Chapter 3 — The Woman Behind the Perfect Smile
Chapter 3 — The Woman Behind the Perfect Smile
By sunrise, Victor Blackwood had stopped looking at Serena as his fiancée.
He looked at her as a suspect.
The distinction mattered.
A fiancée deserved explanations.
A suspect deserved evidence.
Victor wanted both.
At 6:15 a.m., he stood behind the glass wall of his private office and watched the mansion wake up.
Staff moved carefully through the corridors.
Security guards occupied every entrance.
The kitchen prepared breakfast.
And upstairs, Ethan was sleeping under the watch of Lily and a nurse Victor had hired overnight.
For the first time since his son's birth, Victor had doubled the security around the nursery.
No one entered without authorization.
Not even Serena.
Especially not Serena.
Harris entered the office carrying three folders.
“We found something.”
Victor turned.
“Tell me.”
Harris placed the first folder on the desk.
“Serena's financial records.”
Victor opened it.
At first glance, everything looked normal.
Luxury purchases.
Travel.
Designer clothing.
Charity donations.
Private memberships.
Then he noticed the numbers.
“How much does she have?”
“Personally?”
“Yes.”
“Approximately two million in liquid assets.”
Victor frowned.
“That doesn't make sense.”
“Why?”
“She spends more than that every year.”
Harris nodded.
“That's what we noticed.”
Victor turned another page.
There were payments to hotels.
Restaurants.
Private clubs.
Jewelry houses.
Security companies.
Consultants.
Legal firms.
And one company that appeared repeatedly.
Vantage Group.
Victor's eyes narrowed.
“The security company.”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Four hundred thousand in six months.”
Victor leaned back.
“Where did she get the money?”
Harris opened the second folder.
“That's the interesting part.”
Victor read the first page.
Then the second.
Then the third.
His expression slowly changed.
“She borrowed it.”
“From whom?”
“Three private lenders.”
Victor looked at him.
“All connected.”
“Yes.”
“To whom?”
Harris hesitated.
“We're still tracing the ownership.”
Victor closed the folder.
“Find it.”
“We will.”
“No.”
Victor looked directly at him.
“Find it today.”
Harris nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
Victor turned back toward the window.
Below, a black sedan stopped near the main entrance.
A woman stepped out.
She was elegant.
Beautiful.
Perfectly dressed.
Serena.
She entered the mansion carrying a bouquet of white roses.
Victor watched her.
She looked like the same woman he had fallen in love with.
The same woman who smiled at charity dinners.
The same woman who had kissed him at the altar in the photograph on his desk.
The same woman who had told him she wanted to build a family.
Victor had once thought her smile meant happiness.
Now he wondered what it had been hiding.
Serena walked into the breakfast room.
She smiled at everyone.
“Good morning.”
No one answered.
The staff lowered their eyes.
Serena noticed.
Her smile remained.
“Where's Victor?”
“Working,” Harris answered.
She looked at him.
“May I see him?”
“No.”
Her eyebrows lifted.
“Excuse me?”
“Mr. Blackwood is unavailable.”
“I am his fiancée.”
“Not anymore.”
The smile disappeared.
“Who told you that?”
“Mr. Blackwood.”
Serena's face hardened.
Then she looked toward the stairs.
“Where is Ethan?”
Harris stepped in front of her.
“You can't see him.”
“Why?”
“Doctor's orders.”
“That's ridiculous.”
Harris didn't move.
Serena stared at him.
“You're making a mistake.”
“No.”
She leaned closer.
“You have no idea what you're doing.”
Harris looked at her calmly.
“Neither do you.”
For the first time, Serena's composure cracked.
She turned and walked away.
The moment she disappeared around the corner, Harris spoke into his earpiece.
“She knows.”
Victor heard him through the security channel.
“I know.”
At 8:30 a.m., Serena entered Victor's office without knocking.
Victor was sitting behind his desk.
He didn't look up.
“You shouldn't be here.”
She closed the door.
“We need to talk.”
“We did.”
“No.”
She walked toward him.
“Yesterday you were angry.”
“I'm still angry.”
“I understand.”
“No, you don't.”
She stopped.
Victor finally looked at her.
“You don't understand anything about me.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I know you don't trust me.”
“Correct.”
“But I can fix this.”
“How?”
“I'll leave.”
Victor raised an eyebrow.
“You'll leave?”
“For a few days.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere.”
“Why?”
“To give you space.”
Victor almost laughed.
“You don't need space.”
“What do I need?”
“The truth.”
Serena looked away.
“I've told you the truth.”
“No.”
Victor stood.
“You've told me whatever version of the truth kept you safe.”
She looked at him.
“You think I hurt Ethan.”
“I know you did.”
“You don't know that.”
“I heard you.”
