Chapter 1 — The Tea That Was Never Meant to Be Drunk
Chapter 1 — The Tea That Was Never Meant to Be Drunk
“Daddy, no!”
The porcelain cup stopped less than an inch from Ethan Blackwood’s lips.
“Don’t drink it!”
Seven-year-old Lily ran across the marble floor in yellow pajamas and grabbed his wrist with both hands.
The movement was so sudden that Ethan almost dropped the cup.
Hot tea spilled across the dark wooden table.
A few drops landed on his hand.
He barely noticed.
He was staring at the little girl in front of him.
Her breathing was rapid.
Her eyes were enormous.
And she was terrified.
Not of the tea.
Of him.
Or perhaps of what would happen if he drank it.
Ethan slowly lowered the cup.
“What did you just call me?”
Lily froze.
The color drained from her face.
For a second, nobody moved.
Then the housekeeper, Nora, hurried into the room.
“She has nightmares, Mr. Blackwood.”
Ethan didn't look at her.
“What did she call me?”
Nora swallowed.
“She said—”
“I heard what she said.”
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Nora stopped.
Lily slowly released Ethan's wrist.
“I’m sorry, sir.”
Ethan crouched until they were eye level.
“Before that.”
Lily looked down.
“I don't know.”
“Yes, you do.”
“No.”
“You called me Daddy.”
Her lips trembled.
“I made a mistake.”
“What kind of mistake?”
“I don't know.”
Ethan stared at her.
Seven years.
Seven years since anyone had called him that word.
Seven years since the hospital.
Seven years since the fire.
Seven years since doctors had looked him in the eyes and told him his wife and newborn daughter were dead.
He had spent seven years trying to forget what it felt like to hear the word.
Now a seven-year-old girl had said it.
And something inside him had broken open.
The mansion was silent.
Blackwood House had always been silent.
Too silent.
Even when dozens of employees worked there, the enormous marble corridors seemed to swallow every sound.
Ethan had inherited the house when he became chairman of Blackwood Holdings.
He had never liked it.
It had belonged to his grandfather.
Then his father.
Then, eventually, him.
The house contained everything a billionaire was supposed to want.
Paintings worth millions.
Antique furniture.
A private library.
A glass-walled dining room overlooking the gardens.
But Ethan had never felt at home there.
Not since Amelia died.
Especially not since Lily came.
He had found the little girl two years earlier.
Nora had introduced her as her niece.
An orphan.
No surviving parents.
No family.
Ethan had allowed her to stay because he couldn't bear the thought of sending a child away.
That was all.
At least, that was what he had told himself.
But there had always been something about Lily.
Something familiar.
The way she tilted her head when she listened.
The way she frowned when she concentrated.
The tiny crease that appeared between her eyebrows whenever she was frightened.
Sometimes Ethan caught himself staring at her.
Wondering why her face felt like a memory.
He had never found the answer.
Until tonight.
Ethan picked up the cup.
Nora immediately stepped forward.
“Sir, please.”
He turned.
“Please what?”
“Don't make this into something it isn't.”
Ethan stared at her.
“You're nervous.”
“No.”
“You are.”
Nora looked toward Lily.
The girl had backed herself against the wall.
Her hands were clasped together.
Ethan noticed something.
Lily wasn't looking at him.
She was looking at Nora.
Fearfully.
Ethan slowly turned back toward the cup.
“Did you make this tea?”
Nora nodded.
“Yes.”
“Who prepared it?”
“I did.”
“Who touched it?”
“No one.”
Ethan looked at the little girl.
“Lily?”
She shook her head.
“Look at me.”
She did.
“Did you see someone put something into my cup?”
Lily's lips parted.
Nora stepped forward.
“She's confused.”
Ethan raised a hand.
“Don't answer for her.”
Nora stopped.
Lily looked at the floor.
Then she whispered:
“I saw drops.”
Ethan's stomach tightened.
“What drops?”
“Clear ones.”
“Where?”
“In the bottle.”
“What bottle?”
Nora suddenly moved toward the child.
“Lily.”
Ethan stepped between them.
“Don't.”
Nora stopped.
For the first time, Ethan saw something behind her expression.
Not concern.
Panic.
He pressed a small button beneath the table.
The security system activated.
A soft electronic tone sounded throughout the mansion.
