Chapter 9 - CLAIRE'S FINAL WISH
Lily’s fingers trembled as she unfolded the crisp parchment. Claire’s elegant handwriting was instantly recognizable, flowing across the page with warmth and grace.
Dearest Lily,
If you are reading this, it means you kept your promise, protected my baby boy, and helped Victor see the truth before it was too late. I knew the moment I met you at my studio that you possessed a rare, pure heart—a heart that could love my son not for his family name or wealth, but for who he is.
Victor is a man of fierce loyalty, but grief has a way of blinding the strongest souls. When I realized Serena was slowly poisoning me, my greatest terror was not my own death, but leaving Ethan in the hands of monsters. You gave me peace in my final days, knowing there was someone in this world who would fight for my child.
I have established a private, irrevocable trust in your name. It will ensure you never have to struggle or worry for the rest of your life. But more than that, my final wish is that you help Victor remember how to live again. He needs a partner, and Ethan needs a mother who truly loves him.
Thank you for being my son’s guardian angel.
With all my love,
Claire.
Tears silently spilled down Lily’s cheeks as she finished reading the letter. She pressed the paper against her heart, her breath hitching in her throat.
Victor watched her quietly, his gray eyes filled with an emotion he had suppressed for over a year.
“Claire always had a way of seeing through people,” Victor said gently, leaning forward. “She saw who Serena was long before I did. And she saw who you were, Lily, before I even had the chance to know your name.”
“She was an incredible woman, Victor,” Lily whispered, wiping her tears away. “I only did what any decent person would do.”
“No,” Victor said firmly, his voice filled with deep conviction. “You took a bullet for my son. You took a beating for him. You stayed in that lion’s den for months, risking your own life every single day just to keep him safe. That isn’t just decency, Lily. That is devotion.”
Ethan let out a happy squeal, crawling over the pillows until his head bumped against Lily’s knee. Lily smiled through her tears, reaching down to stroke the baby’s soft golden curls.
“What happens now, Mr. Blackwood?” Lily asked softly.
Victor raised an eyebrow, a subtle smirk playing on his lips. “First, you stop calling me Mr. Blackwood. My name is Victor.”
Lily blushed slightly, nodding. “Victor.”
“Second,” Victor continued, standing up and offering her his hand. “You are no longer Ethan’s employee. You are his legal guardian alongside me, as stipulated in Claire’s final trust documents.”
Lily’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Guardian? Victor, I… I’m just an orphan. I don’t have a background, or wealth, or high-society status—”
“I don’t care about high society,” Victor interrupted coldly. “High society gave me Serena Vance. High society gave me corruption, greed, and murder. What Ethan needs—what this family needs—is someone real. Someone with a soul.”
He gently pulled Lily up from the sofa until she was standing inches from him. The tension in the room shifted, turning from sorrow into something electric and full of new life.
“Stay with us, Lily,” Victor said, his eyes searching hers. “Not as a nanny. But as part of this family.”
Before Lily could answer, the security phone on the wall buzzed with an urgent, sharp ring.
May you like
Victor stepped back, frowning, and tapped the speaker. “What is it, Marcus?”
“Boss, we have an emergency at the state medical holding facility,” Marcus reported, his voice tense. “Serena Vance swallowed a smuggled razor blade an hour ago during her intake transfer. She’s being rushed to St. Jude’s Memorial for emergency surgery—and her father’s remaining offshore associates just hijacked the transport ambulance.”
