"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 9 / 30

Chapter 9 - SERENA’S REAL PARTNER

For the first time, Damien looked afraid of Serena.

“You used me,” he said.

“I used everyone.”

Serena stepped down from the stage, the remote steady in her hand. Her crimson dress had been replaced by stolen hospital scrubs beneath a black coat, but her posture remained perfect.

She ordered Victor to place his phone on the floor.

“You wanted Ethan’s trust,” Victor said. “Why destroy the hotel?”

“The trust was only leverage. The real money is in Blackwood National.”

August Montigue closed his eyes.

Victor understood. Serena had used her father’s bank to hide money for powerful clients. Warren created shell companies. Damien moved cash through the clubs. If Victor gained full control of the bank after the marriage, he might discover it.

So Serena planned to control him first.

“How much?” Quinn asked.

August whispered, “Two hundred million.”

Serena’s smile disappeared. “Be quiet, Dad.”

Damien moved without warning. He swung his gun toward Serena.

She pressed the remote.

Nothing happened.

Lily had cut the signal jammer from the surveillance van after Marco found the basement receiver. The bomb squad had already disconnected the fuel igniters.

Serena pressed the button again.

Victor crossed the distance and knocked the remote from her hand. Damien fired toward the ceiling. Glass rained from a chandelier as officers flooded the room.

Serena ran through the service doors.

Damien followed, choosing escape over surrender.

Lily saw them emerge on the loading-dock camera and leave in separate vehicles.

“Serena’s headed east,” she said.

Quinn stared at the second screen. “Damien’s going north.”

Victor watched both roads.

“Serena will go after Ethan,” Lily said.

“No,” Victor replied. “She knows the hospital is guarded.”

Then Rosa, pale beneath a blanket, spoke from the back of the van.

“She knows about the lake house.”