CHAPTER 3: THE MAN BEHIND THE BETRAYAL
Victor Blackwood had spent his entire life learning one rule.
Never trust what people show you.
Trust what they hide.
The photograph on his phone felt heavier than a weapon.
Because weapons could be controlled.
Secrets could not.
He stared at the image again.
Thomas Hale stood beside a man Victor knew better than anyone.
A man who had been beside the Blackwood family for decades.
A man who had protected Victor since childhood.
His name was Adrian Cross.
Victor’s personal adviser.
His father’s closest friend.
The man who taught Victor how to survive in a world where kindness was often mistaken for weakness.
The man who had helped him rebuild the Blackwood empire after his father’s death.
The man everyone trusted.
Including Victor.
Until tonight.
“Sir?”
The voice from the phone pulled Victor back.
“Who sent this?”
His security chief hesitated.
“That’s the problem. We don’t know.”
Victor looked toward the dark hallway.
Every instinct inside him was screaming.
Someone had entered his home.
Someone had manipulated the cameras.
Someone knew exactly how to hurt him.
“Lock down the mansion.”
The order was immediate.
“Yes, sir.”
“No one leaves.”
Victor ended the call.
Across the room, Serena watched him carefully.
She had noticed the change.
The moment he received that message, something shifted.
The focus was no longer on her.
It was on something much bigger.
And that terrified her.
Because Serena had expected Victor to explode.
She expected anger.
She expected revenge.
But she had forgotten one thing.
Victor Blackwood was not dangerous because he was emotional.
He was dangerous because he was patient.
He was a man who could smile while planning someone’s downfall.
“Victor,” Serena said softly.
He looked at her.
“What?”
Her confidence returned slightly.
“You’re letting this woman manipulate you.”
Lily immediately stepped back.
Victor noticed.
She was preparing herself to be blamed.
Again.
“Leave.”
Serena blinked.
“What?”
“I said leave.”
Her expression changed.
“You’re choosing her?”
Victor’s eyes became cold.
“No.”
A pause.
“I’m choosing my son.”
The words cut deeper than Serena expected.
Because she realized something.
She had lost.
Not because of Lily.
Not because of the evidence.
Because Victor had finally seen who she really was.
“I’m your future wife.”
“No.”
Victor corrected her.
“You were.”
Serena’s face hardened.
“You think this ends here?”
Victor said nothing.
“You think you can throw me away and everything goes back to normal?”
She stepped closer.
“You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”
Victor stared at her.
“That’s the second time tonight you’ve said that.”
A pause.
“Which means you’re afraid.”
Serena’s eyes flickered.
Only for a second.
But Victor saw it.
And that was enough.
“Take her to the guest room.”
Two security guards appeared.
Serena looked shocked.
“You’re imprisoning me?”
“No.”
Victor turned away.
“I’m making sure you don’t disappear before I know the truth.”
The guards escorted Serena away.
But before leaving, she looked at Lily.
A cold smile appeared.
“This isn’t over.”
Lily watched her disappear.
Only when Serena was gone did she finally breathe.
Victor noticed.
“You’re afraid of her.”
Lily looked down.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Lily was silent.
Then she answered.
“Because Serena is not the person everyone thinks she is.”
Victor crossed his arms.
“You knew something about her?”
“No.”
Lily shook her head.
“But I noticed things.”
“What things?”
“She asked questions.”
Victor frowned.
“About Ethan?”
“Yes.”
The room became quiet.
“What kind of questions?”
Lily looked uncomfortable.
“She asked about your schedule.”
Victor’s expression changed.
“She asked when you would be home. When you traveled. Which rooms Ethan spent time in.”
A dangerous silence followed.
Victor had spent years protecting himself from enemies.
But nobody ever imagined the danger would come from someone invited into his home.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Lily looked ashamed.
“I tried.”
“When?”
“Three weeks ago.”
Victor remembered.
Three weeks ago, Lily had asked to speak with him.
But he had been dealing with a major conflict between rival groups.
He had told her they would talk later.
Later never came.
“She said I was imagining things,” Lily continued.
“Who?”
“Serena.”
Victor clenched his fist.
“She told me if I accused her again, she would make sure you fired me.”
Lily looked toward Ethan.
“I didn’t want to lose him.”
Victor’s expression softened slightly.
“You thought staying silent would protect him.”
Lily nodded.
“Yes.”
For a moment, Victor said nothing.
Then he spoke quietly.
“You made a mistake.”
Lily looked hurt.
Victor continued.
“But it was a mistake made while protecting my son.”
The words surprised her.
She looked up.
Victor Blackwood was not a man who gave forgiveness easily.
But tonight, he was seeing things differently.
Then footsteps echoed from the hallway.
One of Victor’s guards entered.
“Sir.”
“What?”
The guard looked nervous.
“We found something in Serena’s room.”
Victor immediately turned.
“What?”
The guard handed him a small black box.
“It was hidden beneath the floor panel.”
Victor opened it.
Inside were several documents.
Photos.
And a small envelope.
He removed the first photograph.
His expression changed.
It was Ethan.
Sleeping.
Taken inside the mansion.
Another photo.
Ethan playing in the garden.
Another.
Lily carrying Ethan.
Victor’s blood turned cold.
These were not normal pictures.
They were surveillance images.
Someone had been watching his son.
For how long?
He opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten note.
Three words.
THE HEIR FALLS.
Victor’s face became unreadable.
Lily saw the message.
Her hands covered her mouth.
“This…”
She whispered.
“This was never about me.”
Victor looked at her.
“What do you mean?”
Lily stared at the note.
“Serena didn’t want me gone because she hated me.”
A pause.
“She wanted me gone because I was the only person watching Ethan.”
Victor’s eyes darkened.
The pieces started connecting.
Serena was not trying to remove an annoying nanny.
She was removing a witness.
Someone who could expose her.
Someone who could protect Ethan.
Victor looked at the security footage report.
Someone inside the mansion had helped her.
Someone with access.
Someone powerful.
Then his phone rang again.
This time, it was an unknown number.
Victor answered.
Silence.
Then a distorted voice spoke.
“Victor Blackwood.”
Victor’s eyes narrowed.
“Who is this?”
A quiet laugh came through the phone.
“You should ask your old friend why Thomas Hale really died.”
Victor froze.
The voice continued.
“You have spent fifteen years hunting the wrong enemy.”
Victor tightened his grip on the phone.
“Tell me who you are.”
Another laugh.
Then:
“Ask Adrian Cross what he did the night your father died.”
The call ended.
Victor stood completely still.
Behind him, Lily whispered:
“Mr. Blackwood…”
But Victor barely heard her.
Because one terrible possibility had entered his mind.
What if Adrian Cross had not been protecting the Blackwood family?
What if he had been controlling it?
For fifteen years.
Victor looked toward the mansion windows.
The storm continued outside.
But the real storm had already arrived.
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And it was coming from inside his own house.
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