CHAPTER 2 — THE NANNY'S TESTIMONY
CHAPTER 2 — THE NANNY'S TESTIMONY
The Blackwood mansion had never felt so silent.
Not even after midnight.
Not even after a funeral.
Not even during the years when Victor Blackwood's enemies had threatened to burn the entire estate to the ground.
Tonight, the silence was different.
It was the kind that came after something terrible had happened.
The kind that made every shadow look suspicious.
Every closed door seem dangerous.
Every unfamiliar sound feel like a warning.
Lily sat alone in a small sitting room beside the private medical wing.
A doctor had examined her fifteen minutes earlier.
She had bruising along her abdomen.
Several cuts on her knees.
A swollen wrist.
Nothing life-threatening.
The doctor had told her to rest.
Lily had nodded.
But resting was impossible.
Not while Ethan was being taken to the hospital.
Not while she could still hear his weak cries in her head.
Not while Serena's voice kept repeating the same cruel words.
Nobody cares about a nobody like you.
Lily wrapped both hands around a cup of untouched tea.
Her fingers were shaking.
The door opened.
She looked up.
Victor walked in.
He had removed his coat.
His black shirt was slightly wrinkled from the long night.
There was still a trace of blood on one sleeve.
Ethan's blood.
Lily's stomach twisted.
Victor noticed her staring.
"Don't."
She looked away.
"He's alive."
Victor's voice was quiet.
"The doctors have him."
Lily nodded.
"How bad is it?"
Victor remained standing.
"They confirmed a fracture."
Lily closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
Victor frowned.
"Why are you apologizing?"
"I should have protected him."
"You did."
"If I had gotten there sooner—"
"You were there."
His answer came immediately.
Lily looked at him.
Victor's expression was hard.
"But you were already hurt."
Lily looked down.
"I should have been stronger."
Victor stared at her for several seconds.
"Don't say that again."
She blinked.
"Why?"
"Because you were the only person in this house who tried to protect him."
Lily's eyes filled with tears.
Victor looked away.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he pulled a chair across from her.
He sat down.
It was the first time Lily had ever seen Victor Blackwood sit across from her as though she were an equal.
Not an employee.
Not a nanny.
Not someone beneath him.
A witness.
"I need you to tell me everything."
Lily's heart tightened.
"Everything?"
"Every incident."
His eyes met hers.
"Nothing is too small."
Lily swallowed.
"Even things you think don't matter."
Victor nodded.
"Especially those."
She took a slow breath.
"Where do you want me to start?"
"The first time you thought Serena was hurting Ethan."
Lily stared at the tea.
"It was three weeks ago."
Victor waited.
"Ethan wouldn't eat breakfast."
"Why?"
"He was teething."
Victor nodded once.
"Serena came into the nursery."
"What happened?"
"She asked why he was crying."
Lily hesitated.
"Then she picked him up."
Victor's jaw tightened.
"She squeezed his face."
"How hard?"
"Hard enough to make him cry louder."
Victor's fingers slowly curled around the arm of the chair.
"What did she say?"
"She said he was spoiled."
"And you?"
"I told her he was in pain."
Victor's eyes sharpened.
"Then?"
"She told me to leave."
"Did you?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because Ethan was scared."
Victor said nothing.
Lily continued.
"She grabbed his wrist."
Victor's face changed.
"His left wrist?"
Lily nodded.
"The same one?"
"Yes."
Silence.
Victor leaned back.
"Continue."
"The next time..."
Lily's voice became smaller.
"She locked him in the nursery."
"When?"
"About two weeks ago."
"How long?"
"Almost three hours."
Victor stared at her.
"Three hours?"
Lily nodded.
"She said he needed to learn not to cry."
Victor's eyes became colder.
"Where were you?"
"I was downstairs."
"Why didn't you open the door?"
"I tried."
"What happened?"
"The lock had been changed."
Victor went still.
"Changed by whom?"
"I don't know."
