Chapter 7 – The Mother’s Last Secret
Chapter 7 – The Mother’s Last Secret
The name Adrian Blackwood had disappeared from the family history.
Not forgotten.
Not forgiven.
Erased.
Victor had spent years making sure that name was never spoken inside the mansion.
Not because he was afraid.
Because he knew exactly what Adrian was capable of.
Adrian was not like Victor.
That was what made him dangerous.
Victor built his empire through discipline.
Rules.
Loyalty.
Fear when necessary.
Adrian built his through chaos.
Manipulation.
Promises.
Betrayal.
He didn't want people to respect him.
He wanted them to need him.
And now he had returned.
The next morning, Lily found Victor standing in the old study.
He had not slept.
She could tell.
"You saw him."
Victor didn't turn.
"Yes."
"Your brother."
A long silence.
Then:
"He should be dead."
Lily looked at him carefully.
"But he isn't."
"No."
Victor looked down at an old photograph on the desk.
A family photograph.
Three boys.
A young Victor.
A younger Adrian.
And their father.
"He was always good at surviving."
Lily stepped closer.
"What happened between you?"
Victor's expression hardened.
"Everything."
Before Lily could ask more, Ethan cried from upstairs.
Both of them immediately turned.
The reaction was automatic.
Victor moved first.
Lily followed.
They reached the nursery.
Ethan was sitting up in his crib.
Sweating.
Crying.
A nightmare.
Lily picked him up.
"It's okay."
But Ethan refused to calm down.
His eyes were fixed on the doorway.
Victor noticed.
"Who is he looking at?"
Lily looked.
Nobody.
But Ethan kept pointing.
Not at the door.
At the photograph hanging beside it.
Victor followed his son's gaze.
The photograph was of Isabella.
Ethan's mother.
Victor froze.
Because Ethan had never reacted to that picture before.
"Lily."
She looked at him.
"Something is wrong."
That afternoon, Victor brought out every file connected to Isabella's death.
Lily had never seen him like this.
The man who terrified criminals.
The man who controlled entire organizations.
Was sitting surrounded by old papers.
Searching for answers he had spent years avoiding.
"She knew."
Victor suddenly said.
Lily looked up.
"Who?"
"Isabella."
He opened a folder.
"She knew Adrian was planning something."
Lily frowned.
"Why didn't she tell you?"
Victor didn't answer immediately.
Because that was the question that had haunted him.
Years earlier...
Isabella had been the only person who could calm Victor.
She saw beyond the reputation.
Beyond the violence.
To everyone else, Victor Blackwood was a monster.
To her, he was just a man who had been forced to become one.
When Ethan was born, everything changed.
Victor wanted out.
He wanted to leave the criminal world.
Build something normal.
Isabella believed him.
Until she discovered Adrian's plan.
"He was trying to take control of everything."
Victor said.
"The company."
"The family."
"Me."
Lily listened.
"Isabella found evidence."
"What kind?"
Victor looked at the file.
"Evidence that Adrian had been working with enemies inside our organization."
A pause.
"He was selling information."
Lily's eyes widened.
"Betraying his own family."
Victor nodded.
"And Isabella was the only one who knew."
"Then why didn't she expose him?"
Victor became silent.
Too silent.
Lily understood.
"There was a reason."
Victor nodded slowly.
"She was protecting someone."
That night, Victor opened a hidden compartment in Isabella's old room.
Something he had never touched.
Inside was a small box.
A box with Ethan's name written on it.
Victor stared.
"She made this before she died."
Lily stood beside him.
"Open it."
Victor hesitated.
Because some truths hurt more than lies.
But he opened it.
Inside was a letter.
And a small recording device.
Victor pressed play.
A woman's voice filled the room.
Isabella.
Victor stopped breathing.
"Victor..."
The voice was soft.
Familiar.
"If you are hearing this, then something happened."
Lily watched as Victor's expression broke.
Not completely.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
Because he had not heard his wife's voice in years.
"I need you to listen carefully."
Isabella continued.
"Adrian is not the only person involved."
Victor froze.
"There is someone else."
A pause.
"Someone closer."
The recording continued.
"I tried to protect Ethan."
"I tried to protect you."
"But if they find out what I discovered..."
Her voice shook.
"They will use our son."
Victor grabbed the table.
Then Isabella said something that changed everything.
"Victor, Ethan is not just your heir."
"He is the reason they cannot finish what they started."
The recording stopped.
Silence.
Lily looked at Victor.
"What does that mean?"
Victor didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
But someone else did.
Hours later, Victor discovered another hidden message inside the box.
A name.
One name.
Written by Isabella herself.
Serena Montigue.
Victor stared.
Impossible.
Serena had not been connected to Isabella.
At least...
That was what he believed.
Meanwhile, across the city...
Serena sat inside a private apartment.
She was no longer pretending.
No makeup.
No elegant dress.
No perfect smile.
Only anger.
Adrian entered.
"You failed."
Serena looked at him.
"I underestimated the nanny."
Adrian laughed.
"No."
He placed a file on the table.
"You underestimated Victor."
Serena opened the file.
Inside was a photograph.
Lily.
And Ethan.
Together.
"They are closer than expected."
Serena's expression darkened.
"Then we separate them."
Adrian smiled.
"Exactly."
Back at the mansion, Lily noticed something.
Victor had become more protective.
Not just of Ethan.
Of her.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
She asked.
Victor looked away.
"I'm trying to understand something."
"What?"
He hesitated.
"Why everyone who gets close to my family ends up being hurt."
Lily softened.
"Maybe because your family has spent too long fighting alone."
Victor looked at her.
The words hit harder than she expected.
Because she was right.
For years, Victor had trusted nobody.
And that had allowed people like Serena to get close.
That evening, Ethan took his first steps.
Lily was there.
Victor was there.
The little boy stood between them.
Then walked forward.
One step.
Two steps.
Straight into Lily's arms.
Victor smiled.
A real smile.
For a moment, everything was peaceful.
Then Ethan looked behind Lily.
His smile disappeared.
He pointed.
At the doorway.
Everyone turned.
A woman stood there.
Older.
Tired.
Crying.
Victor immediately moved in front of Ethan.
"Who are you?"
The woman looked at Victor.
Then at Lily.
Then at the child.
Her voice shook.
"I'm the person who knows what happened to Isabella."
Silence.
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"And who are you?"
The woman whispered:
"Her sister."
Lily felt a chill.
Because Isabella had never mentioned having a sister.
The woman stepped forward.
"I came because Victor needs to know the truth."
A pause.
"The truth about Isabella's death."
Victor stared.
"What truth?"
The woman looked toward Ethan.
"Your wife wasn't killed because she found Adrian's betrayal."
Everyone froze.
"She was killed because she discovered who was really controlling him."
A terrible silence filled the room.
Then she said the name.
A name that changed everything.
"The person behind all of this..."
"Was Victor Blackwood himself."
The world stopped.
May you like
And for the first time...
Victor had no answer.
