CHAPTER 4: THE LOYAL MAN’S DARK SECRET
For fifteen years, Victor Blackwood had believed he understood every corner of his empire.
He knew every ally.
Every enemy.
Every weakness.
Every secret buried beneath the foundation of the Blackwood name.
Or at least, that was what he believed.
But now he stood in the center of his mansion, staring at a photograph that threatened to destroy everything he had built.
Adrian Cross.
The man who had raised him.
The man who had taught him how to survive.
The man who had always stood behind him.
Could he really be the person responsible for the darkest chapter of Victor’s life?
“No.”
The word escaped Victor’s mouth quietly.
Not because he trusted Adrian.
But because accepting the possibility meant accepting something much worse.
That he had been blind.
For years.
Behind him, Lily watched his expression carefully.
She had never seen Victor Blackwood look uncertain before.
Angry?
Yes.
Dangerous?
Always.
But uncertain?
Never.
“Mr. Blackwood…”
Victor looked at her.
“What?”
Lily hesitated.
“If Adrian Cross is involved…”
She stopped.
Victor waited.
“Then whoever did this has been planning it for a very long time.”
Victor already knew.
That was the part that disturbed him most.
This was not an attack.
It was an operation.
A carefully designed plan that had been growing quietly while everyone inside the mansion lived normally.
Serena had not entered his life randomly.
She had not become close to Ethan by accident.
Someone had placed her there.
Someone had opened the door.
Someone had given her access.
And that someone had to be close.
Very close.
Victor looked at Ethan sleeping peacefully in his arms.
The sight made something inside him tighten.
His son had no idea how dangerous the world around him was.
He only knew his father had come home.
He only knew Lily was there.
He only knew he was safe.
Victor looked at Lily.
“Take Ethan upstairs.”
Lily nodded immediately.
“But where will you go?”
Victor’s expression hardened.
“To find out who has been lying to me.”
Twenty minutes later, Adrian Cross entered the Blackwood mansion.
He walked through the front doors calmly.
Almost too calmly.
A gray-haired man in an expensive suit.
A man with a reputation built on loyalty.
The guards moved aside as he entered.
Because for years, Adrian had been considered family.
He had attended Blackwood birthdays.
He had watched Victor grow up.
He had protected the mansion.
But tonight, something felt different.
Adrian noticed immediately.
The silence.
The increased security.
The way every guard looked at him.
Not with respect.
With suspicion.
He reached the foyer.
And saw Victor standing there.
Waiting.
“Victor.”
Adrian smiled slightly.
“You returned earlier than expected.”
Victor said nothing.
That smile disappeared slowly.
Adrian understood.
Something was wrong.
“What happened?”
Victor walked toward him.
“How long have you known about Thomas Hale’s daughter?”
Adrian stopped.
Only for a second.
But Victor saw it.
That tiny hesitation.
The smallest crack in the strongest wall.
And Victor knew.
He had found something.
“Who told you that name?”
Victor ignored the question.
“How long?”
Adrian looked away.
“Victor…”
“How long?”
The second time was colder.
Adrian sighed.
“I knew.”
Victor’s eyes darkened.
“You knew Lily was Thomas Hale’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
“And you said nothing.”
Adrian remained silent.
That silence was an answer.
Victor stepped closer.
“Why?”
Adrian looked at him.
“Because I was protecting you.”
Victor almost laughed.
“Protecting me?”
“Yes.”
“By hiding the daughter of the man who died saving my father?”
Adrian’s expression changed.
“You don’t understand.”
“Then explain.”
Adrian looked toward the staircase.
“Is Ethan upstairs?”
Victor’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t change the subject.”
“I’m not.”
Adrian lowered his voice.
“The person behind this knows about Lily.”
A pause.
“They know she is alive.”
Victor remained still.
Adrian continued.
“And they know she is close to Ethan.”
Victor’s jaw tightened.
“How do you know that?”
Adrian looked at him.
“Because they contacted me.”
The room became silent.
Victor’s voice became dangerous.
“When?”
“Six months ago.”
The same time Lily entered the mansion.
The same time Serena appeared.
The same time everything changed.
Victor stared at him.
“You’re telling me someone contacted you six months ago and you kept quiet?”
Adrian’s face showed regret.
“I was trying to confirm the truth.”
“No.”
Victor shook his head.
“You were hiding something.”
Adrian looked down.
And that was the first time Victor saw it.
Guilt.
Not fear.
Not surprise.
Guilt.
“What did you do?”
Adrian did not answer.
Victor moved closer.
“What did you do, Adrian?”
Finally, the old man spoke.
“Your father’s death…”
He paused.
“It was not an accident.”
Victor froze.
The words hit harder than any physical attack.
For years, he had suspected it.
But hearing it spoken aloud changed everything.
“Who killed him?”
Adrian looked at him.
“I don’t know.”
Victor’s anger exploded.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I know who ordered it.”
Victor stepped forward.
“Who?”
Adrian’s voice dropped.
“Someone inside the Blackwood family.”
The mansion suddenly felt colder.
Victor stared at him.
“My family?”
Adrian nodded slowly.
“Your uncle.”
Victor’s expression changed.
His uncle.
A name he had not heard in years.
Richard Blackwood.
The man who disappeared after his father’s death.
The man everyone believed had left Chicago forever.
Victor’s mind raced.
If Richard had been behind it…
If Adrian knew…
Then why?
“Why did you stay silent?”
Adrian looked broken for the first time.
“Because your father made me promise.”
Victor said nothing.
“He knew there was a traitor. He knew someone wanted the Blackwood empire. But before he died, he told me something.”
“What?”
Adrian looked directly into Victor’s eyes.
“He told me not to seek revenge.”
Victor frowned.
“Why?”
“Because revenge would make you predictable.”
A pause.
“Your father wanted you to survive.”
Victor looked away.
The pain was hidden behind his cold expression.
But Lily, standing quietly on the stairs, saw it.
She had returned after putting Ethan to bed.
And she had heard everything.
“My father knew.”
Everyone turned.
Lily slowly walked down.
Adrian looked at her.
“Lillian…”
She stopped.
“I spent my whole life believing the Blackwoods abandoned us.”
Her voice trembled.
“My mother told me my father died because nobody cared enough to save him.”
Adrian looked devastated.
“She was wrong.”
Lily’s eyes filled with tears.
“Then why did nobody come for me?”
Adrian had no answer.
Because the truth was painful.
Because sometimes surviving meant leaving people behind.
Victor watched Lily.
And for the first time, he understood something.
She was not only protecting Ethan.
She was also searching for answers about her own family.
Then suddenly—
A loud crash came from upstairs.
Everyone froze.
Victor turned instantly.
“Ethan.”
He ran.
The guards followed.
Lily behind him.
They reached the nursery door.
It was open.
The window was shattered.
The curtains moved violently in the wind.
And Ethan’s crib was empty.
Victor stopped breathing.
For one terrifying second...
The entire world disappeared.
Then he saw something on the floor.
A small white blanket.
Ethan’s favorite blanket.
Beside it was a message written on a piece of paper.
Victor picked it up.
Only one sentence was written.
"You took my future away. Now I take yours."
Victor’s hand tightened around the paper.
His eyes turned toward the broken window.
Someone had entered his home.
Someone had taken his son.
And this time...
Victor Blackwood was no longer searching for the truth.
May you like
He was hunting.
Mình sẽ tiếp tục Chapter 5: The Kidnapper’s Message ở phần tiếp theo.
