Chapter 22 #3
"If I don't hear from you in five minutes I'm calling the police!"
"Fuck, I'm coming to the estate right now!"
I quickly dialed her number.
"Mia, it's me, I'm fine—"
"Vivienne Cole!" Mia's voice nearly shattered the phone. "You scared me to death! I saw the news about a vicious attack on Fifth Street and I thought... I thought..."
Her voice choked. I could hear she'd been genuinely terrified.
"I'm sorry, Mia," I said softly. "I worried you. I'm really okay, just some scrapes. Nikolai's people reacted fast. That car didn't get me."
"Thank God... thank God..." Mia exhaled long, voice still tearful. "Fuck, I've never been so scared in my life."
"I know, I know." I soothed. "I'm really sorry for dragging you into this—"
A faint electrical current suddenly crackled through the receiver, interrupting me.
I froze, thinking it was a signal issue. But the sound quickly disappeared, and Mia's voice came through clear again.
"Vivienne? You still there?"
"Yeah, maybe bad signal." I frowned, shifting position on the bed.
"Wait." Mia suddenly lowered her voice. "Vivienne, repeat what you just said."
"What?"
"Just say 'I know.'"
Confused, I complied. "I know?"
That faint electrical current appeared again.
This time I heard it clearly—not ordinary signal interference, but an extremely regular sound, like background noise from some device operating.
My heart sank hard.
"Mia..."
"Vivienne, listen to me." Mia's voice turned extremely serious. "My father used to deal in this kind of business. That sound... it's the signature of surveillance equipment. Someone tampered with your phone."
My fingers clenched tight. The phone nearly slipped from my hand.
"What?" My voice shook. "You're sure?"
"Ninety percent," Mia said. "Right now, open your phone settings. Look for anything strange. Especially things you never installed but have microphone and location permissions."
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm.
"Hold on."
I opened settings, fingers sliding rapidly across the screen. Rows of app names flashed past—social media, writing tools, music players...
Then I saw it.
An app with an extremely ordinary icon called "System Optimization Assistant," sitting among a pile of unremarkable utility software.
I'd never seen this before.
I tapped to view details. My heart nearly stopped.
Permission: Microphone (Enabled)
Permission: Precise Location (Enabled)
Permission: Call History (Enabled)
Most terrifying—all permission buttons were grayed out. Unchangeable. Unremovable.
My brain exploded like ten thousand tons of dynamite detonating simultaneously.
Those details I'd previously taken as "romantic" and "emotional connection" now felt like poisoned knives, brutally shredding all my illusions piece by piece.
How did he know I had writer's block?
How could he appear so precisely when I was about to break down and push open the study door?
How did he know my and Mia's whereabouts so thoroughly?
"Did you find it?" Mia asked on the phone.
"Found it." My voice began shaking involuntarily. "Something called 'System Optimization Assistant.' Microphone, location, call history... all enabled."
Mia was silent for several seconds on the other end.
"Vivienne..." she began carefully. "Who gave you that phone?"
I closed my eyes.
Fucking Nikolai.
There was no goddamn "emotional connection," no "he cares about me."
This was control. Sickeningly pathological surveillance.
"Nikolai." I opened my eyes, voice devoid of warmth. "Nikolai gave me this phone."
"Shit." Mia cursed under her breath. "Vivienne, right now you should—"
"I'm fine." I cut her off, voice strangely calm. "Mia, I need to go. I need... I need to be alone for a bit."
"Vivienne—"
I hung up.
I sat on the soft bed, holding that expensive phone planted with surveillance software, feeling the whole world spinning.
I thought of him saying he'd protect me, saying he'd give me freedom, saying happy birthday under those fireworks with such gentle light in his eyes...
That tenderness, that care, those moments when I thought I was finally truly seen, truly cherished—
All built on lies.
He'd never truly trusted me, never truly respected me.
In his eyes, I was just something to be monitored, controlled... What? An asset? A plaything?
Or just a goldfish in his panoramic glass tank—he watched me swim, listened to my every breath, controlled all my emotions, and I'd been stupid enough to feel grateful for his condescending "generosity"!
Tears blurred my vision.
I bit my lip hard, not letting myself cry out.
Just then, a soft knock came at the door.
I jerked my head up, roughly wiping my eyes with the back of my hand.
"Vivienne?" Nikolai's deep voice came through the door. "May I come in?"
I stared at that door, my hand gripping the phone trembling.
Right now, the man I'd once thought understood me, loved me, stood outside.
And in my hand, I held evidence of his betrayal.
I took a deep breath, my voice calm to the point of strangeness even to myself.
"Come in."
The doorknob slowly turned.
And I knew what came next would completely change everything between us.