“You heard a recording.”
“Of your voice.”
“You don't know the context.”
Victor's eyes narrowed.
“Then give me the context.”
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Victor waited.
“Exactly.”
Serena wiped away a tear.
“Do you remember the first time we met?”
Victor said nothing.
“You were in Chicago.”
“I remember.”
“You were alone.”
“So were you.”
“You bought me coffee.”
“You spilled yours.”
She smiled faintly.
“I was nervous.”
“You weren't.”
“I was.”
Victor stared at her.
She continued.
“I thought you were arrogant.”
“I was.”
“And then you made me laugh.”
Victor remembered.
He hated that he remembered.
Because memories were dangerous when trust was gone.
Serena stepped closer.
“I loved you.”
Victor looked at her.
“Past tense?”
She hesitated.
“I still do.”
“Then tell me who the man is.”
Her face changed.
“What man?”
“The man you called.”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
Victor nodded.
“Good.”
She frowned.
“Good?”
“Because now I know you're lying.”
Serena's eyes widened.
Victor walked around the desk.
“You made one mistake.”
“What?”
“You thought I was asking because I didn't know.”
He stopped in front of her.
“I was asking to see whether you'd tell me.”
She stared at him.
Victor opened the office door.
“Get out.”
She didn't move.
“Victor.”
“Out.”
She walked toward the door.
Before leaving, she turned.
“You'll regret humiliating me.”
Victor looked at her.
“You should be worried about humiliating yourself.”
She left.
Victor closed the door.
Then he said:
“Harris.”
The security chief entered.
“Sir?”
“She's going somewhere.”
“How do you know?”
“Because Serena only threatens me when she has another option.”
Harris nodded.
“Follow her?”
“Not physically.”
“What then?”
“Track her phone.”
“And if she turns it off?”
Victor looked at the financial folders.
“Then follow the money.”
At 10:17 a.m., Serena left the mansion.
She drove herself.
No assistant.
No security.
No driver.
She went to a private club downtown.
Victor watched her location on a screen.
“She's meeting someone,” Harris said.
“Who?”
“We don't know yet.”
“Wait.”
Serena entered the club.
Twenty minutes passed.
Then a man arrived.
Victor stared at the photograph Harris sent.
Adrian Blackwood.
Victor's cousin.
The man had spent years criticizing Victor's father.
He had also spent years complaining that the Blackwood family fortune should have been divided differently.
Victor's eyes narrowed.
“Adrian.”
Harris nodded.
“You know him?”
“He's family.”
“Is he dangerous?”
Victor watched the screen.
“Yes.”
Inside the club, Serena sat across from Adrian.
“You said he didn't know.”
Adrian poured himself a drink.
“He doesn't.”
“He found the recorder.”
Adrian's hand stopped.
“What?”
“The nanny recorded everything.”
Adrian stared at her.
“Then get rid of her.”
“She has Victor's protection.”
“Then get around him.”
“I can't.”
Adrian leaned forward.
“You were supposed to be his weakness.”
“I was.”
“Then become it again.”
Serena looked frustrated.
“He doesn't trust me anymore.”
Adrian smiled.
“Then give him something else to worry about.”
“What?”
“His company.”
Serena stared.
“What are you planning?”
Adrian's smile disappeared.
“Victor has been too busy protecting his son.”
“And?”
“He isn't watching the board.”
Serena's expression changed.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing yet.”
“Yet?”
Adrian leaned back.
“You're going to help me.”
“How?”
“Victor's signature.”
Serena went pale.
“He'll never sign anything.”
Adrian smiled.
“He will if he thinks it's necessary to save Ethan.”
Three hours later, Victor received a message.
URGENT: Boardroom issue.
He ignored it.
Another message.
Legal department requests immediate approval.
He ignored that too.
Then his phone rang.
His chief financial officer.
“Victor.”
“What?”
“We have a problem.”
“What kind?”
“Someone attempted to move funds from the Blackwood Foundation.”
Victor's expression hardened.
“How much?”
“Fifty million.”
“Stop it.”
“We did.”
“Who authorized it?”
A pause.
“Your office.”
Victor froze.
“My office?”
“Yes.”
“Whose credentials?”
The CFO hesitated.
“Yours.”
Victor stood.
“Impossible.”
“We thought you authorized it.”
“I didn't.”
“We've frozen the transfer.”
Victor looked at Harris.
“Someone has my credentials.”
Harris's face became serious.
“Or someone who knows how you operate.”
Victor thought of Serena.
Then Adrian.
Then the mysterious man.
He said:
“Find out who accessed my system.”
At 4:45 p.m., Lily entered Victor's office.
She looked frightened.
“Sir?”
Victor looked up.
“What happened?”
“I found something.”
She placed a small envelope on his desk.
