Victor Blackwood did not raise his voice when he spoke, yet his single word shattered the fragile acoustics of the marble foyer.

The private medical suite on the third floor of the Blackwood mansion looked more like a sterile hospital ward than a room in a private home. State-of-the-art heart monitors beeped in a steady, agonizing rhythm as Dr. Vance reset Ethan’s fractured arm. The baby’s muffled, exhausted cries echoed off the stainless-steel counters, tearing at Lily’s heart with every second that passed.

Victor stood by the reinforced glass window, his back to the room. He hadn't removed his damp overcoat. His broad shoulders were rigid, and the veins in his neck pulsed with a suppressed fury that threatened to tear the mansion apart.

Serena sat across the room on a velvet armchair, dabbing at her dry eyes with an embroidered lace handkerchief. She had recovered her composure remarkably fast, slipping back into the role of the devoted, deeply traumatized future stepmother.

"Victor, darling, this is utterly absurd," Serena sniffled, pitching her voice to sound fragile and abused. "Dragging me up here to be cross-examined like a common criminal while a temporary, unvetted nanny weaves some malicious fairy tale? You know how deeply I love Ethan. I raised funds for the pediatric wing last month—why would I ever harm a child?"

Victor turned slowly. The sheer coldness in his eyes made Serena swallow hard, cutting her performance short.

"Lily," Victor said, ignoring Serena entirely. He walked over to where Lily sat on a low stool, wringing her bruised hands in her lap. His massive frame towered over her, but his posture was curiously devoid of the predatory menace he usually reserved for his enemies. "You have six months of employment records here. You have never missed a shift. You saved Ethan from choking on a toy three months ago. I trust your competence."

Lily looked up, meeting his terrifying gaze. "She broke his arm, Mr. Blackwood."

"That is a lie!" Serena shrieked, springing from her chair. "Victor, she’s lying! She’s trying to cover up her own negligence because she knows you’ll fire her!"

"Sit down, Serena," Victor said without raising his voice, yet the command carried the weight of an executioner's axe. Serena dropped back into her seat, her chest heaving with indignation.

Victor turned back to Lily. "Tell me everything. Start from the moment you walked into the foyer."

"I was coming down the back stairs with Ethan’s fresh bottle," Lily said, her voice shaking but growing stronger as the memory of the abuse flashed before her eyes. "I heard a sound in the main foyer—a sharp snap, like something hitting the wall. When I looked over the balcony, I saw her. She had Ethan by the arm, dragging him across the floor because he wouldn't stop crying about his teething pain. She called him a miserable little parasite."

Serena’s face drained of color. "You—you filthy, lying little—"

"Go on," Victor instructed, his eyes fixed on Lily.

"When she saw me, she tried to cover it up," Lily continued, swallowing hard. "She dropped him, and when I screamed and ran to protect him, she kicked me in the stomach. She told me that nobody would ever believe a cheap nanny over the future Mrs. Blackwood, and that she would make me disappear."

The silence in the room became absolute. Even the medical monitors seemed to quiet down.

Victor slowly turned his head to look at Serena. A terrifying, mirthless smile touched the corners of his mouth.

"You called my son a parasite," Victor murmured, stepping toward her.

Serena scrambled backward, her chair scraping screechingly against the floor. "Victor—listen to me! She’s a disgruntled employee! She’s making it all up to ruin our wedding! You can’t possibly believe a nobody over your own fiancée!"

"My fiancée," Victor repeated softly, stopping two feet away from her trembling form. "Serena... do you know why I built this house on this exact piece of land?"