The heavy oak front doors of the Blackwood mansion did not slam open; they swung wide with a slow, deliberate weight that made the air in the foyer instantly drop by ten degrees.

While Julian Montigue was being transported to federal holding, Victor walked down the stone stairs into the reinforced basement suite beneath the mansion's east wing.

Serena sat on a metal chair, wrapped in a coarse gray blanket, her makeup smeared, her expensive white dress ruined. When the heavy iron door opened and Victor stepped inside, she scrambled to her feet, tears streaming down her face.

"Victor! Victor, please!" she begged, rushing toward him, but Mikhail blocked her path with a solid arm. "My father forced me into this! He told me if I didn't get rid of Ethan and control you, he would disown me!"

Victor stopped three feet away, looking down at her as if she were a insect under glass.

"You lied," Victor said smoothly. "You told me you loved my late wife's memory. You told me you wanted to be a mother to Ethan."

"I can be! I swear I can!" Serena sobbed. "It was a mistake! The nanny provoked me! She's been trying to seduce you, Victor! She wants your money!"

Victor pulled a audio recorder from his pocket and pressed play.

Lily’s recorded voice from the hospital room filled the small basement room: “I don't care what happens to me, Mr. Blackwood. Just please... don't let her hurt him again.”

Then Victor played Serena’s recorded voice from the foyer: “Nobody cares about a nobody like you.”

"The 'nobody' gave her body to protect my son," Victor said, his tone cold enough to stop a heart. "You gave your soul to steal my estate. You will plead guilty to all charges of child torture and conspiracy without a trial. If you fight this in court, I will release the raw footage to every news outlet in North America and ensure your family's assets are completely liquidated."