"Did you report it?"
"I tried."
"To whom?"
"Your security office."
Victor frowned.
"Who did you speak to?"
"A man named Thomas."
Victor immediately reached for his phone.
He made a call.
"Daniel."
His right-hand man answered almost instantly.
"Boss?"
"Do we have a security officer named Thomas working at the estate?"
A pause.
"Yes."
Victor's expression hardened.
"What department?"
"Internal security."
"Who hired him?"
"I'll check."
Victor ended the call.
Lily looked nervous.
"Is something wrong?"
Victor looked at her.
"I don't know yet."
He placed his phone on the table.
"Keep going."
Lily nodded.
"After that, there were smaller things."
"Such as?"
"She would refuse to let Ethan sleep."
Victor frowned.
"Why?"
"She said he needed discipline."
"How?"
"She would wake him whenever he fell asleep."
Lily's voice shook.
"Sometimes he would cry for an hour."
"And Serena?"
"She would stand outside the nursery."
"Doing what?"
"Watching."
Victor stared at her.
"She watched him cry?"
"Yes."
"Did she ever comfort him?"
Lily shook her head.
"No."
Victor's face was unreadable.
"Anything else?"
Lily hesitated.
"There was a bruise."
Victor leaned forward.
"Where?"
"On his upper arm."
"When?"
"About ten days ago."
"Did you photograph it?"
"No."
"Why?"
"I was afraid."
"Of Serena?"
Lily nodded.
"She told me if I took pictures of Ethan without permission, she'd have me arrested."
Victor stared at her.
"She threatened you with arrest?"
"Yes."
He looked away.
His breathing had become slower.
More controlled.
Lily recognized that expression now.
He was angry.
Very angry.
But Victor Blackwood did not shout when he was furious.
He became quieter.
That frightened her more.
"What else?"
Lily rubbed her hands together.
"There was one night..."
She stopped.
Victor waited.
"One night, Ethan was sick."
"What kind of sick?"
"He had a fever."
"How high?"
"I don't remember."
"Approximately."
"Maybe 101."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"And Serena?"
"She said it was nothing."
"What did you do?"
"I called the doctor."
"Good."
"She stopped me."
Victor's head lifted.
"Why?"
"She said the doctor would think I was incompetent."
Lily's voice broke.
"I told her Ethan needed help."
"What happened?"
"She slapped me."
Victor went completely still.
"She slapped you?"
Lily nodded.
"Then she took the phone."
"Did you call again?"
"I used my own phone."
"And?"
"The doctor came."
Victor exhaled slowly.
"Was Ethan okay?"
"Yes."
A pause.
"That time."
Victor's eyes met hers.
"And today?"
Lily looked away.
"Today she didn't stop."
The room became silent.
Victor looked toward the window.
Outside, rain tapped softly against the glass.
Then his phone rang.
Daniel.
Victor answered.
"Talk."
"We found something."
Victor stood.
"What?"
"The emails."
Lily looked up.
Daniel's voice came through the speaker.
"There were seven messages from Lily."
Victor's eyes moved to her.
"How many reached me?"
"Three."
"Where are the other four?"
"They were intercepted."
Victor's expression hardened.
"By whom?"
"We traced the forwarding address."
"And?"
Daniel hesitated.
"It's an external account."
"Whose?"
"We don't have a name yet."
Victor's voice became colder.
"Find one."
"We're working on it."
"Daniel."
"Yes, boss?"
"Stop working on it."
A pause.
"Then what?"
"Find the person who created the forwarding rule."
"That could take time."
"You have one hour."
"Understood."
Victor ended the call.
Lily stared at him.
"Someone stopped my emails."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Victor looked at her.
"Because they didn't want me to know."
A chill ran down her spine.
"So Serena..."
"May not have been acting alone."
Lily's hands tightened around the cup.
"Then I'm in danger."
Victor didn't lie.
"Yes."
She swallowed.
"What happens now?"