The main doors locked.
The servants' corridor sealed.
Security cameras switched to live monitoring.
Nora looked around.
“Sir?”
“Nobody leaves.”
Her face went white.
“This is unnecessary.”
Ethan looked at the tea.
“Maybe.”
Then he looked at her.
“Maybe not.”
Twenty minutes later, Dr. Samuel Hayes entered the private medical room.
Samuel had been Ethan's physician for nearly a decade.
He had treated him after the fire.
He had signed the paperwork when Ethan collapsed from grief.
He had been one of the few people Ethan trusted completely.
Ethan handed him the cup.
“Test it.”
Samuel frowned.
“What happened?”
“Just test it.”
Samuel looked at the cup.
Then at Ethan.
“Did you drink any?”
“No.”
“Good.”
He put on gloves.
The tea was transferred into a sterile container.
Samuel disappeared into the laboratory.
Ethan waited.
Lily sat in a chair across the room.
Nora stood near the door under the watch of two security officers.
No one spoke.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
Finally, Samuel returned.
He wasn't smiling.
Ethan stood.
“What is it?”
Samuel placed the evidence bag on the table.
“Digitalis.”
Ethan's face hardened.
“How much?”
“Enough to cause severe cardiac toxicity.”
“How much would I have needed to drink?”
Samuel hesitated.
“Several sips could have been dangerous.”
Ethan looked at the cup.
“How long?”
“Depending on the concentration, symptoms could begin within minutes to hours.”
“What happens?”
“Abnormal heart rhythm. Nausea. Dizziness. Potential cardiac arrest.”
The room went silent.
Ethan turned toward Nora.
She looked terrified.
He walked toward her.
“Who told you to poison me?”
“I didn't.”
“You prepared the tea.”
“I didn't put anything in it.”
“Lily saw you.”
“She is a child.”
Ethan's voice dropped.
“She knew.”
Nora shook her head.
“She doesn't understand what she sees.”
Lily suddenly spoke.
“Yes, I do.”
Everyone turned.
The little girl was crying.
“I saw her.”
Nora stared at her.
“Lily.”
“She put the drops in.”
Nora's expression changed.
“You little—”
She stopped herself.
Ethan saw it.
That single unfinished sentence told him more than any confession could.
“You were going to say something.”
Nora remained silent.
Ethan turned to security.
“Search the kitchen.”
Two officers moved immediately.
“Check every medication cabinet.”
They left.
Ethan crouched beside Lily.
“Why were you so afraid to tell me?”
She wiped her eyes.
“Because she said you'd be angry.”
“I wouldn't be angry with you.”
“She said you wouldn't believe me.”
Ethan looked at Nora.
Then back at Lily.
“Who else knows?”
Lily's eyes widened.
“About what?”
“About the tea.”
“No one.”
“Who told Nora to do it?”
Lily became completely still.
Ethan noticed her breathing change.
“Lily?”
“She said…”
The child swallowed.
“She said Mr. Victor would be angry if I talked.”
Ethan froze.
Victor.
His uncle.
Victor Blackwood.
The man who had taken control of Blackwood Holdings after the fire.
The man who had stood beside Ethan at Amelia's funeral.
The man who had spent seven years telling Ethan that he had to accept reality.
His uncle.
His father's younger brother.
His greatest supporter.
Or so Ethan had believed.
Ethan slowly stood.
“Nora.”
She closed her eyes.
“Please.”
“Who is Victor to you?”
Nora said nothing.
Ethan repeated:
“Who is Victor to you?”
Finally, she whispered:
“He's my employer.”
“You work for him?”
“I worked for him.”
“Past tense?”
Nora nodded.
Ethan stepped closer.
“Why would Victor want me dead?”
Nora looked toward Lily.
She said nothing.
Ethan understood.
It wasn't him.
Not entirely.
The problem was Lily.
Ethan returned to the dining room.
The tea remained on the table.
A small pool of liquid had spread across the polished wood.
He stared at it.
Then something caught his attention.
A silver chain.
It was hanging around Lily's neck.
He had seen it before.
Many times.
But never clearly.
“Lily.”
She looked up.
“Where did you get that?”
Her hand immediately covered the chain.
“Nora gave it to me.”
“Nora?”
Lily nodded.
“May I see it?”
She hesitated.
Ethan softened his voice.
