Chapter 30
ALEX
Von Dietz doesn’t bother with his papers anymore.
His gaze fixes on Eva, then shifts to me. “The reason I asked about Her Grace’s opposition to the resort project is because it matters to our working theory.”
My eyes narrow. “Which is?”
“Kurt Ozzi knew of it,” he says. “And it served his interests for Her Grace’s stance to prevail, because it preserved his tunnel.”
Eva’s lips part, then press together.
I lean in. “You’re suggesting Ozzi wanted Geoffroy out of the way so that Eva… I mean, Her Grace, would be in charge?”
Von Dietz folds his hands. “Consider the sequence. While His Grace was still discussing his resort project, Ozzi could afford to wait.” He turns to Eva. “Your husband’s spending was already dragging the estate toward collapse, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” she says quietly.
“Ozzi hoped,” Von Dietz continues, “the estate would fall into his hands, either through his associate who was the duc’s co-investor and through one of his shell companies. That would secure the tunnel.”
Eva clutches the strap of her handbag. “But when Geoffroy applied for blasting permits, he became an immediate risk. Ozzi could no longer afford to be patient.”
“Correct. Your husband’s push forced Ozzi’s hand.”
I peer at him. “So, he ordered the hit on Geoffroy.”
“Yes, and on Julian,” Von Dietz says. “The sniper’s priorities were to eliminate Princess Felicia, the duke, and his heir.”
Eva’s breath hitches.
Von Dietz’s gaze shifts to her. “Ozzi expected Lady Millicent to inherit the estate. You, as her legal guardian, would run it in her stead.”
Eva whispers, “And I just happened to oppose the resort project.”
“Exactly,” he says. “The tunnel stayed safe.”
Eva exhales. “So, Kurt Ozzi wanted me in charge, huh?”
“That’s our working theory.”
My fists clench on the table. “You’re making it sound like she handed him what he wanted.”
“No, I’m saying he adapted. He engineered the circumstances and let them play out.”
“He bet on a teenage duchess,” Eva sums up, “and on a widow whose stance played into his hands.”
Von Dietz nods. “And when he realized he might lose his bet, he ensured that Judge Vautrin, who was set to rule for Monsieur Castellane, stepped down.”
Eva’s gasp cuts through the room. My chest constricts. For once, we’re equally blindsided.
I grip the edge of the table. “You’re telling me Vautrin didn’t recuse himself for personal reasons?”
“He received credible threats, Monsieur Castellane. “
Eva shifts in her chair. “Threats? To his physical safety?”
“His and his family’s,” Von Dietz confirms. “Very specific and perfectly timed.”
I slam my palm on the table. “Son of a—”
Eva murmurs with a humorless smile, “Ozzi was probably as disappointed as I was to discover Geoffroy had left no will, and the estate would go to Alex.”
“He assumed Your Grace and Lady Millicent would be more malleable than Monsieur Castellane,” Von Dietz says. “Short-term, your stance preserved his tunnel. Long-term, he expected the estate to falter under you, making a takeover easier.”
There’s an edge in Eva’s voice. “Isn’t it ironic that his sexist expectations led him to favor a feminist judge?”
“I see the irony,” Von Dietz says. “Ozzi knew Judge Sarrazin was on the rotation list for Rohinn. He was aware of her strong opinions. He also knew that being the mother of a teenage girl would make her much more likely to rule for you.”
I lock eyes with Von Dietz. “What made you realize Vautrin had been forced out?”
“After stepping down, he came to see me.”
Eva’s head snaps up. “He what?”
“He came here,” Von Dietz says. “He told me about the threats to his family and asked for a special security detail.”
Eva fixes on him. “And you gave it, I hope?”
“Of course. They’ve been under discreet protection.”
“What ties Ozzi to those threats?” I ask.
Von Dietz doesn’t hesitate. “First, motive. He had plenty. Vautrin on the case meant a ruling in your favor, Monsieur Castellane. Ozzi couldn’t allow that.”
Eva swallows hard.
“Second,” Von Dietz continues, “it matches his modus operandi. The sniper Tobias Brunner? Ozzi had kidnapped his wife and daughter to force his hand against Princess Felicia. Family pressure is his tactic of choice.”
I watch Eva stare at the table.
“Finally,” Von Dietz says, “we traced the call patterns of the burner phone used to deliver the threats against the judge. It pinged repeatedly near one of Ozzi’s properties in Switzerland around the time of the calls.”
Eva lifts her eyes to him. “You’re certain?”
“Yes. We know of that property thanks to the fifth Key Seeker, Darrel Vlovsky, who’d been taken there and escaped.”
I push my chair back. “So, Ozzi orchestrated it all. He eliminated Geoffroy to save the tunnel, and when the entail handed me the duchy, he manipulated the court to take it away.”
“That’s our conclusion.”
Eva lets out a shaky breath. Her face says it all. She’s telling herself that her win was tainted, that she was a pawn in Ozzi’s game. Immediately, I regret my harsh summary of events. If only I could take it back!
The silence that follows is sharp enough to cut.
Eva clasps the table with white-knuckled fingers. I lock my hands, too, fighting the urge to smash something.
Fuck that. I can’t let her carry that kind of poison.
“Eva,” I say, breaking protocol, forgetting Von Dietz. “Look at me.”
She looks up, startled, wary.
My gaze drills into hers. “Sarrazin’s ruling will stand. Millie is Geoffroy’s direct heir. The duchy is her birthright. I will not contest it. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”
Eva’s lips part. A faint breath leaves her, half sob, half exhale.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
Relief flickers in her face and her posture, but a shadow lingers. It’s as if my vow lifted one weight only to press down another.
If I knew what it is, I’d remove that, too.