CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 10
THE WAR OF BLACKWOOD
The city of Chicago had seen many wars.
Wars between families.
Wars between corporations.
Wars fought in dark alleys and expensive boardrooms.
But nothing compared to what was coming.
Because this time, Victor Blackwood was not fighting for power.
He was fighting for his son.
And everyone knew one thing about Victor Blackwood.
A man who had nothing to lose was dangerous.
But a father who had something to protect…
Was unstoppable.
The Blackwood mansion became a battlefield.
Every screen displayed the same image.
Ethan.
Small.
Afraid.
Held captive somewhere unknown.
Victor stood in the command room, staring at the video Serena sent.
He had watched it hundreds of times.
Every movement.
Every sound.
Every detail.
He was searching for clues.
A reflection.
A background noise.
Anything.
Because Victor Blackwood had built his empire by finding what others missed.
And now he needed that skill more than ever.
"Boss."
Marcus entered.
Victor didn't turn.
"What did you find?"
Marcus placed a folder on the table.
"We traced the video."
Victor looked at him.
"And?"
"Three possible locations."
Victor opened the folder.
An abandoned factory.
An old Blackwood property.
And a private estate outside the city.
"Which one?"
"We don't know."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"Serena wants us to guess."
Marcus nodded.
"Yes."
Victor looked back at the screen.
"No."
A pause.
"She wants me angry."
Across the city, Serena sat beside Ethan.
She smiled every time the child cried for Lily.
Every time he reached toward the door.
Every time he asked for his father.
Because in Serena's twisted mind...
This was proof.
Proof that she had control.
"You know what your problem is?"
She whispered to the child.
"You love people who don't deserve you."
Ethan looked at her with frightened eyes.
Serena touched his cheek.
"I was supposed to be your mother."
The little boy turned away.
That small action made anger flash across her face.
Even now.
Even after everything.
He still didn't choose her.
At the Blackwood mansion, Lily watched Victor prepare for war.
Weapons.
Security plans.
Teams.
Escape routes.
Everything was organized.
Everything was perfect.
Except one thing.
Victor was falling apart inside.
She could see it.
Everyone else saw the mafia boss.
The monster.
The man who could destroy enemies without hesitation.
But Lily saw the father.
The man who hadn't slept.
The man whose hands shook when he thought nobody noticed.
She walked toward him.
"Victor."
He looked up.
For a moment, the cold mask disappeared.
"I should have protected him."
Lily stopped.
"What?"
"I promised myself nobody would ever hurt him."
His voice became quieter.
"And I failed."
Lily shook her head.
"No."
Victor looked at her.
"I let Serena into our lives."
"You trusted someone."
"I made the wrong choice."
"Victor."
Her voice became firm.
"Ethan doesn't need a perfect father."
A pause.
"He needs his father."
Those words reached him.
Because they were exactly what he needed to hear.
Hours later, Victor gathered his entire organization.
The men and women who worked under him stood in the underground hall.
The same place where Victor had once given orders that terrified criminals across the city.
But tonight was different.
Tonight, his voice wasn't about business.
"My son has been taken."
Silence.
"No one touches my family."
The room became colder.
"Not Serena."
"Not Daniel Cross."
"Not anyone."
He looked at every person there.
"You find Ethan."
A pause.
"And you bring him home."
Everyone answered together.
"Yes, Boss."
But someone was listening.
Someone inside the organization.
A man standing in the shadows.
A man Victor trusted.
He quietly sent a message.
HE IS MOVING TONIGHT.
Seconds later, Serena's phone lit up.
She smiled.
"Perfect."
The first attack came before midnight.
A Blackwood convoy moving toward one of the possible locations was ambushed.
Cars crashed.
Weapons fired.
Communication lines went dead.
Marcus immediately realized.
"We have a leak."
Victor's face became expressionless.
"Inside?"
Marcus nodded.
Victor closed his eyes briefly.
The betrayal hurt more than he expected.
Because enemies were easy.
You could fight enemies.
But betrayal came from people you trusted.
"Find him."
Marcus hesitated.
"Boss..."
Victor looked at him.
"Find him."
Meanwhile, Lily discovered something.
Something nobody else noticed.
She watched the video Serena sent again.
Over and over.
Then she froze.
"Victor."
He turned.
"What?"
"Play it again."
The room became silent.
The video played.
Ethan was sitting on a chair.
Behind him was a painting.
Lily leaned closer.
"Stop."
The screen froze.
Victor looked confused.
"What?"
She pointed.
"This painting."
Victor stared.
Then his expression changed.
Because he knew it.
Everyone in the Blackwood family knew it.
That painting was not in an abandoned factory.
Not in a random building.
It was inside the old Blackwood estate.
The house where Victor grew up.
The house abandoned after his father's death.
The house nobody had entered in years.
Except someone with a key.
Victor stood immediately.
"Prepare the team."
Lily looked at him.
"You're going there."
"Yes."
"I'm coming."
"No."
The answer was immediate.
She stared at him.
"Victor."
"It's too dangerous."
She stepped closer.
"So was saving Ethan the first time."
He became silent.
Because she was right.
Again.
"You don't get to decide that I disappear whenever things become dangerous."
"Lily—"
"He's my family too."
The words stopped him.
My family.
Not your son.
Not your responsibility.
Family.
Victor looked at her for a long moment.
Then he nodded.
"Stay beside me."
She nodded.
"I always do."
The old Blackwood estate waited in the darkness.
A place filled with memories.
Pain.
Secrets.
And now...
An enemy.
Victor walked through the broken doors.
The air was heavy.
Lily stayed close.
Every step brought Victor closer to the past he had tried to bury.
Then they heard it.
A child's cry.
"Ethan!"
Lily moved forward.
Victor grabbed her hand.
"Wait."
Something was wrong.
Too quiet.
Too easy.
Then the lights turned on.
And there she was.
Serena.
Standing in the center of the room.
Holding Ethan.
Smiling.
"Welcome home, Victor."
His eyes became cold.
"Let him go."
Serena laughed.
"Still giving orders?"
She looked at Lily.
"You really brought her."
A smile.
"How touching."
Victor stepped forward.
"Where is Daniel?"
Serena's smile faded slightly.
"You still don't understand."
She looked around the old house.
"This was never Daniel's war."
A pause.
"It was mine."
Then the doors behind Victor locked.
The windows shattered.
Men appeared from the shadows.
Not Serena's men.
Not Daniel's men.
Blackwood men.
Victor's own people.
The traitors revealed themselves.
Serena smiled.
"The problem with being a king, Victor..."
She walked closer.
"...is that eventually someone inside your kingdom wants your crown."
Victor looked around.
The enemy was everywhere.
But he did not move.
Because Ethan was watching him.
And Lily was beside him.
Serena thought she had cornered him.
She was wrong.
Because Victor Blackwood had survived worse.
Much worse.
He looked directly at Serena.
And smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"You're right."
Everyone froze.
"A king can lose his crown."
He stepped forward.
"But a father will burn the entire kingdom to save his child."
The war had begun.
Not for territory.
Not for money.
Not for power.
For family.
And Serena Montigue had just made the biggest mistake of her life.
May you like
She woke up the monster.
END OF CHAPTER 10