“I'm not going to take it.”
Slowly, she removed the chain.
A tiny silver locket hung from it.
Old.
Scratched.
The edges were worn.
Ethan opened it.
And stopped breathing.
Inside was a photograph.
Amelia.
His wife.
Lying in a hospital bed.
Smiling.
Holding a newborn baby.
Ethan's hands began to shake.
“No.”
He looked closer.
The baby was tiny.
Wrapped in a white blanket.
Only part of her face was visible.
But Ethan knew the photograph.
He had never seen it before.
Yet he knew it.
Because Amelia had told him she wanted a photograph taken after the birth.
The photograph had never appeared in the hospital records.
It had never been included in the family archive.
“How…”
His voice failed.
He turned the photograph over.
There was handwriting on the back.
Amelia's handwriting.
Five words.
OUR LILY LOOKS LIKE YOU.
Ethan stopped breathing.
Lily.
He looked at the child.
“What is your full name?”
The girl whispered:
“Lily.”
“Lily what?”
She hesitated.
“Nora told me never to say it.”
Ethan's heart pounded.
“Why?”
“Because someone might find me.”
“Who?”
Lily looked toward the window.
“Mr. Victor.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
Then he opened the locket again.
Something was hidden behind the photograph.
A folded piece of paper.
He carefully removed it.
It was an old hospital bracelet.
The plastic had yellowed with age.
But the printed words were still visible.
BABY GIRL BLACKWOOD
MOTHER: AMELIA BLACKWOOD
Ethan's fingers went numb.
He looked at Lily.
Then at the bracelet.
Then back at Lily.
“No…”
Lily took a small step backward.
“Am I in trouble?”
Ethan couldn't answer.
His eyes filled with tears.
“Where did you get this?”
“Nora gave it to me.”
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
“Who told you your mother was dead?”
Lily looked confused.
“She said I didn't have a mother.”
Ethan's voice broke.
“She lied.”
Lily stared at him.
“Do you know who your mother is?”
The girl shook her head.
Ethan knelt.
His voice trembled.
“Her name was Amelia.”
Lily frowned.
“Was?”
Ethan swallowed.
“I thought she was dead.”
The child looked at him.
Then whispered:
“Is she?”
Ethan couldn't answer.
Not yet.
Because another detail had just caught his eye.
Lily's pajama collar had slipped slightly.
A small crescent-shaped birthmark was visible on her left shoulder.
Ethan remembered it.
He remembered seeing it on an ultrasound image.
Amelia had joked about it.
“She'll have your stubbornness and my birthmark.”
Ethan had laughed.
He had placed his hand against Amelia's stomach.
Their daughter.
Their Lily.
He had been there when she was supposed to be born.
He had been there when they told him she died.
He had buried a tiny empty coffin because there had been no body.
And now—
She was standing in front of him.
Alive.
Seven years old.
Looking at him with Amelia's eyes.
Ethan covered his mouth.
Tears rolled down his face.
Lily stared at him.
“Why are you crying?”
Ethan reached toward her.
Then stopped.
He was afraid.
Afraid that if he touched her, she would disappear.
“Because…”
His voice broke.
“I think you're my daughter.”
Lily stared.
“Your daughter?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn't you know me?”
Ethan had no answer.
Behind them, Nora began crying.
Ethan turned.
“You knew.”
Nora shook her head.
“I knew she was your daughter.”
“How long?”
“Since the day I took her.”
“You took her?”
Nora lowered her head.
“I didn't steal her.”
“Then explain.”
“The hospital was burning.”
Ethan froze.
Nora continued.
“I was working there that night.”
“What hospital?”
“St. Mary's.”
Ethan felt his stomach turn.
The hospital where Amelia had given birth.
The hospital where the fire had started.
“I was on the maternity floor,” Nora whispered.
“Your wife was alive.”
Ethan stared.
“She was alive when the fire started.”
“What are you saying?”
“She was alive when they moved her.”
“Who moved her?”
Nora's tears continued.
“I don't know where they took her.”
“Who?”
“Victor's men.”
Ethan grabbed the back of a chair.
“Where was my daughter?”
Nora looked at Lily.
“She was in the nursery.”
“And?”
“A nurse found her.”
“Who?”
“I don't remember her name.”
“You don't remember?”
