Chapter 5 – The Choice No Father Should Ever Face
Chapter 5 – The Choice No Father Should Ever Face
The room fell into complete silence.
Every eye remained fixed on Lily's phone.
The woman on the screen looked weak, her dark hair falling across her face, an oxygen tube resting beneath her nose. Though years had passed since anyone in the Blackwood family had seen her, there was no mistaking her identity.
Isabella Blackwood.
Victor's wife.
The woman the world believed had died in a tragic fire.
She blinked slowly, as if struggling to remain conscious.
"Victor..." she whispered again.
The feed abruptly cut to black.
A second later, another image appeared.
A digital countdown.
03:59:59
Three hours.
Fifty-nine minutes.
Fifty-nine seconds.
A distorted voice echoed through the phone.
"You have four hours."
"Come alone."
"Bring no guards."
"Contact the police, and she dies."
"Stay with your son, and you'll never see your wife again."
The screen went dark.
No one spoke.
Victor stared at the blank display, his expression impossible to read.
Dominic finally broke the silence.
"It's a trap."
Victor nodded once.
"I know."
"They want to separate you from the estate."
"I know."
"So don't go."
Victor didn't answer.
His gaze drifted toward the hallway leading to Ethan's room.
His son had nearly died only hours earlier.
Now someone claimed the woman he had mourned for three years was still alive.
It was the kind of impossible choice designed to destroy even the strongest man.
Upstairs
Dr. Marcus finished examining Ethan one final time.
The toddler slept peacefully under light sedation.
His fractured arm had been immobilized, and his breathing had finally stabilized.
Lily quietly sat beside the bed, holding Ethan's tiny hand.
She couldn't stop thinking about the words he had whispered earlier.
"Mommy cried too."
What had he seen?
What had Serena allowed him to witness?
She gently brushed his hair aside.
"You'll be safe," she whispered.
"No matter what happens."
A faint knock interrupted her thoughts.
Victor entered.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Victor broke the silence.
"I owe you an apology."
Lily looked surprised.
"You warned people."
"No one listened."
"You stayed."
"You protected my son."
He lowered his eyes briefly.
"I didn't."
Lily shook her head.
"You didn't know."
"I should have."
His voice carried more regret than anger.
"I trusted the wrong person."
Meanwhile...
In the secure holding room, Serena sat quietly, her wrists restrained to a steel chair.
The confident socialite was gone.
She knew the operation had collapsed.
The only question remaining was whether her employers would kill her before Victor did.
The heavy door opened.
Dominic walked inside alone.
He placed a tablet on the table.
A paused image filled the screen.
Gabriel Kane.
Serena's breathing caught.
Dominic noticed.
"So you do know him."
She looked away.
"I have nothing to say."
Dominic remained calm.
"You've already been abandoned."
Silence.
"We intercepted communications."
"Your people attempted to kill Lily."
Still silence.
"They failed."
Serena closed her eyes.
Dominic leaned forward.
"They won't rescue you."
"They're already planning your funeral."
For the first time...
Fear appeared in Serena's eyes.
Across the city...
Inside the abandoned cathedral...
Gabriel Kane watched the same countdown displayed on multiple monitors.
One of his lieutenants entered hurriedly.
"Blackwood hasn't moved."
Gabriel smiled.
"He will."
"What if he doesn't?"
Gabriel calmly poured himself a glass of whiskey.
"He loved Isabella."
"He loves Ethan."
"No matter which one he chooses..."
"...he loses."
The lieutenant hesitated.
"And Serena?"
Gabriel's expression never changed.
"Disposable."
"What if she talks?"
Gabriel took a slow sip.
"She won't have the chance."
Back at the estate...
The cyber team finally recovered additional files from Serena's smartwatch.
Financial transactions.
Blueprints.
Lists of names.
Then one encrypted folder opened unexpectedly.
Its title appeared in bold letters.
INSIDE CONTACTS
Dominic frowned.
"There are names."
