CHAPTER 2 They Came for Lily
Darkness swallowed the Blackwood mansion.
For one long second, nobody moved.
Then Daniel Cross shouted.
"Protect Mr. Blackwood and the child!"
The emergency lights should have activated automatically within three seconds.
They never did.
Instead, every hallway remained black.
Every surveillance monitor died at the same time.
Whoever had attacked the estate knew its security system as well as Daniel himself.
That realization chilled him more than the darkness.
Someone on the inside had helped them.
Outside, rain began falling across the marble courtyard.
Twenty-two black SUVs rolled silently through the iron gates.
Not one stopped at the security checkpoint.
The guards stationed there never answered their radios.
Daniel pressed his earpiece.
"Gate One, report."
Nothing.
"North patrol?"
Silence.
"East tower?"
Only static.
His voice hardened.
"They're all down."
Ethan wrapped one arm around Lily.
"Stay behind me."
The little girl grabbed his hand without hesitation.
For the first time in her life...
She felt safe.
Yet something deep inside her stomach twisted with fear.
She had seen these men before.
Not their faces.
Their shoes.
Black leather boots.
Always polished.
Always silent.
Whenever those boots appeared, someone disappeared.
A loud crash echoed from the first floor.
Glass exploded inward.
Then another.
And another.
The mansion's reinforced windows shattered one after another.
"They're using explosive charges!" Daniel shouted.
His security team drew their weapons.
Five men rushed toward the grand staircase.
Another six covered Ethan.
Dr. Samuel Hayes hurried Nora toward a side hallway.
"We need to get her underground."
Nora shook her head violently.
"No!"
"They'll find me!"
"They always find me!"
Daniel grabbed her shoulder.
"Who?"
She looked ready to faint.
"Victor doesn't hire mercenaries."
"He owns them."
The first gunshot echoed through the mansion.
Then another.
Security Officer Mason collapsed beside the front entrance.
A red stain spread across his white shirt.
His partner returned fire.
The marble hallway erupted into chaos.
Bullets shattered chandeliers.
Fragments of crystal rained onto the floor.
Lily buried her face against Ethan's chest.
He covered her ears.
"You don't have to look."
She whispered something.
"What?"
"They're not here for you."
Ethan frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"They told Aunt Nora..."
"...if anything ever went wrong..."
"...they had to bring me back."
Daniel heard every word.
He turned immediately.
"Bring her back?"
Lily nodded.
"They said I belong to Project Eden."
The room became silent.
Even Nora stopped crying.
Daniel slowly looked toward Ethan.
"I've never heard Victor mention Project Eden."
Nora had.
Her face turned completely white.
"Oh God..."
"Oh God..."
"He finally started it."
Daniel grabbed Nora by both shoulders.
"What is Project Eden?"
She struggled to breathe.
"I don't know everything."
"Victor never trusted me."
"But..."
She swallowed hard.
"The night of the hospital fire..."
"There weren't just babies inside."
Samuel froze.
"What are you talking about?"
"There were experiments."
Ethan stared at her.
"What experiments?"
"I don't know."
"I swear."
"But Victor kept saying..."
"...one child survived."
"...the perfect one."
Everyone looked toward Lily.
She looked confused.
"I'm not perfect."
Ethan knelt beside her.
"No."
"You're my daughter."
"That's all you are."
Nora slowly shook her head.
"No..."
"That's not what Victor believes."
A grenade rolled across the marble floor.
Daniel reacted instantly.
"DOWN!"
The explosion shattered the dining room doors.
Smoke filled the mansion.
Masked men flooded through the entrance.
Each wore identical black uniforms.
No insignias.
No names.
Only silver armbands.
One of them raised a rifle.
Then suddenly stopped.
His eyes locked onto Lily.
Instead of shooting...
He lowered the weapon.
He spoke calmly into his radio.
"Package confirmed."
"Repeat."
"Package confirmed."
Daniel's blood ran cold.
"They really are here for her."
The firefight erupted.
Security officers pushed the attackers back through the hallway.
Bullets punched holes into priceless paintings.
Statues toppled onto the marble floor.
Smoke alarms screamed overhead.
Ethan carried Lily toward the hidden elevator concealed behind the library shelves.
Only five people knew it existed.
Daniel.
Samuel.
Ethan.
His late father.
And...
Victor.
Daniel's face darkened.
"No."
He rushed toward the bookshelf.
Too late.
The secret elevator doors slid open by themselves.
Someone had remotely activated them.
Standing inside...
Was a smiling old man.
Victor Blackwood.
He wore an elegant charcoal suit.
Not a wrinkle.
Not a drop of rain.
As though he had been expecting this reunion for years.
He slowly applauded.
"Remarkable."
He looked at Ethan.
"You finally found your daughter."
Lily immediately hid behind Ethan.
Victor's eyes softened strangely.
"There you are."
His voice carried an almost grandfatherly warmth.
"I've been looking for you."
Lily trembled.
"I don't want to go."
Victor sighed.
"You've been told terrible lies."
Ethan stepped forward.
"You burned my family."
Victor chuckled.
"Did I?"
"You'll need better proof than the confession of a frightened servant."
He glanced toward Nora.
She collapsed onto her knees.
"I'm sorry..."
Victor ignored her completely.
His attention never left Lily.
"You've grown exactly as predicted."
Samuel frowned.
"Predicted?"
Victor smiled.
"You doctors always underestimate genetics."
Ethan felt something was terribly wrong.
Victor wasn't acting like a man trying to steal an inheritance.
He was acting like a scientist examining the result of a successful experiment.
Daniel quietly moved his hand toward his pistol.
Victor noticed.
Without turning around, he spoke.
"Daniel."
"Your wife finishes chemotherapy tomorrow."
Daniel froze.
Victor smiled faintly.
"It would be unfortunate..."
"...if the hospital suddenly lost power."
Daniel's face lost all color.
"You leave my family out of this."
"I already included them."
The threat hung in the air like poison.
Ethan had never seen Daniel afraid.
Until now.
Victor reached into his pocket.
Every weapon immediately aimed at him.
Instead of a gun...
He removed an old photograph.
He tossed it onto the floor.
It slid to Ethan's feet.
The picture showed Amelia.
She stood beside another woman wearing a white laboratory coat.
Both smiled at the camera.
Behind them was a sign.
BLACKWOOD GENETICS RESEARCH DIVISION
The date at the bottom was shocking.
Three months before Ethan had even met Amelia.
"What is this?" Ethan whispered.
Victor answered softly.
"You believed your love story began by chance."
"It didn't."
Ethan looked up.
Victor's smile disappeared.
"I introduced you to Amelia."
"I approved your marriage."
"I approved the pregnancy."
Lily looked between the two men.
She didn't understand.
But Ethan did.
Every word struck like lightning.
His marriage...
His family...
His daughter's birth...
Victor was claiming none of it had been accidental.
Victor took one slow step forward.
Then spoke the sentence that made everyone's blood run cold.
"You think Lily is your daughter."
He looked directly into Ethan's eyes.
"I assure you..."
"...she is far more valuable than that."
At that exact moment, a deafening explosion shook the west wing of the mansion.
The floor beneath them cracked.
The lights flickered back on for a split second.
Just long enough for Ethan to see something impossible.
One of Victor's armed men...
Dropped to one knee before Lily.
Not before Victor.
Before Lily.
Then he whispered a single sentence.
May you like
"We finally found Subject Seven."
END OF CHAPTER 2