“I was terrified.”
“What happened?”
“The nurse gave Lily to me.”
“Why?”
“She told me to protect her.”
Ethan's voice became dangerously quiet.
“Why didn't you bring her to me?”
Nora looked away.
“Victor found me first.”
Ethan's jaw tightened.
“What did he offer?”
“Money.”
“How much?”
“Enough to disappear.”
“And you accepted.”
Nora nodded.
“I was afraid.”
“So you let me believe my daughter was dead.”
“Yes.”
“For seven years.”
“Yes.”
Ethan stared at her.
“Why bring her into my house?”
Nora closed her eyes.
“Because Victor ordered me to.”
“Why?”
“He wanted her close.”
“For what?”
Nora looked at Lily.
“He wanted to know if you would recognize her.”
Ethan's blood ran cold.
“Recognize her for what?”
Nora whispered:
“As your heir.”
A security officer rushed into the room.
“Sir.”
Ethan turned.
“We found something.”
“What?”
“A vial.”
He held up a sealed evidence bag.
Inside was a tiny glass bottle.
A label had been removed.
Samuel examined it.
“Same compound.”
Digitalis.
Ethan looked at Nora.
“You were going to kill me.”
Nora shook her head.
“I was told to.”
“By Victor.”
“Yes.”
“Why tonight?”
Nora didn't answer.
Ethan stepped closer.
“Why tonight?”
Her lips trembled.
“The board meeting.”
“What board meeting?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
Ethan's expression changed.
Victor had called an emergency board meeting.
He had told Ethan it concerned a major acquisition.
Ethan had planned to attend.
Now he understood.
The meeting wasn't about business.
It was about succession.
If Ethan died before the meeting, Victor could activate an emergency succession clause.
But if Lily appeared—
Victor would lose everything.
Ethan looked at his daughter.
Seven years.
Victor had known she was alive.
And he had been waiting.
Ethan pulled out his phone.
He called his head of security.
“Lock down the estate.”
“Yes, sir.”
“No one enters.”
“Understood.”
“No one leaves.”
A pause.
“Sir?”
Ethan looked at Nora.
“Especially Nora.”
“Understood.”
He ended the call.
Then he opened the private security application on his phone.
There were hundreds of cameras around the property.
He searched the last twelve hours.
Nothing.
Then he remembered something.
The mansion's medical room.
There was an independent camera there.
He opened the feed.
At first, nothing seemed unusual.
Then he noticed the timestamp.
Two hours earlier.
A black vehicle had entered the property.
It hadn't used the main gate.
Someone had opened the underground entrance.
Ethan zoomed in.
A man stepped out.
He recognized him immediately.
Victor.
But Victor wasn't alone.
A second man followed him.
Ethan didn't recognize him.
The man carried a medical case.
Ethan's heart began pounding.
“Samuel.”
The doctor moved closer.
“What?”
“Look.”
Samuel stared at the screen.
“That's Victor.”
“I know.”
“And the other man?”
“I don't know.”
Ethan watched the footage.
Victor entered the mansion.
He walked directly toward the servants' wing.
Toward Lily.
Ethan's face hardened.
“He came here tonight.”
Nora whispered:
“He was checking.”
“Checking what?”
“To make sure you were dead.”
Ethan stared at the screen.
Victor had stood outside Lily's room for nearly three minutes.
Then he had left.
Ethan understood.
The poison wasn't the first step.
It was the final step.
Victor had expected Ethan to drink the tea.
Then he would have arrived the next morning.
He would have mourned.
He would have taken control.
And Lily?
She would disappear.
Forever.
Ethan turned toward his daughter.
“Lily.”
She looked at him.
“Do you remember where you lived before Nora brought you here?”
The girl nodded.
“A place.”
“What place?”
“A room underground.”
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
“Can you describe it?”
She closed her eyes.
“There were no windows.”
“What else?”
“A metal door.”
“Anything else?”
She nodded.
“There was a red light.”
Ethan exchanged a glance with Samuel.
“Did anyone come there?”
“Sometimes.”
“Who?”
“A man.”
“Victor?”
Lily shook her head.
“Not him.”
“Then who?”
“I don't know his name.”
“What did he look like?”
She thought.
“Tall.”
“Hair?”
“Gray.”
“Anything else?”
“He had a scar.”
“Where?”
