CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 5
THE SECRET SERENA HID
For two days, Victor Blackwood did not sleep.
Not properly.
He closed his eyes for minutes at a time, but every time he did, he saw the same image.
Ethan lying on the marble floor.
His son's terrified face.
Lily crawling toward him while Serena stood above them without a trace of regret.
Victor had faced death many times.
He had watched enemies beg for mercy.
He had destroyed people who threatened his empire.
But nothing had ever made him feel as powerless as that moment.
Because the person who should have protected his son...
Was the person who tried to hurt him.
And the worst part?
He had brought her into their lives.
The investigation room beneath the Blackwood mansion was filled with documents.
Photos.
Financial records.
Security reports.
Victor stood at the center of it all while Marcus placed another folder on the table.
"Boss."
Victor opened it.
Inside were photographs of Serena.
Not from charity events.
Not from social gatherings.
Not from the elegant world she showed everyone.
These were different.
Serena entering private offices.
Meeting unknown men.
Looking at documents.
Tracking information.
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"How long?"
Marcus answered carefully.
"Six months before she became engaged to you."
Six months.
Victor stared at the photographs.
"So she was investigating me before we met."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Marcus hesitated.
"At first, we thought she was after your money."
Victor looked at him.
"And now?"
Marcus placed another document down.
"We think it was more specific."
Victor picked it up.
His expression changed.
The document was Ethan's inheritance information.
The amount.
The properties.
The accounts.
Everything that belonged to his son.
Victor's hand tightened.
"She wasn't interested in my wealth."
A pause.
"She was interested in his."
Upstairs, Lily sat beside Ethan.
The little boy was slowly recovering.
His arm was wrapped carefully.
The doctors said he was lucky.
But Lily knew something.
A wound on the body could heal faster than a wound in the heart.
Every time someone entered the room, Ethan became nervous.
Every unfamiliar voice made him hold onto her.
She hated that.
Because Ethan deserved a childhood without fear.
A small hand grabbed her finger.
Lily looked down.
"You're awake."
Ethan stared at her.
Then, very softly:
"Mama."
Lily froze.
The word was barely a whisper.
But it broke something inside her.
"No, sweetheart..."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I'm not your mama."
Ethan didn't understand.
He only held onto her tighter.
And Lily knew why.
Because children didn't care about titles.
They cared about who stayed.
Victor stood outside the door.
He heard everything.
Especially that one word.
Mama.
For a moment, he couldn't move.
Because he remembered something.
After Ethan's mother died, the child stopped saying anything.
He stopped reaching for people.
Stopped laughing.
Stopped trusting.
Until Lily came.
Victor entered quietly.
Lily immediately stood.
"I was just—"
"You don't need to explain."
His voice was softer than usual.
He looked at Ethan.
Then at her.
"Has he called you that before?"
Lily shook her head.
"No."
A pause.
"He probably doesn't even know what it means."
Victor looked away.
But deep inside...
He knew.
Children understood more than adults believed.
That afternoon, Victor called Lily into his office.
She looked nervous.
"What happened?"
Victor placed a folder on the desk.
"I want you to see this."
She opened it.
Inside were photographs of Serena.
At first, Lily didn't understand.
Then she saw the dates.
Her face changed.
"She was investigating Ethan?"
Victor nodded.
"Before she met me."
Lily looked through the pages.
There were records.
Notes.
Information about the Blackwood family.
And then she found something.
A name.
Her own name.
She froze.
"Why is my information here?"
Victor became silent.
That was the part he hadn't wanted to show her.
"Serena was watching everyone close to Ethan."
Lily looked up.
"Because she saw them as obstacles."
Victor nodded.
"Yes."
A cold feeling moved through her.
"How long did she know about me?"
"We don't know."
Lily looked at the documents again.
Then she noticed something strange.
A date.
Six months earlier.
Before she became Ethan's nanny.
Her fingers trembled.
"Victor..."
He looked at her.
"Why was Serena looking into me before I even worked here?"
Silence.
A dangerous silence.
Because that question changed everything.
The answer came from Marcus.
An hour later.
He entered Victor's office with a serious expression.
"Boss."
Victor looked up.
"What?"
Marcus placed a file on the desk.
"We found the reason."
Victor opened it.
Inside was a background report on Lily Carter.
But there was one page that neither of them expected.
A hospital record.
A photograph.
And a name.
Victor stared at it.
His face slowly changed.
"What is this?"
Marcus lowered his voice.
"The reason Serena was interested in Lily wasn't because she was Ethan's nanny."
A pause.
"It was because Lily had a connection to Ethan before she ever entered this house."
Victor looked at the photograph.
His heart started beating faster.
"No."
Marcus nodded.
"Yes."
That evening, Victor found Lily in the garden.
She was sitting near the fountain, watching Ethan sleep in the arms of a caretaker nearby.
"Lily."
She turned.
Something in his voice made her nervous.
"What happened?"
Victor walked closer.
He held the photograph.
Her expression changed immediately.
Because she recognized it.
"You know this?"
She didn't answer.
Victor looked at her carefully.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Lily looked away.
"I didn't think it mattered."
"Didn't think what mattered?"
His voice was not angry.
But hurt.
"The fact that you knew something about my son before you came here?"
Lily closed her eyes.
"I wasn't trying to hide anything."
"Then explain."
A long silence followed.
Finally, Lily whispered:
"I knew Ethan before I became his nanny."
Victor stared at her.
"How?"
Her eyes filled with memories.
"Because I was there the night his mother died."
The world stopped.
Victor froze.
"What did you say?"
Lily looked at him.
"I saw the accident."
Victor's breathing became heavier.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Her voice broke.
"Because I was afraid."
"Of me?"
She shook her head.
"Of what would happen if I told you the truth."
Victor stepped closer.
"What truth?"
Lily looked toward Ethan.
Then back at him.
"The accident that killed Ethan's mother..."
She swallowed.
"It wasn't an accident."
Across the city, Serena watched the same security footage playing on her laptop.
A smile appeared on her face.
Because she knew.
Victor had finally discovered the secret.
But she also knew something else.
Secrets had two sides.
And hers was not finished destroying them.
She picked up her phone.
"He's found out about Lily."
A voice answered.
"Then it's time."
Serena smiled.
"Yes."
She looked at Victor's picture.
May you like
"Time to tell him the rest."
END OF CHAPTER 5
