Chapter 1 – The Night Victor Came Home Early
Chapter 1 – The Night Victor Came Home Early
The sound of a child crying was something no parent should ever ignore.
But in the Blackwood mansion, that sound had been ignored for too long.
Lily Carter knew something was wrong the moment she stepped into the marble foyer.
She had heard Ethan cry before.
Every baby cried.
He cried when he was hungry.
He cried when he was tired.
He cried when he wanted to be held.
But this was different.
This was not the cry of a child demanding attention.
This was the cry of a child who was terrified.
"Stop it, please."
Lily's voice trembled.
"Serena, you're hurting him."
The woman standing in front of her did not even turn around.
Serena Montigue.
Victor Blackwood's fiancée.
The future Mrs. Blackwood.
The woman everyone in Chicago admired.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Perfect.
At least that was what everyone saw.
Lily saw something else.
A woman with cold eyes.
A woman who smiled for cameras and destroyed people when nobody was watching.
"Ethan."
Lily's voice broke.
"Come here, sweetheart."
The fourteen-month-old boy was on the floor.
His tiny body shook violently.
His face was red from crying.
One small hand reached toward Lily.
"Ma..."
The sound was barely there.
But Lily heard it.
And it broke her heart.
For six months, she had cared for Ethan.
She had fed him.
Bathed him.
Stayed awake through countless nights when he had nightmares.
She had learned every little thing about him.
The way he laughed when birds landed outside the window.
The way he held onto her finger when he was afraid.
The way he searched for her whenever he entered a room.
Ethan wasn't just her employer's child.
He was a little boy who needed someone.
And Lily had promised herself she would be that person.
But Serena hated that.
"You are becoming too attached."
Serena had told her weeks earlier.
"You are the nanny, Lily. Not his mother."
Lily remembered those words.
Because now she understood.
Serena didn't want Ethan loved.
She wanted him controlled.
"Please."
Lily took a step forward.
"He's just a baby."
Finally, Serena turned.
Her face was calm.
Almost bored.
"You really don't know your place, do you?"
Lily stared at her.
"What are you talking about?"
Serena looked down at Ethan.
Then back at Lily.
"Victor hired you to take care of him."
A cold smile appeared.
"Not to question me."
Lily felt anger rise.
"Taking care of him means protecting him."
The smile disappeared.
"You should be careful."
Serena stepped closer.
Her designer heels clicked against the marble floor.
"People who work for families like ours don't usually get second chances."
Lily's stomach tightened.
She knew exactly what Serena meant.
Victor Blackwood was not an ordinary man.
Everyone in Chicago knew his name.
The Blackwood empire controlled businesses across the city.
But behind the legitimate companies was another world.
A world built on fear.
Loyalty.
Power.
Victor was called many things.
A businessman.
A billionaire.
A king.
But the people who truly knew him called him something else.
The most dangerous man in Chicago.
Lily had never been afraid of Victor.
Because the Victor she knew with Ethan was different.
He was the man who came home exhausted and still sat beside his son's crib for an hour.
The man who secretly learned how to make Ethan's favorite soup.
The man who looked at his son like he was the only good thing left in his life.
But Serena?
Serena knew exactly how to use Victor's power.
"You think Victor will believe you?"
Serena whispered.
Lily said nothing.
Because that was the question haunting her.
Would he?
Serena smiled.
"Men like Victor don't believe women like you."
The words cut deeper than Lily wanted to admit.
Because Serena was right about one thing.
Lily was nobody.
She was not rich.
She had no powerful family.
No connections.
No protection.
She was just a nanny.
And Serena was about to marry the most powerful man in the city.
But Lily looked at Ethan.
And something inside her changed.
Maybe she was afraid.
Maybe she could lose everything.
Her job.
Her home.
Her future.
But she could not stand there and watch a child suffer.
"No."
Serena raised an eyebrow.
"What did you say?"
Lily stepped forward.
"I said no."
The word surprised even herself.
"No one gets to hurt him."
For a moment, the entire mansion was silent.
Then Serena laughed.
A quiet, dangerous laugh.
"You really think you're a hero?"
"No."
Lily looked at Ethan.
"I just think he's a child."
That answer made Serena angry.
Really angry.
Her perfect expression cracked.
