Chapter 2 - FOURTEEN SECONDSMargaret did not answer.
The silence outside the door lasted only a few seconds.
But to her, it felt like an hour.
Her old phone was still in her hand.
The screen glowed.
Fourteen seconds.
That was all she had.
Fourteen seconds of Serena’s cruelty.
Fourteen seconds that could change everything.
Or destroy everyone.
“Margaret?”
Serena knocked again.
The housekeeper quickly looked around the small room.
There was nowhere to hide.
No back door.
No window large enough to escape through.
The servants’ quarters had once been part of the original Blackwood estate.
Small rooms.
Narrow hallways.
Old locks.
Margaret had spent most of her life inside this mansion.
She knew every hidden passage.
Every creaking floorboard.
Every room with a history.
But Serena knew something too.
She knew Margaret was alone.
“Open the door.”
Margaret slipped the phone into the pocket of her apron.
Her hand trembled.
“No.”
Serena’s voice became sweeter.
“Margaret, darling. Why are you acting like this?”
Margaret stared at the door.
“Please leave.”
A pause.
Then Serena laughed softly.
“You saw something.”
Margaret closed her eyes.
She had not expected Serena to know.
“Something you weren’t supposed to see.”
“Go away.”
“I know you were in the hallway.”
Margaret’s heart pounded.
Serena knew.
Of course she knew.
Margaret slowly stepped backward.
Her eyes searched the room.
The phone.
She needed to hide the phone.
But where?
Serena knocked harder.
“Margaret.”
The old woman suddenly remembered something.
Years ago, Victor’s mother had shown her a loose floorboard beneath the small dresser.
It had been used to hide letters.
Private family documents.
Things that could not be trusted to banks or lawyers.
Margaret moved quickly.
She dropped to her knees.
Her fingers reached beneath the dresser.
The old wood resisted.
“Margaret.”
Serena’s voice was no longer sweet.
The floorboard lifted.
Margaret slipped the phone underneath.
Then pushed the wood back into place.
The doorknob turned.
Margaret froze.
She had locked the door.
The handle moved again.
Then stopped.
“Open it.”
“No.”
“Margaret.”
Serena’s voice changed.
The softness disappeared.
“Don’t make me come in.”
Margaret slowly stood.
“You can’t come in.”
A quiet laugh.
“You really believe that?”
The sound of footsteps approached the hallway.
Then another voice.
“Is there a problem?”
Margaret recognized Victor.
Serena’s tone changed instantly.
“Oh.”
Margaret stared at the door.
“Victor.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I was looking for Margaret.”
“Why?”
Serena paused.
Margaret held her breath.
“She left something in the foyer.”
Victor said nothing.
Margaret could almost imagine the expression on his face.
Then Victor knocked.
“Margaret.”
She approached the door.
Her hand touched the lock.
Should she tell him?
Should she open the door and scream everything?
She unlocked it.
The door opened.
Victor stood in the hallway.
Serena stood beside him.
Margaret’s eyes immediately moved toward Serena.
The woman looked perfectly calm.
Perfectly innocent.
Victor looked at Margaret.
“Are you all right?”
Margaret hesitated.
Serena smiled.
“Yes, Margaret. Are you all right?”
The warning was clear.
Margaret looked at Victor.
Her entire body wanted to tell him.
But she remembered the stories.
The men Serena knew.
The strange phone calls.
The expensive gifts.
The meetings she had seen Serena attend when Victor was away.
And she remembered Lily.
If Serena could hurt a baby, what would she do to a seventy-year-old housekeeper?
“I’m fine,” Margaret whispered.
Victor studied her.
“You look pale.”
“I’m tired.”
Serena gently placed a hand on Victor’s arm.
“Margaret works too hard.”
Margaret wanted to scream.
Instead, she nodded.
Victor looked at Serena.
“Come with me.”
Serena smiled.
“Of course.”
They walked away.
Margaret waited.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Then she closed the door.
Her knees nearly collapsed.
But somewhere else in the mansion, Lily was discovering that Serena had not only removed security footage.
She had removed something else.
Lily sat alone in Victor’s office.
Victor had left to arrange additional security at the hospital.
He had told her not to leave.
That alone made her nervous.
But Lily had no intention of running.
She had done nothing wrong.
Still, something felt strange.
Victor’s office was too quiet.
She looked toward the security monitors.
Most were dark.
A few showed the mansion grounds.
The hospital entrance.
The garage.
Lily stood.
She had worked in the mansion long enough to know the basic layout.
The main security room was in the lower level.
Only Blackwood security personnel were allowed inside.
But Lily remembered something.
Six months earlier, when she had first arrived, a technician had explained the emergency system.
Every camera automatically backed up recordings.
Even if someone deleted footage from the main system.
The backups were stored separately.
Lily looked toward Victor’s desk.
She should not touch anything.
She knew that.
But Ethan was in the hospital.
His arm was broken.
And Serena was walking freely through the mansion.
Lily opened the desk drawer.
Locked.
The second drawer was locked too.
She searched the room.
Nothing.
Then she heard a sound.
A phone vibrating.
