Echoes of Vengeance: The Sweet Wife's Perfect Revenge-Chapter 213: Too Far?

The living room of the Riverdale villa was too quiet for comfort. Alaric sat cross-legged on the couch, composed, his calm pressing against the walls like a silent storm.

Across from him, Lucien Astor glared at Alaric, his temper snapping with every second.

"You think you can walk into my daughter's house and do as you please?" Lucien barked. "Get out of here."

Alaric didn't answer. His silence said more than words ever could. He leaned back, eyes fixed on the muted television on the wall.

Then he spoke softly, almost to himself. "You've spent years buying silence," he said. "But I prefer noise this time." He picked up the remote and turned the volume up.

The room fell still as the news anchor's voice cut through the air.

"Breaking News." The red banner flashed across the screen. The Astors turned to look.

Lucien frowned. "What the hell is this?"

The headlines changed, and everything was shown in red, indicating it was something major. No, it wasn't about Aveline anymore. Not about the Laurents or the explosion.

It was about them. The Astors.

The footage rolled on the screen. Oscar Astor, being escorted by officers, face pale, wrists in cuffs. His wife and daughter were being questioned inside their mansion. Boxes of files and computers were being loaded into police vans.

Lucien froze mid-step. "What... how..."

Mrs. Astor rose to her feet. Seraphina's eyes were wide in disbelief.

The newsreader's voice filled the silence. "Sources confirm that Oscar Astor has been taken into custody in connection with illegal imports under Astor Global. His wife and daughter are currently under interrogation. Reports also suggest links to offshore accounts and high-level political favors."

Lucien's eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible."

He grabbed his phone, but there was no signal. He snatched his wife's, then Seraphina's, then reached for the landline. Dead. Every line was dead.

A door clicked open, grabbing everyone's attention. A tall, burly man entered and locked it behind him, the sound sharp and final. He stood there, wordless, like a wall between them and an easy escape.

Lucien's face turned red. "Alaric Lancaster, you're going too far!" He meant Alaric didn't have to involve his brother in this.

Alaric's lips curved into a cold smile. "Too far?" His voice was calm, steady. "This is just the beginning."

The color drained from Lucien's wife's face. Seraphina looked between them, lost for words.

Then Lucien turned on Isabella. "Isabella De'Conti," he spat, without an ounce of respect for her. He pointed at Alaric and continued, "That's the monster you gave birth to! Ask him to stop, or you'll regret it."

Isabella's composure cracked for half a breath, but she closed her eyes for a moment and stood up, smoothing her coat as if brushing off his words.

"Mr. Astor," she said with a small, chilling smile, "I'll take that as a compliment. I'm proud he became a monster to protect the woman he loves." Alaric's actions meant he treasured Aveline.

The Astors stared at Isabella, speechless. Alaric didn't flinch, though Isabella's words didn't go unheard. His mother was talking in favor of him, instead of stopping him. That's a miracle.

Isabella picked up her bag with graceful ease. "Don't forget, Mr. Astor," she added softly, "the woman you tried to destroy had stopped him once. You didn't learn. Maybe this is your destiny after all."

The guard stepped aside and opened the door. Isabella walked out, her heels echoing on the marble floor.

She glanced back once, eyes heavy, not with pity, but quiet resolve. Seraphina had chosen her path. There was no saving her now.

If Isabella tried, she would be pushing Alaric away again. So she got in the car and left.

Inside the villa, the news anchor's tone shifted again. "Breaking News," the banner flashed once more.

"New updates suggest former president Lucien Astor will also be under investigation. Sources confirm that Oscar Astor was managing his brother's import business, which is now linked to multiple illegal shipments. Authorities have been seizing the Astor estate and freezing their bank accounts. His political donations are currently under review."

A new clip rolled on the screen. The cops were at the Astor villa gates, loading heavy bags and files into a van.

Lucien staggered backward, breathing hard. "Stop this… Alaric, stop it…" His voice cracked. He tried to hold something, his eyes barely focusing on anything. Then he collapsed on the floor.

Thud.

"Lucien!" His wife screamed, kneeling beside him. Seraphina stood frozen, staring at Alaric like she was seeing a stranger.

"Alaric Lancaster, you can't hold us responsible for everything that happens to Aveline Laurent!" she snapped, desperate to get out of the situation.

Alaric didn't even look at her. He wouldn't drop to her level of brazenness.

The guard splashed a glass of water over Lucien's face to wake him, then pulled a stack of papers from his blazer and tossed it onto the table.

The sheets fanned open, call logs, recordings, Mobile IMEI traces of Seraphina Astor and Theodore Marston, Lucien Astor, and the chief of police.

Seraphina grabbed them, scanning fast. Her face fell, but she couldn't let Alaric ruin the Astors to the ground.

"Fine!" she shouted. "I did it! Come at me, not them! Why are you hurting my parents?"

Alaric finally lifted his gaze to her. He said nothing. Maybe she was right, she had acted alone, but she had done it using her father's name, his power, his reach. They were all guilty.

He looked at his guard and gave a small nod. The man turned off the jammer.

A second later, every phone in the house exploded with sound, calls, and messages. The hall was deafening with chaos.

Alaric stood up when he heard the commotion outside the villa. The police, the media, and the downfall of the Astors were echoing through the city.

He wasn't pulling strings like Seraphina or Lucien. He had revealed their own dirt to the world.

Maybe he should have done it sooner. Then Aveline wouldn't have spent that night in pain, drowning in guilt for something she didn't do.

He looked at the Astors one last time. Lucien was mumbling incoherently, his wife was wiping tears with the same hand she used to slap Aveline, and Seraphina was trembling with rage, unable to accept she'd failed to trample over Aveline and him.

Then he walked out, the guard following behind.

The officers passed by Alaric, rushing in. Cameras flashed, reporters shouted for some words.

Alaric neither stopped them from taking his picture nor hid.

If the world wanted a name behind the fall of the Astors, he had given them one.

If anybody thought of hurting Aveline, they would remember today.

He reached his Rolls-Royce, got in, and dialed a contact.

"Sunshine."