"You have no idea what you're doing."
She reached down and grabbed Ethan's arm again.
Lily reacted instantly.
"Stop!"
She rushed forward.
And that was when Serena moved.
Her heel slammed into Lily's stomach.
Pain exploded through her body.
Lily fell backward onto the cold marble.
For a moment, she couldn't breathe.
The world blurred.
But Ethan's crying brought her back.
No.
Not him.
She forced herself up.
One hand pressed against her stomach.
The other reached forward.
"Ethan..."
The baby's cries were weaker now.
Fear replaced pain.
Lily crawled.
One inch.
Then another.
Serena watched her.
Almost amused.
"You're pathetic."
Lily ignored her.
She only saw Ethan.
But before she reached him...
The sound of footsteps echoed through the mansion.
Slow.
Heavy.
Powerful.
Everyone stopped.
Even Serena.
The entire atmosphere changed.
Because every person in the Blackwood mansion knew that sound.
Victor Blackwood was home.
But he wasn't supposed to be.
He was supposed to be at a business meeting across the city.
He was supposed to return after midnight.
Not now.
Not today.
The massive front doors opened.
Two security guards entered first.
Then Victor.
Black suit.
Cold expression.
Eyes that missed nothing.
The man who made entire rooms fall silent with a single glance.
He stopped.
Because he saw his son on the floor.
He saw Lily injured.
He saw Serena standing over them.
For several seconds...
Nobody breathed.
"Victor..."
Serena spoke first.
Her voice instantly changed.
Soft.
Fragile.
Perfect.
"I can explain."
Victor did not look at her.
His eyes were fixed on Ethan.
His son.
The child who was reaching weakly toward Lily.
Victor's jaw tightened.
"What happened?"
Serena quickly stepped forward.
"Your nanny lost control."
Lily looked up.
"What?"
Serena continued.
"She became aggressive. She was upset because Ethan wouldn't listen."
Victor slowly looked at Lily.
For one terrifying second...
Lily wondered if Serena had won.
Then Serena added:
"She attacked me."
The silence became unbearable.
Lily's face went pale.
"No."
Her voice shook.
"That's not true."
Serena looked hurt.
"Victor, I know she has been stressed, but I never expected her to become violent."
A perfect performance.
Lily realized something.
Serena had prepared this.
She had known exactly what she would say.
Victor looked at Lily.
"Did you hurt Serena?"
The question hurt.
Not because he asked.
Because she realized he had to.
"No."
Her voice was quiet.
"I tried to stop her."
Serena immediately interrupted.
"Of course she would say that."
Victor's eyes moved between them.
Then suddenly...
Ethan cried.
A small broken sound.
Victor's entire expression changed.
He moved.
Not toward Serena.
Toward his son.
He picked Ethan up carefully.
The moment Ethan felt his father's arms, he grabbed Victor's shirt.
Victor looked down.
And saw the fear in his child's eyes.
A fear no baby should have.
His face became colder than Lily had ever seen.
"Why is his arm like that?"
Nobody answered.
Serena opened her mouth.
"He fell."
Victor looked at her.
Just looked.
And for the first time...
Serena seemed nervous.
"He fell?"
Victor repeated.
"Yes."
A pause.
"He was being difficult."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"Being difficult?"
The temperature in the room dropped.
Because everyone knew.
Victor Blackwood could forgive many things.
Business mistakes.
Betrayals.
Enemies.
But hurting his son?
That was different.
He looked at Lily.
"Call Dr. Hayes."
A guard immediately moved.
Then Victor looked at Serena.
And his voice became dangerously calm.
"You will explain everything."
Serena forced a smile.
"Of course."
But Lily noticed something.
A tiny crack in Serena's confidence.
For the first time...
Serena looked afraid.
Because Victor Blackwood had walked in early.
And he had seen enough.
But nobody in the room knew the truth yet.
Not even Victor.
Because the real evidence was hidden.
The cameras.
The witnesses.
The secrets.
And Serena still believed she could destroy a helpless nanny.
She didn't know that the woman she tried to silence had already become the one person who could bring her entire world crashing down.
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And she definitely didn't know...
That Victor Blackwood was about to discover the woman he planned to marry had been lying to him from the very beginning.