Victor’s phone lay on the desk.
Lily stepped away.
She would not touch it.
The phone stopped.
Then a message appeared on the screen.
UNKNOWN NUMBER:
SHE KNOWS ABOUT THE VIDEO.
Lily stared.
Another message appeared.
GET RID OF THE NANNY BEFORE BLACKWOOD FINDS OUT.
Lily’s breath stopped.
Victor’s office door opened.
She spun around.
It was Thomas.
Victor’s head of security.
Thomas was a large man in his forties.
Former military.
Quiet.
Lily had always considered him trustworthy.
Now she was not sure.
“What are you doing in here?”
His voice was calm.
“Victor told me to wait.”
Thomas looked at the desk.
Lily followed his eyes.
The phone screen had gone dark.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
Thomas stared at her.
Lily’s heart pounded.
Had he sent the message?
She had no idea.
“Mr. Blackwood wants you downstairs.”
“Why?”
“He didn’t say.”
Lily looked toward the door.
“Where is Victor?”
“Hospital.”
“Then why would he tell you to bring me downstairs?”
Thomas’s face remained expressionless.
“Lily.”
Something was wrong.
She stepped backward.
“I’ll wait for Victor.”
Thomas moved toward her.
“You don’t understand.”
“No.”
Lily’s voice rose.
“You don’t understand. I’m not going anywhere.”
Thomas stopped.
For the first time, his expression changed.
Not anger.
Concern.
“Then lock the door.”
Lily blinked.
“What?”
Thomas quickly looked down the hallway.
Then back at her.
“Lock the door.”
“What is happening?”
“Someone is coming.”
“Who?”
Thomas whispered one word.
“Serena.”
Lily stared at him.
Thomas stepped inside and closed the door.
“Listen to me.”
“Are you working for her?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know?”
Thomas ran a hand across his face.
“Because I’ve been trying to figure out what she’s doing for three months.”
Lily could not believe him.
“Three months?”
“She’s been meeting people outside the mansion.”
“Victor knows?”
“No.”
“Why didn’t you tell him?”
“Because I had no proof.”
Lily laughed bitterly.
“Apparently, nobody can do anything without proof around here.”
Thomas looked at her.
“I know what Serena is capable of.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
Lily crossed her arms.
“Then tell me.”
Thomas hesitated.
That was enough to make Lily angry.
“No.”
She walked toward the door.
Thomas grabbed her arm.
“Don’t.”
Lily pulled away.
“Don’t touch me.”
Thomas immediately released her.
“I’m sorry.”
Lily stepped back.
Thomas lowered his voice.
“Three months ago, one of Victor’s accountants disappeared.”
Lily stared at him.
“What?”
“He handled some private financial records.”
“What does that have to do with Serena?”
“Two days before he disappeared, he requested a meeting with Victor.”
“About what?”
“He never got the chance.”
Lily felt cold.
“What happened to him?”
Thomas looked at the floor.
“We don’t know.”
“Then why do you think Serena was involved?”
“I saw her meet with him.”
Lily’s heart pounded.
“When?”
“The night before he disappeared.”
Before Lily could respond, someone knocked.
Both of them froze.
Serena’s voice came from outside.
“Lily?”
Thomas moved toward the door.
Lily whispered, “What do we do?”
Thomas said nothing.
Serena knocked again.
“Victor wants to see you.”
Lily looked at Thomas.
He shook his head.
“Victor is at the hospital.”
Lily suddenly remembered the message.
GET RID OF THE NANNY.
Her entire body went cold.
Thomas whispered, “Stay here.”
He opened the door.
Serena stood outside.
She smiled.
“Thomas.”
“What do you want?”
Serena looked past him.
“I came for Lily.”
“She’s staying here.”
Serena’s eyes narrowed.
“Why?”
Thomas did not answer.
Serena smiled again.
“You’re being very protective of the nanny.”
Lily stepped forward.
“Serena.”
Thomas turned.
“Lily.”
But Lily was tired.
Tired of being afraid.
Tired of being treated like she was invisible.
“What?”
Serena asked.
Lily looked directly into her eyes.
“Did you hurt Ethan?”
The hallway became silent.
Serena stared at her.
Then laughed.
“Of course not.”
“Did you break his arm?”
“No.”
“Did you disable the cameras?”
Serena stopped laughing.
Thomas watched carefully.
Lily continued.
“Are you planning to hurt me?”
Serena tilted her head.
“Why would I?”
Lily stepped closer.
“Because I know what you did.”
Serena’s expression became completely empty.
Then she whispered something Lily would never forget.
“No.”
She looked toward Thomas.
“She doesn’t.”
Serena turned and walked away.
Thomas closed the door.
Lily stood still.
“What did she mean?”
Thomas looked terrified.
“I don’t know.”
But they were both lying.
Because at that exact moment, Serena was walking toward the private elevator.
Her phone was in her hand.
She made one call.
A man answered.
“Yes?”
Serena’s voice became cold.
“The nanny is becoming a problem.”
“What do you want us to do?”
Serena looked toward the security cameras.
May you like
Then smiled.
“Make sure she never speaks to Victor again.”
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