“Here.”
She touched her eyebrow.
Ethan's expression changed.
He knew that scar.
His grandfather's former security chief had one.
A man named Arthur Vale.
Arthur had supposedly died in the same hospital fire.
Ethan stared at the floor.
Another dead man.
Another lie.
Seven years of lies.
He suddenly realized something.
The hospital fire hadn't been the end of the story.
It had been the beginning.
Ethan picked up his phone.
“I need access to every hospital record from the night of the fire.”
Samuel nodded.
“I'll help.”
“No.”
Ethan looked at him.
“This goes beyond medicine.”
Samuel understood.
“I'll contact someone I trust.”
“Who?”
“A former hospital administrator.”
“Can he access the archives?”
“Yes.”
“Then do it.”
Samuel left.
Ethan turned back to Lily.
She was still holding the locket.
He sat beside her.
“I need to ask you something.”
She nodded.
“Do you remember your mother?”
Lily thought for a long time.
Then she whispered:
“A voice.”
“What did she say?”
“I don't know.”
“Try.”
Lily closed her eyes.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
“She said…”
The child struggled to remember.
“She said not to let them take me.”
Ethan's heart shattered.
“Who?”
“I don't know.”
“Did she say your name?”
Lily nodded.
“She said…”
Her voice became almost inaudible.
“Lily.”
Ethan looked at the locket.
Amelia had known.
She had named her daughter.
She had held her.
She had tried to protect her.
And somehow, after seven years, that child had found her way back to him.
But if Amelia had been alive when the fire happened—
then where was she now?
Ethan stood.
“We're going to find your mother.”
Lily looked up.
“You know where she is?”
“No.”
“But you'll find her?”
Ethan nodded.
“I promise.”
That promise lasted less than ten minutes.
Ethan's private phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
“Who is this?”
A man's voice responded.
“You should have let the tea do its job.”
Ethan's blood went cold.
“Victor.”
A laugh.
“You always were clever.”
“Where is my wife?”
Silence.
Then:
“You mean the woman you buried?”
“She isn't dead.”
“No.”
Victor sounded amused.
“She isn't.”
Ethan's hand tightened around the phone.
“Where is she?”
“Come to the old Blackwood medical facility.”
Ethan froze.
“What?”
“Bring no police.”
“You're not giving me orders.”
“You want Amelia?”
Ethan said nothing.
Victor continued:
“Then come alone.”
The call ended.
Ethan immediately tried to trace it.
Nothing.
The number was encrypted.
Then his phone buzzed again.
A message.
One photograph.
A woman lying unconscious in a hospital bed.
Ethan stared.
Amelia.
Older.
Thinner.
Her hair longer.
A scar across one side of her face.
But unmistakably Amelia.
His wife.
Alive.
Underneath the photograph was a message.
She has ten minutes left if you want her alive.
Ethan's entire body went cold.
Then another message appeared.
A video.
He opened it.
The camera showed Amelia's room.
A door opened.
Victor walked inside.
He was holding a syringe.
Ethan stopped breathing.
Victor approached the bed.
He leaned toward Amelia.
Then looked directly into the camera.
And smiled.
“Let's see if you can save them both.”
The video ended.
Ethan stared at the black screen.
Behind him, Lily whispered:
“Daddy?”
He turned.
She was crying.
“Is Mommy alive?”
Ethan knelt.
He looked at his daughter.
Then at the screen.
Then at the locked doors of his mansion.
For seven years, Victor had controlled the story.
He had decided who was dead.
Who was alive.
Who inherited.
Who disappeared.
But tonight, that ended.
Ethan stood.
He picked up his coat.
“Stay with Samuel.”
Lily grabbed his hand.
“Are you going to save Mommy?”
Ethan looked into her eyes.
“Yes.”
“Promise?”
He squeezed her hand.
“I promised you I'd find her.”
He looked toward the door.
“Now I'm going to keep that promise.”
Outside, the Blackwood gates opened.
Ethan stepped into the darkness.
Behind him, the mansion remained heavily guarded.
Ahead of him was the man who had stolen seven years of his life.
And somewhere inside a hidden medical facility—
Amelia Blackwood was still alive.
But Victor was holding the syringe.
May you like
And Ethan had no idea whether he would reach his wife in time.
TO BE CONTINUED…