Victor stepped closer.
Several employees appeared on the list.
Drivers.
Gardeners.
Kitchen staff.
Even two security guards.
Each had accepted payments over the past two years.
One analyst spoke quietly.
"The estate has been compromised from the inside."
Victor looked around the room.
"How many?"
"Twelve confirmed."
"Possibly more."
Victor's jaw tightened.
"Bring every employee into the ballroom."
"No exceptions."
Within thirty minutes, nearly eighty members of the household staff stood together beneath the mansion's enormous crystal chandeliers.
Fear spread through the crowd.
No one knew what was happening.
Victor entered carrying Ethan.
The toddler remained asleep against his father's shoulder.
Lily followed several steps behind.
Victor faced the staff.
"For years..."
"My family trusted this house."
His voice remained calm.
"That trust was betrayed."
No one moved.
Victor continued.
"There are traitors standing in this room."
Whispers spread immediately.
One elderly housekeeper began crying.
Several younger employees exchanged nervous glances.
Victor raised one hand.
Silence returned instantly.
"I am giving every guilty person exactly one opportunity."
"If you step forward now..."
"I will hear your explanation."
"If I discover your betrayal first..."
"There will be no second chance."
Thirty seconds passed.
Nothing.
Then...
A middle-aged gardener slowly stepped forward.
"I'm sorry."
Another followed.
Then another.
Within minutes...
Seven employees stood apart from everyone else.
Lily stared in disbelief.
People she had worked beside every day.
People who had smiled at Ethan.
Victor looked at each of them.
"Take them."
The guards escorted them away without resistance.
But Dominic didn't look satisfied.
"There should be twelve."
Victor nodded.
"Five are still hiding."
Suddenly...
The mansion's emergency generator shut down.
Every light went out.
Darkness swallowed the ballroom.
Women screamed.
Children cried.
Someone shouted,
"Power failure!"
Victor immediately pulled Ethan closer.
"Flashlights!"
Before anyone could react—
Three gunshots echoed from somewhere inside the mansion.
Then another.
Dominic's radio crackled violently.
"Officer down!"
"They're inside the ventilation system!"
Victor's instincts took over.
"They're after the evidence."
"No."
Lily's eyes widened.
"They're after Ethan."
The realization struck everyone simultaneously.
Victor turned toward Dominic.
"Secure the nursery!"
They sprinted through the darkened corridors.
Emergency lights flickered weakly.
Smoke drifted through the ceiling vents.
Halfway there...
A masked gunman burst from a side hallway.
He raised a suppressed pistol.
Victor reacted first.
He twisted sideways, shielding Ethan with his own body as the first bullet struck the wall behind them.
Dominic fired twice.
The attacker collapsed instantly.
Before anyone could catch their breath—
Two more armed figures emerged from the opposite corridor.
Automatic weapons raised.
Victor handed Ethan to Lily.
"Run!"
"I won't leave you!"
"Lily!"
She hesitated only a fraction of a second before racing toward the nursery with Ethan in her arms.
Behind her...
Gunfire erupted once again.
The hallway exploded into chaos.
Marble shattered.
Glass rained from the ceiling.
Dominic and Victor fought side by side, forcing the attackers backward.
When the shooting finally stopped...
Three masked gunmen lay motionless on the floor.
Dominic quickly searched one of the bodies.
Then froze.
"Boss..."
Victor looked over.
Dominic slowly removed the dead man's mask.
Lily, who had turned back after reaching the nursery door, gasped.
The attacker wasn't a stranger.
He was one of Victor's personal bodyguards.
A man who had protected the Blackwood family for nearly eight years.
Victor stared silently at the familiar face.
If someone that close had been working for the enemy...
Then no one inside the estate could be trusted anymore.
And somewhere across the city, Gabriel Kane smiled as another notification appeared on his screen.
Stage Two Complete.
He quietly whispered,
"Now, Victor..."
May you like
"Let's see who betrays you next."
End of Chapter 5