"You don't leave this house."
Lily looked toward the door.
"Am I being held here?"
"No."
Victor's voice was immediate.
"You're being protected."
She looked at him.
"What's the difference?"
"If you were being held, there would be guards outside your door."
Lily glanced toward the hallway.
"There are guards outside my door."
Victor almost smiled.
"Fair point."
For the first time that night, something resembling warmth appeared in his eyes.
Then it disappeared.
"Those guards are there because someone inside this mansion may have been helping Serena."
Lily's smile vanished.
"Do you trust your security team?"
"Normally."
"And now?"
Victor looked toward the dark hallway.
"Now I trust very few people."
A knock came at the door.
Both of them turned.
Daniel entered.
His expression was serious.
"Boss."
Victor looked at him.
"What did you find?"
Daniel placed a tablet on the table.
"We traced the forwarding rule."
Victor glanced at the screen.
"To whom?"
Daniel looked at Lily.
Then back at Victor.
"The account is encrypted."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"Can you break it?"
"We can try."
"Do it."
Daniel nodded.
Then he hesitated.
"There is something else."
"What?"
"We checked Thomas."
"The security officer?"
"Yes."
Victor's face hardened.
"Go on."
"Thomas wasn't hired by us."
Silence.
Lily felt cold.
"What do you mean?"
Daniel answered.
"His employment records are legitimate."
Victor stared at him.
"But?"
"But the person who recommended him was Serena."
Victor's jaw tightened.
"When?"
"Four months ago."
Victor slowly sat down.
Four months.
Lily had been working there for six months.
That meant Serena had brought Thomas into the estate only two months after Lily arrived.
"Find him," Victor said.
Daniel nodded.
"We already tried."
"And?"
"He's gone."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"Since when?"
"About thirty minutes ago."
Lily felt her stomach drop.
"Thirty minutes?"
Daniel nodded.
"He disappeared shortly after the alarm."
Victor stood.
"Lock down the estate."
"Already done."
"Check every exit."
"Done."
"Find Thomas."
"We will."
Daniel turned to leave.
"Daniel."
He stopped.
Victor's voice was quiet.
"If he is involved..."
Daniel waited.
"Bring him to me."
Daniel nodded.
"Alive?"
Victor looked at him.
"Yes."
Daniel left.
Lily stared at the closed door.
"You're going to hurt him."
Victor looked at her.
"If he helped Serena hurt Ethan, he will answer for it."
Lily lowered her eyes.
"Are you always this calm?"
Victor frowned.
"Calm?"
"You look like nothing scares you."
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then:
"That's not true."
Lily looked up.
"What scares you?"
Victor's eyes softened.
"My son dying."
The honesty in his voice surprised her.
Lily looked away.
"I was scared too."
"I know."
Another silence.
Then Lily whispered:
"I thought you wouldn't believe me."
Victor looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because Serena said you loved her."
"I did."
Lily's heart skipped.
Victor continued.
"Or at least I thought I did."
She looked at him.
"What's the difference?"
"I believed the person she showed me."
His eyes hardened.
"Now I want to know who she really is."
Before Lily could respond, a sound came from the hallway.
Footsteps.
Slow.
A guard appeared at the door.
"Mr. Blackwood."
Victor turned.
"What?"
"Ms. Montigue is asking to speak with you."
Victor's face became cold.
"No."
"She says it's urgent."
"I don't care."
The guard hesitated.
"She says she knows something about Lily."
Victor froze.
Lily felt her heart drop.
Victor looked at the guard.
"Bring her."
A few minutes later, Serena entered.
Two guards stood behind her.
She was still wearing the same dress.
But the perfect woman from the charity galas was gone.
Her hair was disheveled.
Her makeup had streaked from tears.
Yet her eyes were sharp.
She looked directly at Lily.
Then at Victor.
"I knew you'd come."
Victor stood.
"What do you know about Lily?"
Serena smiled.
"I know you think she's innocent."
