Reborn to Love Mr. Right – Episode 57
Victor withdrew every statement connecting himself to Donald’s poisoning, Hayden’s mother’s death, and the Lantern Protocol. He claimed investigators coerced him with fabricated future evidence. Without his cooperation, several accomplices prepared to recant.
The timing was deliberate. He knew the final core linked the timeline cycle to present justice, though no one had told him the conditions. Either an old contingency informed him, or part of Iteration Four had reached him before deletion.
Prosecutors still possessed physical evidence, but Victor’s testimony had connected isolated crimes into one conspiracy. Separating the cases could reduce his exposure and allow him to portray every subordinate as acting alone.
Derek’s defense seized the opportunity. His attorney argued that Victor manipulated a minor from childhood and should bear responsibility for every later offense. Derek offered a guilty plea to limited fraud charges if prosecutors dismissed conspiracy and attempted murder.
Arianna attended the strategy meeting as a victim, not a decision-maker. She wanted the harshest possible result, yet she recognized that justice could not become another system designed around her private needs.
Ivy insisted on maintaining her testimony even if Victor recanted. Emmy, Martin, Jeff, and Evelyn had provided independent statements. Their imperfect credibility became stronger when supported by records that existed in the present.
Hayden’s mother’s North Road report proved Victor installed surveillance and concealed vehicle tampering. The analog trigger from the mansion fire carried his design signature. The S-47 payments connected Evelyn and the cardiologist to his shell companies.
What prosecutors lacked was evidence Victor ordered Arianna’s original crash. The first-future photographs could not enter court, and Derek’s memories were unstable. Victor believed that missing link would keep the most serious charge beyond reach.
Donald remembered the hidden cabinet inventory signed by Derek. One item described “Road Test A” and referenced a paper archive rather than a digital file. Victor favored redundant evidence whenever it protected his leverage.
Jeff identified an old chauffeur locker facility near the Taylor estate. Victor once required drivers to store maintenance logs there before records moved online. Police obtained a warrant and opened a locker registered under Jeff’s employee number.
Inside were brake components from Taylor vehicles, payment ledgers, and a sealed instruction bearing Victor’s fingerprint. The instruction ordered Jeff to replace a safety sensor on Arianna’s future car during her senior year.
The date preceded Arianna’s first accident by years. Victor had planned the method long before Derek gained control of the company. Derek later selected the time and route, turning preparation into murder.
Jeff claimed he never followed the instruction, but inventory photographs showed the component already missing. His denial collapsed beneath his own handwriting on the storage form.
Prosecutors no longer needed Victor’s confession to establish long-term intent. They filed expanded conspiracy charges supported entirely by present physical evidence and living witnesses.
Victor responded by accusing Donald of planting the locker. Independent dust analysis showed the contents had remained sealed for more than a decade. The age that once protected his secrets now authenticated them.
Derek learned the instruction named him as the “relationship asset” assigned to influence Arianna. He demanded a new deal, furious that Victor documented him like equipment. Being used offended him more than the harm he helped commit.
Arianna refused to meet him. His anger could assist prosecutors without requiring her to become the audience for another performance. She submitted a written victim statement instead.
Victor’s withdrawal failed to stop the case. The final core updated silently: Condition Two changed from failed to pending. Justice had not been completed, but it no longer depended on his permission.
That evening, Arianna received a call from the hospital. Donald had collapsed during a routine examination, and doctors could not wake him. No toxin appeared in his blood.
The final core displayed a new warning despite the sealed packet: “Condition Three has begun.”