Victor opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
Ethan.
Sleeping.
Taken inside his nursery.
Victor's blood turned cold.
“When was this taken?”
“Last night.”
He looked closer.
The timestamp was 2:14 a.m.
Victor remembered.
At 2:14 a.m., he had been in the security room.
Ethan had been sleeping.
Lily had been beside him.
Someone had been inside the nursery.
Victor looked at Lily.
“Where did you find this?”
“In Serena's room.”
Victor stood.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“She left the door open.”
Victor stared at the photograph.
Someone had been watching his son.
Someone had been close enough to photograph him.
And Victor hadn't known.
He immediately ordered security to search Serena's room.
They found nothing.
No camera.
No recorder.
No photographs.
Nothing.
Too clean.
Victor knew what that meant.
She had been warned.
Or she had already removed everything.
That night, Victor sat alone in the nursery.
Ethan slept beside him.
The boy's fingers were wrapped around Victor's thumb.
Victor stared at him.
“Who are they?”
Ethan slept peacefully.
Victor smiled sadly.
“You don't know, do you?”
A small sound came from the doorway.
Lily.
She whispered:
“Sir?”
Victor turned.
“Come in.”
She entered.
“There is something I never told you.”
Victor's expression hardened.
“What?”
“When Serena first came to this house…”
Lily hesitated.
“She wasn't alone.”
Victor frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“She came with another woman.”
“Who?”
“I don't know.”
“What did she look like?”
“Older.”
“How old?”
“Maybe sixty.”
Victor waited.
Lily continued.
“She spoke to Serena privately.”
“Where?”
“Outside the nursery.”
“What did she say?”
Lily closed her eyes.
“I only heard one sentence.”
“What sentence?”
“She said…”
Lily looked at Victor.
“‘Once the child is gone, everything belongs to us.’”
Victor went still.
“Who was the woman?”
“I don't know.”
“Did Serena know her?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Lily shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Victor looked down at Ethan.
Everything suddenly connected.
The money.
The surveillance.
The bruises.
The secret calls.
The inheritance.
The fake financial transfers.
Serena was not acting alone.
She was part of something much larger.
And someone else wanted Ethan gone.
Victor stood.
“Lily.”
“Yes?”
“From now on, you don't leave Ethan alone.”
“I won't.”
“Even for a minute.”
She nodded.
Victor looked toward the dark hallway.
“Because whoever is behind this has made one mistake.”
“What mistake?”
“They came after my son.”
Lily stared at him.
Victor's voice became cold.
“Now I'm coming after them.”
At midnight, Serena sat alone in a hotel room.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
Perfect hair.
Perfect makeup.
Perfect smile.
She practiced it.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then her phone rang.
She answered.
“It's done.”
A man's voice replied:
“Not yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“Victor knows.”
“How much?”
“Enough.”
Serena closed her eyes.
“Then what do we do?”
The voice was calm.
“We change the plan.”
“How?”
“Make him believe Adrian is the enemy.”
Serena frowned.
“Adrian?”
“Yes.”
“And Victor?”
“Victor must become desperate.”
“For what?”
The voice paused.
Then:
“For his son.”
Serena's face went pale.
“What are you going to do?”
“You'll find out tomorrow.”
The call ended.
Serena lowered the phone.
For the first time, she looked genuinely afraid.
Not because Victor knew.
Not because the police might come.
But because she had just realized something.
She wasn't controlling the plan anymore.
Someone else was.
And that person had just decided to use Ethan as bait.
Across the city, Victor stood in front of a wall of surveillance screens.
Harris walked in.
“We traced the financial transfer.”
Victor turned.
“To whom?”
Harris placed a document on the desk.
“An offshore account.”
“Owner?”
“Hidden.”
Victor stared at the name of the intermediary company.
Then he saw the final beneficiary.
His face went completely still.
Harris watched him.
“Sir?”
Victor slowly looked up.
“I know this company.”
“Who owns it?”
Victor's voice was barely audible.
“My father.”
Harris stared.
“That can't be possible.”
Victor looked at the screen.
The company had been created two years after his father's death.
Two years.
Victor whispered:
“Someone is using my father's identity.”
Harris nodded.
“Or…”
Victor looked at him.
“Or what?”
“Your father wasn't dead.”
Silence.
Victor looked toward the nursery camera.
Ethan slept peacefully.
Victor's expression hardened.
“Find out.”
Harris nodded.
Victor turned back toward the screen.
The woman behind Serena's perfect smile had finally begun to reveal herself.
But Victor still didn't know the most dangerous truth.
Serena wasn't the mastermind.
She wasn't even the architect.
May you like
She was only the woman standing closest to the fire.
And whoever had lit the match was getting ready to burn down the entire Blackwood family.
