“Serena, I might have some promising news,” Dianna replied, her voice steady yet filled with anticipation. “I’ve been assisting your parents legal team with the documents, and… I’ve uncovered something important. Nathan wasn’t able to seize your mother’s old estate in Rosemont Heights.”
Serena straightened in her chair, her heart racing. “Why not?”
“The judge denied his request,” Dianna explained, her voice low as if sharing a secret. “That property belonged to your maternal grandmother. It was inherited your mother, not financed by your father. Since it was never considered your father’s asset, Nathan had no egal grounds to claim it. And since… your mother is no longer with us, you would be the rightful beneficiary.”
“Wouldn’t the property automatically go to my dad?” Serena questioned, confusion clouding her thoughts.
“That’s the interesting part,” Dianna lowered her voice further. “I overheard something at the firm earlier today. Your mother didn’t transfer the estate to your father at all. She likely anticipated that Nathan would try to seize it.”
Serena’s lips pressed into a thin line, her heart heavy with realization. “…Thank you, Dianna. I’ll investigate this further.”
The mansion passed down to Roselind Kline was a grand, three-story structure. Serena had visited it a few times, but it had never been her home. Her mother often rented it out like a vacation retreat for others to enjoy.
If Nathaniel couldn’t seize it, she would certainly consider selling it. Who else had the rightful claim? Her mother had been an only child, and she herself was the sole heir as well.
The following day, Serena made her way to the law firm handling her parents’ affairs. She was already familiar with the lawyer in charge, Mr. Howard, having met him on several occasions.
“Serena,” Mr. Howard exclaimed, his surprise evident when he saw her standing at his office door.
She took a seat across from him, her voice steady yet determined. “Mr. Howard, is it true that Nathan wasn’t able to seize my grandmother’s house in Rosemont Heights?”
Mr. Howard’s brow furrowed, concern etching his features. “How did you come to know about that?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Serena replied firmly. “What matters is that I’m my mother’s only child. I want to claim the property, and I’m thinking of selling it.”
A tightness crossed Mr. Howard’s face, and he hesitated for a moment too long, his discomfort palpable. Finally, he spoke, “Serena… it isn’t that simple. Your mother left a will before she passed away.”
Serena blinked, stunned by this revelation. “A will?” she echoed, her heart sinking.
“Yes,” Mr. Howard confirmed quietly. “And she did not leave the house to you. I’m also not permitted to disclose the identity of the beneficiary. Your mother requested strict confidentiality.”
Serena stared at him, disbelief washing over her.
Her mother had written a will… and had deliberately chosen to exclude her?
In her final moments, she hadn’t left Serena anything at all.
Just how deep did her parents’ resentment run?
Later that day, Serena sought the truth, heading straight to visit her father in prison.
It was a confrontation that would leave her utterly devastated, unraveling the threads of her life in ways she never anticipated.
“Please remain seated here, Miss Kline,” the correctional officer directed with a tone that was both authoritative and indifferent. “Your father will be brought out shortly.” Serena nodded, her heart heavy, and settled into the unforgiving metal chair positioned in front of the thick glass partition designated for visitors of high-profile inmates. The chill of the chair seeped through her jeans, and the stark, sterile environment of the room loomed around her, thick with an oppressive silence as she awaited the inevitable.
Victor Kline, her father, had not yet been convicted, but the weight of the evidence presented by Nathaniel and his legal team hung heavily in the air, suffocating any glimmer of hope. It was clear to anyone observing that Victor was guilty.
The trial was still in progress, but the clock was ticking down to what seemed like an unavoidable sentence.
Was Serena shocked? In some ways, yes. The news of her father’s arrest had rocked her world, shaking the very foundations of her beliefs about him. Yet, deep down, she had always sensed his capacity for ruthlessness. What she had not anticipated was the sheer depth of that cruelty… until Nathaniel laid it bare for all to see.
Nathaniel had not only pursued a criminal case but also filed a civil suit that had led the court to freeze most of the Kline family’s assets. This strategic maneuver allowed Nathaniel to seize control of Kline BioSolutions, taking away her parents’ opulent mansion and several other properties that had once belonged to Victor.
Serena rubbed her palms together beneath the table, desperately trying to calm the storm of anxiety swirling within her. The relentless hum of the fluorescent lights drilled into her consciousness, mingling with the distant, echoing sound of metal doors slamming shut. Every noise in this sterile environment felt cold and unwelcoming, amplifying her sense of dread.
She swallowed hard, the lump in her throat growing larger.
Whatever anxiety she clutched tightly, whatever questions she had prepared to voice, none of it could brace her for the confrontation that lay ahead.
