"She thought she could easily silence a helpless nanny, until the terrifying footsteps of the mafia boss echoed from the shadows behind her." THE MAFIA BOSS WALKED IN EARLY AND FOUND HIS FIANCÉE HURTING HIS BABY—THEN THE NANNY’S TESTIMONY EXPOSED EVERYTHING “Stop it, please. You’re breaking his arm.” Lily’s scream tore through the marble foyer of the Blackwood mansion. Baby Ethan was on the floor, crying so hard his little body could barely breathe, while Serena Montigue dragged him by the arm like he was nothing more than a rag doll. His face had gone from red to a frightening purple. His cries were getting weaker. And Lily knew, with a terror that swallowed every thought in her head, that the 14-month-old boy she had loved like her own for six months was slipping into shock. She threw herself forward. Bare feet sliding on the cold marble. Hands reaching for Serena. Heart pounding one single prayer. Save him. But Serena was faster. Her heel drove into Lily’s stomach with brutal force, knocking the air from her lungs and sending her crashing backward onto the stone floor. Pain exploded through her body. But Lily did not care about the pain. She only cared about Ethan. The baby’s arm hung at an unnatural angle. His little face was crumpled in agony. His sobs were fading into small, broken sounds no child should ever make. Serena stood over Lily with cold, perfect eyes. The same woman who smiled at charity galas. The same woman who played the elegant fiancée. The same woman who was about to marry Victor Blackwood, the most feared mafia boss in Chicago. “Touch him again,” Serena said calmly, pressing her heel into Lily’s abdomen, “and I’ll make you disappear. Nobody cares about a nobody like you. You think anyone will believe some cheap nanny?” Lily could barely breathe. But she crawled. One inch. Then another. Her hands shook. Her stomach burned. Her knees scraped against the marble / Chapter 15 / 30

Chapter 15 - AMELIA’S LAST CALL

Victor had spent two years believing Amelia’s death was an accident.

The police report said rain, speed, and mechanical failure caused her car to leave the bridge. Warren Price had handled the insurance claim. August Montigue’s bank settled the estate.

Every person now tied to Ethan’s abuse had touched the case.

Detective Quinn recovered Amelia’s old phone records. Fifteen minutes before the crash, she called Serena six times. One call lasted four minutes.

A cloud backup held a voicemail Amelia left for Victor.

Her voice filled the library.

“Victor, I found transfers from the children’s foundation into Montigue accounts. Serena says I’m confused, but I have copies. Warren knows. Damien knows. I’m going to the police.”

The message ended with a sharp sound and Amelia saying, “Get out of my car.”

Victor closed his eyes.

Lily stood near the doorway holding Ethan. The baby reached toward his father.

Victor took him carefully.

“I brought her into our home,” he whispered. “I let her hold him.”

“You didn’t know,” Lily said.

“I should have.”

“No. That is what people like Serena want victims to believe—that trusting them is the real crime.”

Quinn found traffic-camera footage showing Serena leaving Amelia’s car near the bridge. Another vehicle followed minutes later. It belonged to Damien.

Damien had forced Amelia off the road.

A nationwide warrant was issued.

That night, Damien sent Victor a video. He stood inside an abandoned church beside Warren Price.

Warren was tied to a pew, bruised but alive.

Damien held Amelia’s missing foundation files.

“Come alone,” he said. “Bring the ledgers, or the last man who knows the full story dies with them.”