Chapter 15 - Everything Falls Apart
The board hearing was brutal.
Adrian arrived in a charcoal suit with three attorneys.
Margaret Sterling sat two seats behind him.
She did not look at Serena.
Victor presented the recorder.
Adrian’s lawyers attacked its reliability.
Lily admitted she had planted it.
They attacked her credibility.
Victor presented the security logs.
Adrian argued Victor’s credentials had been compromised.
Victor presented Grace’s notes.
Adrian called them speculation from a grieving woman.
Then Maria was asked to testify.
She entered the room.
Victor expected her to tell the truth.
Instead, she looked at Mateo.
Then she lowered her eyes.
“I never personally saw Miss Serena hurt Ethan before that night.”
Victor stared at her.
It was technically true.
But devastating.
Adrian’s attorney smiled.
By afternoon, the board voted.
Victor was temporarily removed as chairman pending investigation.
Adrian became acting chairman.
The court did not remove Ethan from Victor’s custody.
But Victor was ordered to submit to ongoing family-safety supervision while the allegations were investigated.
Serena’s public-relations team released a statement portraying her as a woman trapped inside a chaotic household.
News cameras waited outside every Blackwood building.
Victor returned home exhausted.
He had lost control of his company.
Lily blamed herself.
Maria refused to speak.
Naomi looked defeated.
Then Adrian called.
Victor answered.
His brother’s voice was calm.
“You should have stayed in Chicago.”
Victor stared out the window.
“Was all of this worth it?”
“You still think this is personal.”
“It stopped being personal when you touched my son’s life.”
Adrian laughed softly.
“You still don’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
“The trust was never the final target.”
The line disconnected.
Victor stood motionless.
Behind him, Ethan began crying.
He walked into the nursery and lifted his son.
As Ethan settled against his chest, Victor noticed the old intercom mounted beside the crib.
A device installed when the mansion was renovated.
It was separate from the security cameras.
Separate from the cloud system.
Separate from Serena’s shutdown commands.
Victor stared at it.
Then he remembered something.
The company that installed the intercom had advertised automatic remote backups.
Victor grabbed his phone.
“Marcus.”
May you like
“Yes?”
“Find out where the nursery intercom stores its audio.”
