, Eloise had more money than she could ever spend.

Victor's eyes flickered with unease when she stared at him. "Why would you suddenly want to do that? Aren't you afraid that I might—"

Just then, his phone rang.

Eloise glanced at the screen. As expected, it was Anita.

Victor stepped aside to answer. Whatever she said made him grab his coat immediately.

"Don't panic. I know stomach pain during pregnancy isn't something to ignore. I'll take you to the hospital right now."

He reached the door, then remembered Eloise. "Anita says she's in pain. I need to take her to the hospital."

Eloise responded gently, as she always had. "Go. The baby comes first."

Victor hesitated and added, almost defensively, "She's a single mother, pregnant, with a child to take care of. It's hard for her to manage alone. I'm just helping."

As he turned to leave, Eloise spoke softly, "Victor, she's pregnant again. But how come we've never met her boyfriend?"

Victor froze.

He turned back, panic flickering in his eyes.

"Eloise, that's her personal business. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to ask."

Eloise smiled faintly. Her voice remained calm. "Relax. I was just curious. Anita is your right hand. It's natural to be concerned. Go."

Relief washed over him as he left quickly.

Eloise stood by the window and watched his black Porsche drive away with Anita inside.

Three days later, the results came back confirming her worst suspicions.

The capsules contained trace amounts of arsenic.

The metallic taste from the iron had masked it perfectly. Long-term use would cause exactly the symptoms she'd been having—fainting, dizziness, constant nausea.

If she hadn't hated taking pills and skipped doses so often, she'd probably be dead by now.

Anita had not been trying to make her sick. She wanted to kill her.

A chill crawled up Eloise's spine as delayed fear reached her, leaving her fingertips cold.

She was lucky she had discovered it in time.

The antidote Gregory provided worked quickly. As the toxin left her system, the dizziness and nausea faded, and Eloise felt lighter than she had in years.

Twenty days remained.

Most of the household was already handled. Items that needed to be discarded were gone, things that needed shipping were packed, and whatever should have been destroyed was cut and disposed of.

Eloise's gaze locked onto the bottle on her vanity.

This bottle was the latest one, the one Anita had brought after conceiving her second pregnancy, claiming it would "help with conception" and that she wanted to share.

Eloise walked over, turned the cold bottle in her hand, and placed it into her bag without hesitation.

Now it was time to deal with the people she wanted to get rid of.