Chapter 6: His Mother's Lie
Victor slowly stood.
Margaret Blackwood had intimidated senators, bankers, journalists, and half of Manhattan society without ever raising her voice.
Now she looked afraid.
Not surprised.
Afraid.
Victor held up the second will.
“You knew.””
Margaret glanced at Grace.
“Leave us.””
Grace didn't move.
Victor said, “She stays.””
“Victor, this is a family matter.””
“So was Elise.””
His mother's expression tightened.
“And look where trusting outsiders got her.””
Grace recoiled.
Victor crossed the room in two steps.
“What does that mean?””
Margaret seemed to realize she'd said too much.
“Nothing.””
“No. Say it again.””
“Victor—”
“You told me Dad left the company to me.””
“He did.””
“This says otherwise.””
Margaret looked at the document.
“That will was never executed.””
“It has his signature.””
“Signatures can be challenged.””
“It has witnesses.””
“Witnesses can lie.””
Victor stared at her.
“You sound like you've made that argument before.””
Margaret became silent.
Victor felt the answer before she gave it.
“You challenged it.””
“No.””
“You buried it.””
Her eyes flashed.
“I protected this family.””
Victor laughed without humor.
“From a three-year-old?””
“Noah wasn't born when Alexander drafted that document.””
“Then who were you protecting us from?””
Margaret walked to the window.
“Your father became irrational toward the end.””
“Was he actually dying?””
She turned.
“Yes.””
“Did you identify his body?””
“Yes.””
“Was it him?””
A pause.
Victor stepped closer.
“Mother.””
“Yes.””
“Then why does someone dressed like him appear outside my home six months later?””
Margaret's face changed.
Victor showed her the recovered frame.
For one second, genuine shock crossed her features.
Then recognition.
Victor saw it.
“You know him.””
“No.””
“You do.””
Margaret turned away.
Victor grabbed the photograph from the printer Daniel's team had brought upstairs and placed it on the window seat.
“Who is he?””
Margaret said nothing.
Grace whispered, “Mrs. Blackwood…”
“Be quiet.””
Victor's voice hardened.
“Don't speak to her like that.””
Margaret looked at her son.
“You've changed.””
“My son was injured in this house today.””
That silenced her.
Victor continued.
“Serena hurt him. Grace recorded enough to prove it. And now I'm discovering that Serena knew Elise before I supposedly met her.””
Margaret's hand tightened around her handbag.
Victor noticed.
“You knew that too.””
“No.””
“You're lying.””
Margaret looked toward the doorway.
Victor stepped in front of it.
“Sit down.””
“I will not be ordered around in my own family's house.””
“My house.””
Margaret stared at him.
Victor pointed toward the chair.
“Sit.””
Slowly, she did.
Victor remained standing.
“Who is the man in the photograph?””
Margaret's voice was barely audible.
“His name is Julian Cross.””
Grace frowned.
Victor knew the name.
Not personally.
But he had heard it as a child.
Julian Cross had once been Alexander Blackwood's closest friend and business partner.
Then, suddenly, he vanished from company history.
“Why is he dressed like Dad?””
“Because they looked alike.””
Victor stared at her.
“What?””
“Not naturally. Julian cultivated it. The hair.
Clothes. Mannerisms.””
“Why?””
Margaret gave a bitter laugh.
“Because your father had something Julian wanted.””
“The company?””
“Me.””
Victor said nothing.
Margaret looked down.
“Julian was obsessed with me when we were young. Alexander and Julian built the company together, but after I married Alexander, their partnership collapsed.””
“What happened to Julian?””
“Your father bought him out.””
“And?””
“He disappeared.””
“Until the night Elise died.””
Margaret looked up sharply.
“You don't know that.””
“I have a photograph.””
“You have an image of a man near a car.””
“A man Grace says Serena knew.””
Margaret's face went still.
Victor saw another secret.
“What is Serena's connection to Julian?””
No answer.
“Mother.””
Margaret stood.
“This needs to stop.””
“Answer me.””
“You have Noah to think about.””
“That is exactly why I'm asking.””
Margaret moved toward him.
“Then listen to me. Take Noah. Leave New York. Let the lawyers handle Serena.””
Victor stared at her.
“You're afraid of her.””
Margaret's composure cracked.
“I'm afraid of what she wants.””
“What does she want?””
Margaret looked at the second will.
“Everything.””
Victor shook his head.
“She can't inherit anything.””
“Not from you.””
Margaret's eyes moved toward the hallway.
“From Noah.””
Victor went cold.
“Explain.””
“Alexander's trust had a contingency clause.””
Victor grabbed the pages and searched.
“I read it.””
“You don't have all of it.””
“What?””
“That copy is incomplete.””
Victor flipped to the final page.
Page numbers jumped from eleven to thirteen.
Page twelve was missing.
His heartbeat changed.
“What was on page twelve?””
Margaret closed her eyes.
“If Alexander's direct bloodline ended before the trust matured, the controlling shares would transfer to the descendants of the company's original cofounder.””
Victor stared at her.
“Julian Cross.””
Margaret nodded.
“And Serena?””
A voice came from the doorway.
“She is his daughter.””
Victor turned.
Daniel stood there, breathing hard.
Behind him were two detectives.
Daniel held a folder.
“We confirmed it.””
Victor looked back at Margaret.
“You knew.””
“I suspected.””
“You let Julian Cross's daughter into my life.””
“I didn't know who she was when you became engaged.””
“But you discovered it.””
Margaret's silence answered.
Victor's hands shook with controlled rage.
“When?””
“Three months ago.””
“And you said nothing?””
“I was trying to understand what she knew.””
“My son was living with her.””
“I never thought she'd hurt Noah.””
Victor stared at his mother as if she were a stranger.
Then one of the detectives stepped forward.
“Mr. Blackwood, there's another problem.””
Victor turned.
“What?””
“We located the Mercedes Serena took.””
“Where?””
“The family cemetery.””
Victor's jaw tightened.
“And Serena?””
“Gone.””
“Then search the grounds.””
“We are.””
The detective hesitated.
“But that's not why we're here.””
He opened the folder.
Inside were photographs from Elise's original accident investigation.
Victor had seen most of them years earlier.
Crushed silver car.
Wet road.
Broken guardrail.
Then the detective placed down an image Victor had never seen.
A close-up of the driver's side.
“What am I looking at?””
“The brake line.””
Victor leaned closer.
The detective pointed to a clean incision.
“This wasn't damaged by the crash.””
Grace covered her mouth.
Victor couldn't speak.
“It was cut before your wife left the house.””
The room became silent.
Then Daniel's phone rang.
He answered.
“Daniel.””
His eyes moved immediately to Victor.
“Where?””
A pause.
“Don't touch anything.””
He hung up.
Victor knew from his expression that something else had happened.
“What now?””
Daniel looked toward Margaret.
“Workers at the cemetery opened Alexander Blackwood's family crypt.””
Margaret went pale.
Victor felt the air leave his lungs.
May you like
Daniel continued.
“Your father's coffin is empty.””
