Chapter 4 – The Missing Evidence
Chapter 4 – The Missing Evidence
The world loved a scandal.
Especially when the people involved were powerful.
By sunrise, the Blackwood mansion had become the center of Chicago’s attention.
News vans lined the street.
Reporters shouted questions over the iron gates.
Cameras pointed toward the house where one of the city’s most feared men lived.
And at the center of every headline was one name.
Lily Carter.
The nanny accused of hurting Victor Blackwood’s son.
A woman with no money.
No influence.
No powerful family behind her.
Exactly the kind of person the world was willing to destroy.
Lily stood in the mansion library, staring at the television.
The reporter’s voice filled the room.
“Sources close to the Blackwood family claim the nanny, Lily Carter, may have acted out of jealousy after developing an unhealthy attachment to young Ethan Blackwood…”
Lily’s face went pale.
Unhealthy attachment.
Jealousy.
Violence.
Every word felt like another stone being placed on her chest.
“She’s destroying you.”
Victor’s voice came from behind her.
Lily turned.
He stood near the doorway.
Calm.
Controlled.
But his eyes told a different story.
He was furious.
Not at her.
For her.
“I told you,” Lily whispered. “Nobody will believe me.”
Victor walked closer.
“I believe you.”
She looked at him.
“But the world doesn’t.”
A silence followed.
Because they both knew she was right.
The truth did not always win quickly.
Sometimes lies moved faster.
In the security room, Marcus studied the deleted footage.
The system showed nothing.
No recordings.
No backups.
No evidence.
Someone had been very careful.
Too careful.
Victor entered.
“Anything?”
Marcus shook his head.
“Whoever erased the footage knew exactly what they were doing.”
Victor looked at the screens.
“Can you recover it?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe isn’t an answer.”
Marcus understood.
With Victor Blackwood, failure was never just failure.
It was danger.
“I need more time.”
Victor stared at the blank screens.
“How much?”
“Twenty-four hours.”
Victor looked at him.
“You have six.”
Marcus nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
Upstairs, Serena watched the news coverage from her bedroom.
A glass of champagne rested in her hand.
She smiled.
Not because she was happy.
Because she felt safe.
The world believed her.
That was all that mattered.
Her phone rang.
She answered without looking.
“Is it done?”
A male voice responded.
“The story is spreading exactly as planned.”
Serena smiled.
“Good.”
“But there’s a problem.”
Her smile faded.
“What problem?”
“Victor isn’t acting like a man who believes you.”
Serena’s fingers tightened around the glass.
“He doesn’t need to believe me.”
A pause.
“He only needs to doubt her.”
The man said nothing.
Serena looked toward the mirror.
Her reflection stared back.
Perfect.
Untouchable.
“I don’t need everyone to love me.”
She whispered.
“I only need Lily Carter destroyed.”
At noon, Victor called a private meeting.
Everyone important in the mansion was there.
The security team.
The household staff.
The lawyers.
And Serena.
She arrived wearing white.
A deliberate choice.
Innocence.
Purity.
A performance.
Victor noticed.
Of course he noticed.
“Everyone here will answer honestly.”
His voice carried through the room.
“Anyone who lies will face consequences.”
Serena gave a small, wounded expression.
“Victor, are you threatening your own employees?”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“I’m warning them.”
The room became silent.
Victor turned to Marcus.
“Show them.”
Marcus connected the system.
The screen displayed the security timeline.
The cameras.
The missing footage.
The deleted files.
Everyone watched.
Then Marcus spoke.
“The footage from the foyer was deleted at 3:42 p.m.”
Victor looked around.
“Who had access?”
Marcus answered:
“Three people.”
A pause.
“Victor Blackwood.”
“Lily Carter.”
“And Serena Montigue.”
Everyone turned.
Serena immediately looked shocked.
“Me?”
Marcus nodded.
“Yes.”
She laughed softly.
“That’s ridiculous.”
Victor watched her carefully.
“You knew the system.”
Serena looked at him.
“I’m your fiancée.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Her expression hardened slightly.
“I have no reason to delete anything.”
Marcus continued.
“The person who deleted the footage knew the password.”
Serena smiled.
“And?”
Marcus looked at her.
“The password was changed yesterday.”
A pause.
“Only Victor and I knew the new one.”
The room went completely silent.
Serena’s face changed.
Just slightly.
But enough.
Victor saw it.
After the meeting, Lily found Victor in the hallway.
“Is that enough?”
He looked at her.
“What?”
“To prove it was her?”
Victor was quiet.
“No.”
Lily frowned.
“No?”
“I know she did it.”
“Then why not arrest her?”
Victor looked away.
“Because knowing and proving are different.”
Lily understood.
He needed evidence.
Real evidence.
Something Serena could not escape.
That night, Marcus finally found something.
A hidden backup.
Not from the main system.
A separate device.
One Serena didn’t know existed.
He rushed to Victor’s office.
“Sir.”
Victor looked up.
“You found it?”
Marcus placed a small drive on the desk.
“The missing footage.”
For the first time all day, Victor allowed himself a breath.
“Play it.”
The screen turned on.
The footage appeared.
The foyer.
Ethan.
Serena.
Lily.
Everything.
The truth was finally there.
Victor watched silently.
He saw Serena grab Ethan.
He saw Lily run forward.
He saw Serena attack Lily.
His expression became colder with every second.
Then the video reached the moment before Victor arrived.
Serena looked toward the entrance.
And spoke.
Not knowing the camera was still recording.
“She should have disappeared months ago.”
Victor froze.
Marcus looked at him.
The video continued.
Serena’s voice echoed.
“Once Victor marries me, Ethan will no longer be a problem.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Absolute.
Victor stared at the screen.
Ethan.
His son.
His baby.
A problem.
That was what Serena called him.
A problem.
At that exact moment, Serena stood outside the office door.
She had come to apologize.
Or pretend to.
But then she heard it.
Her own voice.
From the recording.
Her face lost all color.
She slowly stepped backward.
Victor knew.
The evidence existed.
Everything was over.
Unless…
She took out her phone.
Her fingers trembled.
Not from fear.
From anger.
She dialed a number.
The call connected.
“Prepare the second plan.”
A pause.
“Yes.”
Her eyes hardened.
“If I can’t become the queen of the Blackwood family…”
She looked toward Victor’s office.
“…then I’ll make sure there is no Blackwood family left.”
Inside the office, Victor looked at Lily.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he said:
“I’m sorry.”
Lily looked confused.
“For what?”
“For bringing danger into your life.”
She shook her head.
“No.”
Victor frowned.
“No?”
She looked toward Ethan’s room.
“I chose to protect him.”
Her voice softened.
“I would do it again.”
Those words stayed with Victor.
Because Serena wanted his power.
His name.
His wealth.
But Lily?
Lily had risked everything for his son.
And Victor Blackwood finally understood something.
The woman he trusted was not the one wearing diamonds.
It was the one who had been bleeding on his marble floor.
Outside the mansion, Serena entered a waiting car.
The driver looked at her through the mirror.
“Are we leaving?”
Serena looked back at the Blackwood estate.
Her eyes were empty.
“No.”
A cold smile appeared.
“We’re starting a war.”
And somewhere deep inside the mansion…
Victor Blackwood felt it.
May you like
The storm had arrived.
End of Chapter 4
