Chapter 10: Uninvited
1032 Words
Chapter 10: Uninvited
The following morning began badly.
Serena knew it before she even opened her eyes.
Some people believed in intuition.
Others called it instinct.
Whatever the name, it had kept her alive through some very difficult years.
And that feeling was screaming now.
Something was wrong.
She lay still in bed, staring at the ceiling.
The apartment was quiet.
Too quiet.
Normally Lily would already be awake, talking to herself, singing nonsense songs, or asking impossible questions about dragons and dinosaurs.
Serena glanced at the clock.
7:12 a.m.
Strange.
She climbed out of bed and walked down the hallway.
"Lily?"
No answer.
A moment later she pushed open her daughter's bedroom door.
The little girl was still asleep.
Serena exhaled.
False alarm.
Yet the feeling remained.
Persistent.
Uncomfortable.
She leaned down and kissed Lily's forehead.
The child stirred.
"Five more minutes."
Serena smiled.
"School."
Lily groaned dramatically.
"Worst word ever."
"Get dressed."
"Can I stay home?"
"No."
"Can I become a dragon?"
"No."
"You're very strict."
"Move."
The little girl laughed.
For a few minutes everything felt normal again.
Safe.
Predictable.
Until Serena stepped outside her apartment building.
A black sedan sat across the street.
Its windows were tinted.
The engine was running.
Serena froze.
The car had been there yesterday.
And the day before.
She was certain now.
Someone was watching.
Adrian arrived at Blackwood Industries before eight.
His mood was already foul.
He had barely slept.
Victor followed him into the private elevator.
"You look terrible."
"Thank you."
"You should rest."
"I'll rest when people stop hiding things from me."
The elevator doors opened.
Adrian headed directly toward his office.
Then stopped.
His secretary stood waiting.
Nervous.
Very nervous.
"Good morning, sir."
"What happened?"
Her eyes widened.
"Nothing."
"You only look that terrified when something happened."
She swallowed.
"Your mother is here."
Adrian closed his eyes briefly.
Of course she was.
Perfect.
Exactly what he needed.
Another confrontation.
He pushed open his office door.
Victoria Blackwood sat comfortably in one of the chairs.
As if she owned the place.
Technically she did.
Partially.
That wasn't the point.
"Mother."
"Adrian."
Neither smiled.
Victoria studied him carefully.
"You've been investigating."
"You're observant."
"You need to stop."
There it was.
Direct.
Simple.
Suspicious.
Adrian loosened his tie.
"No."
Victoria's expression hardened.
"This isn't a game."
"I agree."
"You don't understand what you're involved in."
"Then explain it."
Silence.
Again.
Always silence.
Adrian was getting tired of it.
"You know what's interesting?" he said.
Victoria said nothing.
"Every person connected to this file seems terrified."
Still silence.
"That tells me I'm getting close."
For the first time, something flickered across her face.
Fear.
It lasted less than a second.
But Adrian saw it.
And that frightened him more than anything she could have said.
That afternoon Serena left work early.
She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following her.
Every time she turned around, she saw strangers.
Cars.
Pedestrians.
Nothing obvious.
Nothing she could prove.
Yet the sensation remained.
When she arrived at Lily's school, the teacher greeted her warmly.
"Early pickup?"
"I finished work sooner."
The lie came naturally.
The teacher smiled.
"Lily is in the playground."
Serena stepped outside.
Her daughter was laughing with friends.
Completely carefree.
Completely unaware.
Watching her always made Serena feel calmer.
Stronger.
Whatever happened, Lily came first.
Always.
Then a voice interrupted her thoughts.
"She's beautiful."
Serena turned sharply.
Adrian stood beside her.
Her pulse jumped.
"What are you doing here?"
He kept his eyes on the playground.
"Investigating."
"Children?"
"You."
She frowned.
"That's not reassuring."
"No, it isn't."
For a moment neither spoke.
Then Adrian surprised her.
"Someone altered your records."
Her body went rigid.
"What?"
"The hospital file."
Every instinct screamed danger.
"You accessed sealed records?"
"Yes."
"That's illegal."
"I've done worse."
She believed him.
The disturbing part was how easily she believed him.
"What did you find?"
"Not enough."
His gaze shifted toward her.
"But somebody wanted information hidden."
Serena felt cold.
Very cold.
Because there was something Adrian didn't know.
Something she had never told anyone.
Not even Lily.
The night she gave birth had been strange.
Confusing.
Almost dreamlike.
There were things she remembered clearly.
And things she didn't remember at all.
Large gaps.
Missing pieces.
Questions she'd never been able to answer.
Questions she'd eventually stopped asking.
Now they were returning.
One by one.
Late that evening, Victor arrived with more news.
The moment Adrian saw his face, he knew it wasn't good.
"What happened?"
Victor tossed a folder onto the desk.
"Financial records."
Adrian opened it.
Pages of transactions.
Account transfers.
Corporate payments.
Trust funds.
At first glance, it looked meaningless.
Then he saw a familiar name.
Serena Hart.
His eyes narrowed.
"Why is she receiving payments?"
"That's the interesting part."
Adrian kept reading.
The payments began six years ago.
Monthly.
Regular.
Substantial.
Enough to raise a child comfortably.
Enough to change someone's life.
Yet not enough to attract attention.
Whoever arranged them had been careful.
Very careful.
"Source?"
Victor pointed.
Adrian read the account holder.
His expression darkened.
The Blackwood Family Trust.
The same trust connected to the altered records.
The same trust controlled by his family.
His jaw tightened.
"What exactly are you saying?"
Victor hesitated.
Then spoke quietly.
"I think somebody in your family has been supporting Serena for six years."
The office fell silent.
Because there was only one reason a powerful family secretly supported a woman and her child.
Only one reason records vanished.
Only one reason people died.
Blood.
Family.
Inheritance.
Adrian looked down at the documents.
Then toward the city lights beyond the window.
For the first time, a possibility entered his mind.
A possibility so absurd he almost rejected it immediately.
Yet he couldn't ignore it.
The child.
Lily.
Six years old.
Hidden records.
Secret payments.
Terrified witnesses.
A missing father.
And Serena.
Always Serena.
Standing in the middle of it all.
If his suspicion was correct, then this wasn't merely a mystery.
It was personal.
Dangerously personal.
And somewhere out there, someone was willing to kill to keep the truth buried.
Which meant the closer he got to the answer...
The more danger Serena and Lily were in.
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