CHAPTER 262: CHAPTER 262 TRAP

Serena’s POV

I led Olivia into the attic study, my heart thumping steadily against my ribs. The room was warm and intimate, with rich mahogany bookshelves lining the walls and a large desk positioned beneath the dormer window. Sunset light filtered through, casting long shadows across the floor.

"Make yourself comfortable," I gestured to the plush leather chair by the desk. "I’ll pull up the footage in just a moment."

Olivia glanced around the room with practiced nonchalance, but I caught the slight tremor in her perfectly manicured hands as she set her clutch on the desk. "It’s been so long since that night," she said, her voice lilting with false nostalgia. "I can hardly believe you found footage after all this time."

I smiled tightly, inserting the USB drive into my laptop. "Some things are meant to be discovered, no matter how long it takes."

As the computer began to load, I stepped back. "Would you like something to drink? I have a bottle of that Bordeaux you always loved."

Her eyes lit up momentarily. "That would be lovely. Thank you."

"I’ll be right back. The files should finish loading by then." I moved toward the door, pausing to look back at her. "Don’t start without me."

As I closed the door behind me, I counted silently in my head. One... two... three... By the time I reached twenty, I knew she would make her move.

Instead of heading downstairs, I slipped into the adjacent room where Eleanor waited, eyes fixed on a tablet displaying the live feed from the hidden camera we’d installed in the study.

"She’s going for it," Eleanor whispered, passing me the tablet.

On screen, Olivia had leapt from her seat the moment I’d left. She was frantically searching her purse, pulling out an identical USB drive. With quick, practiced movements, she ejected mine from the computer and replaced it with her own.

"Look at her," I murmured, watching as Olivia rapidly typed on my laptop, formatting the drive I’d left behind. "She came prepared."

"Clearly this isn’t her first time destroying evidence," Eleanor’s voice was tight with anger.

We watched in silence as Olivia completed her task, carefully returning my now-empty USB to exactly where I’d left it. Then she smoothed her dress, fixed her hair, and resumed her seat, the picture of innocence.

"Ready?" I asked Eleanor, who nodded grimly.

"Let her hang herself with her own rope."

I grabbed a tray with two empty wine glasses and returned to the study, pushing open the door with my hip. "Sorry for the delay. The staff had moved the wine to a different—" I stopped mid-sentence, as if just noticing something was wrong.

Olivia smiled brightly—too brightly. "No problem at all! I’m feeling much better now. My blood sugar was dropping earlier, but I had a candy from my purse."

I set down the tray and went straight to my computer, plugging in the USB drive. When the "Empty Drive" notification appeared, I looked up slowly, fixing Olivia with a steady gaze.

"You switched the drives."

Her expression of shock was almost convincing. "What? Serena, what are you talking about?"

"The USB drive. You replaced it with a blank one while I was gone."

Olivia’s laugh was brittle. "That’s ridiculous! Why would I do such a thing? Maybe the file corrupted, or you grabbed the wrong drive?"

"No, Olivia. I checked it three times before you arrived." I leaned forward, palms flat on the desk. "What were you so afraid I’d show you? What didn’t you want me to see?"

She stood abruptly, clutching her purse to her chest. "I don’t know what game you’re playing, Serena, but I don’t appreciate being accused of... whatever this is. I think I should leave."

"Running away again?" Eleanor’s voice cut through the tension as she stepped out from behind the bookshelf where she’d been waiting. She held up her phone, screen facing Olivia. "We recorded everything. Every move you made the moment Serena left the room."

The color drained from Olivia’s face, but she recovered quickly. "This is absurd. You’re both paranoid." She turned to me, eyes suddenly wide and vulnerable. "Serena, after everything we’ve been through together? I was devastated when you fell overboard that night. I searched for you for hours!"

Eleanor stepped closer, her voice dangerously soft. "Let’s talk about that night, shall we? How you circled Serena like a vulture for twenty minutes. How you led her to that blind spot on the deck. How only you returned."

"That’s... that’s not what happened," Olivia stammered, her composure cracking.

"We have the security footage, Olivia," I said quietly. "From the ship."

Eleanor wasn’t finished. "You know what I find interesting? How your career suddenly took off after Serena disappeared. How you used her contacts, her ideas, even wore her designs to events—claiming them as ’inspirations from your dear lost friend.’"

"That’s not true!" Olivia’s voice rose sharply.

"Everything you have," Eleanor continued mercilessly, "your career, your connections, your resources—they all came from Serena. She lifted you up, introduced you to everyone who mattered, shared her talents with you."

Olivia’s carefully constructed facade finally shattered. "Lifted me up?" she spat. "She kept me as her pet project! Her little sidekick who was never allowed to outshine the great Serena Quinn!"

The raw hatred in her voice made me flinch, but I held my ground. "If that’s true, then you have nothing to hide. Give me back the USB drive, Olivia. Let’s watch it together."

Her hand tightened around her purse. "No. I’m leaving."

She made a move toward the door, but Eleanor blocked her path. "This is the Blackwood residence. You don’t get to take things that aren’t yours and simply walk away."

"Your refusal is all the confirmation I need," I said quietly, pulling out my phone. "I’m calling the police."

"You wouldn’t dare!" Panic flashed across her face.

"Watch me." I dialed the number, maintaining eye contact with her. "Hello? Yes, I need to report an attempted destruction of evidence relating to an attempted murder case."

Olivia lunged forward suddenly, grabbing the USB from her purse and throwing it to the hardwood floor. With a vicious stomp of her heel, she ground it into pieces, a triumphant gleam in her eyes.

"Good luck proving anything now," she hissed.

I ended my call and smiled calmly. "That was just a decoy, Olivia. Do you really think I’d give you the chance to touch the real evidence?"

Her smile faltered. "What?"

"The original footage is safely backed up in multiple locations," I explained, watching realization dawn on her face. "I never intended for you to see it today. I wanted to see what you’d do when given the opportunity to destroy evidence."

Within twenty minutes, two police officers arrived at our home. They reviewed our recording of Olivia’s actions in the study, as well as copies of the ship’s security footage.

As they placed handcuffs around Olivia’s wrists, reading her rights, she finally broke down completely.

"You think you’ve won?" she screamed, mascara streaking down her cheeks. "You always get everything, don’t you? The perfect life, the perfect husband, the perfect baby! I should have pushed you harder that night!"

The officers tightened their grip, escorting her toward the door. Even as they led her away, she continued hurling insults and threats over her shoulder.

"I hope you drown for real next time, Serena! You’re nothing without me! Nothing!"

I watched silently as they guided her into the police car, her once-beautiful face contorted with rage and desperation.