Victor's voice was cold.
"Answer the question."
"I also know you think I'm the villain."
"Because you hurt my son."
Serena flinched.
But recovered quickly.
"You think that's why everything happened?"
Victor stared at her.
"What else is there?"
Serena stepped closer.
"You should ask yourself why your father knew her."
Lily's face went pale.
Victor didn't move.
"My father?"
Serena nodded.
"Yes."
"My father died seven years ago."
"I know."
"Then how did he know Lily?"
Serena looked at Lily.
"Ask her."
Lily shook her head.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Serena smiled.
"Of course you don't."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"What are you saying?"
Serena's smile faded.
"I'm saying that Lily Harper is not who you think she is."
Lily's heart pounded.
"Stop."
Serena looked at her.
"Do you remember the old house?"
Lily froze.
"What old house?"
"The white house."
Lily's breathing stopped.
She didn't know why.
But something about those words hurt.
A memory flashed.
A hallway.
A locked door.
A little boy crying.
A woman's voice.
Lily stepped backward.
"I don't remember."
Serena smiled.
"You will."
Victor looked at Lily.
"Lily?"
She pressed a hand against her temple.
"I don't know."
Serena turned to Victor.
"Your father knew her."
Victor's voice was dangerously quiet.
"How?"
Serena shook her head.
"That's not the question you should be asking."
"Then what?"
Her eyes darkened.
"Ask why your father wanted her protected."
Victor stared at her.
"Protected from what?"
Serena smiled.
"From Marcus Vale."
The room went silent.
Victor's expression changed instantly.
Lily looked between them.
"Who is Marcus Vale?"
Victor didn't answer.
Serena did.
"Your father's former partner."
Victor's eyes became ice.
"He's dead."
Serena laughed softly.
"No."
She shook her head.
"He's not."
Victor stepped toward her.
"Where is he?"
Serena's smile disappeared.
"I don't know."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I expect you to understand something."
She looked at Lily.
"The reason your father protected her..."
Serena paused.
"...is the same reason Marcus wants her dead."
Lily's blood ran cold.
Victor stared at Serena.
"You're lying."
"Maybe."
Serena shrugged.
"But there's one thing I know."
"What?"
She looked directly into his eyes.
"Your father left something behind."
Victor's jaw tightened.
"What?"
Serena smiled.
"A photograph."
Lily's heart stopped.
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"What photograph?"
"The one that proves Lily was there."
"Where?"
Serena turned toward the door.
"Your father's study."
Then she looked back.
"And Victor?"
"What?"
Her expression became almost pitying.
"When you find the photograph..."
She paused.
"Don't look at Lily first."
Victor stared at her.
"Look at the man standing beside her."
Serena was escorted away.
The door closed.
Lily remained motionless.
Victor looked at her.
Neither spoke.
Then Daniel's voice came from the hallway.
"Boss!"
Victor opened the door.
Daniel stood there holding a sealed envelope.
His face was pale.
"We found this in your father's study."
Victor took it.
On the front were two words.
FOR VICTOR.
He opened the envelope.
A photograph slid into his hand.
Victor looked down.
His blood ran cold.
There was a young Victor Blackwood Sr.
A younger Serena.
And a little girl.
Lily.
But that wasn't what frightened him.
Standing beside them was another child.
A little boy.
Victor stared at the photograph.
Then at Lily.
"Do you know him?"
Lily looked at the picture.
Her face lost all color.
Her lips trembled.
"I..."
She touched the photograph with shaking fingers.
"I know him."
Victor's voice dropped.
"Who is he?"
Tears filled Lily's eyes.
"I don't know."
She shook her head.
"But..."
Victor waited.
"I think..."
Her voice broke.
"...he was my brother."
Victor looked at the photograph again.
On the back, written in his father's handwriting, were six words:
She is the key. Protect her.
And beneath that—
another sentence.
May you like
One that made Victor's blood run cold.
If Marcus finds her, we all die.
