Chapter 6 - FIRE IN THE NURSERY The fire spread through the nursery wing within minutes.
Firefighters tore through the mansion.
Victor ignored the smoke.
“Where's Ethan?”
“Hospital.”
Only then did he breathe.
The crib was removed from the burning room.
Inside one of the wooden rails was a hidden compartment.
A waterproof metal tube.
Inside:
A ledger.
A USB drive.
Three keys.
The evidence survived.
The nursery did not.
The ledger contained names.
Doctors.
Accountants.
Investigators.
Security officers.
A judge.
Charity directors.
People Victor had trusted.
Then Victor saw one name.
Anthony Blackwood.
His uncle.
The man who had raised him after his father's death.
Marco found payment records.
Anthony had been receiving money from Serena for months.
Security schedules.
Travel routes.
Trust documents.
Then the USB revealed something worse.
Videos.
Serena hurting Ethan.
Seven separate incidents.
Dragging him.
Pinching him.
Withholding food.
Sedating him.
Mrs. Vale was present in several.
Victor watched in silence.
Then another video began.
Anthony was speaking with Serena.
“Once you marry Victor, we move the boy.”
“And Isabella?”
“She signs the guardianship papers.”
“And if she refuses?”
Anthony looked at her.
“She disappears again.”
Victor shut the laptop.
His face was empty.
Then Marco received another call.
Anthony had fled.
His plane was preparing to leave.
Before Victor could react, Serena called.
He answered.
Her voice was almost playful.
“Did you find your dead wife?”
“Yes.”
“You found a copy of the ledger.”
“You mean the original?”
“No.”
A pause.
“The original contains your name too.”
Victor's expression changed.
“What did I sign?”
“The clinic.”
“The security.”
“The foundation.”
“You paid for everything.”
Serena's voice became softer.
“You may not have known the room.”
Then:
“But you paid for the lock.”
The call ended.
Victor stood motionless.
For years he had believed money protected his family.
Now he understood.
Money had also built the walls around the people he loved.
Then Marco's phone buzzed.
May you like
A hospital alert.
Someone had tried to access Ethan's room.