Moments later, her father emerged, a disheveled figure clad in the unmistakable orange uniform of an inmate. It hung awkwardly on him, a far cry from the impeccably tailored suits he once wore with such pride.
Victor Kline, now in his late fifties, had previously exuded an air of arrogance that was almost palpable. His meticulously styled blond hair had always been a reflection of the pride he wore like a shield. He had boasted incessantly about being the wealthiest man in Velmon City, a title he had clung to until the Thornes eclipsed him in both wealth and influence.
Now, the man who stood before her looked as though a decade had been stripped from his life overnight.
“You!” Victor barked the moment his eyes landed on her. “What are you doing here?”
Serena felt her heart race. “Nice to see you too, Dad,” she replied, her voice steadier than she felt.
“Get out of here. I don’t want to see your face,” Victor growled, his expression a mask of disdain.
“I have something important to ask,” Serena insisted, rising from her seat, determination coursing through her veins.
Victor was already turning away, but he hesitated, casting her a venomous glance over his shoulder. “What do you want?” he sneered.
“I found out Nathan wasn’t able to seize Mother’s mansion in Rosemont Heights,”
she began, her voice trembling slightly. “I spoke to the lawyers today and discovered she drafted a will. What shocked me the most was that she left me out-“
“The will?” Victor’s laughter was bitter, cutting through the air like a knife. “You honestly believe Roselind would leave anything for you? After everything you’ve done?”
Serena felt her body tense, her mind racing as she blinked in disbelief.
“You brought Nathaniel into my home,” he spat, venom lacing his words. “YOU let a traitor in. YOU trusted him. YOU gave him the opportunity to dismantle everything I built!”
He jabbed a finger at her through the glass, his anger palpable. “You were his perfect little pawn.”
“You were supposed to serve your purpose-serve us! But no. Instead, you became Nathaniel’s tool!” His lip curled in disgust. “You were a mistake. A colossal one. We should have left you on the streets to die!”
Serena’s chest constricted painfully, her heart racing as disbelief washed over her.
They had danced around this conversation before, but never had she encountered such unbridled viciousness. Victor had never been particularly nurturing, but she had always believed there was a boundary he wouldn’t cross, a line he wouldn’t dare to erase, simply because she was his daughter.
But she was mistaken.
Serena was utterly, irrevocably mistaken.
Rage ignited within her, and she shot back, “Father, how can you hold me accountable for your crimes? You ordered the hit on Nathan’s father. You lit the match. Nathan simply exposed the truth!”
“Some people exist solely to be used, Serena. Neal Collins was one of them,” Victor hissed, his voice low and menacing. “And you? You were no different. Nathan used you.”
He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper that sent chills down her spine. “Get out. If I ever walk free again… you will regret ever being tied to me.”
Serena stiffened, a wave of fear washing over her. ‘Was he… actually threatening me?’
“I hope Nathaniel left you with nothing, that you bear the weight of being my daughter. Because that’s the only way I can get back at you for your foolishness!” Victor spat, his words laced with venom.
And then, without a single word more, he turned and walked away, leaving her reeling in the aftermath of his cruelty.
The guard signaled the end of her visit, but Serena remained frozen, staring at the empty chair across the glass, her mind a whirlwind of disbelief and sorrow.
It dawned on her that it was time to sever whatever connection she had left with the man who was supposed to be her father.
It was a lost cause.
He was simply… too vicious.
By the time she stepped into the parking lot, the wind had turned biting cold. She gazed up at the low, gray clouds gathering ominously above her, and for a fleeting moment, she pondered the sins of her past life that had led her to svet parents like these… a father could unleash venomous words without a second thought, a mother who had departed this world without leaving behind even a trace of warmth.
But that wasn’t the deepest wound.
No. What stung the most was the realization that she had poured her heart into a man who had never truly loved her in return A man who had manipulated her to settle his own scores, just as her father had manipulated others throughout his life.
Serena found herself trapped between two kinds of pain: one she had inherited, and the other she had willingly walked into.
Yet soon, she would uncover a detail hidden in plain sight, a revelation that would illuminate her father’s chilling coldness… and hint at a secret profound enough to rewrite the very narrative of her existence.
Serena found herself lost in a whirlwind of thoughts as she navigated her way back to the heart of the city. The hum of the engine was almost soothing, a stark contrast to the chaos swirling in her mind. Suddenly, her phone rang, jolting her from her reverie. When she glanced at the screen, her breath hitched in her throat. Nathaniel was calling. The mere sight of his name sent a rush of adrenaline through her veins, causing her to slam on the brakes a bit too hard.
She pulled over to the side of the road, the tires skidding slightly on the gravel. Her phone vibrated insistently in her lap, and she felt a mix of anticipation and dread.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.