Taking a deep breath, she finally answered, though she remained silent, allowing him to speak first.
“I spoke to my mother,” Nathaniel’s voice came through, calm yet heavy with unspoken tension. “She was the one who orchestrated the unofficial blacklist against you. We came to an agreement, and I’ve revoked it. You should now be free to apply for jobs in Velmon City. Alternatively, you could-“
Before he could finish, Serena abruptly ended the call. The decision to leave after the divorce was finalized had been made long ago, and she wasn’t about to waver now. The anger about her mother’s will still simmered within her, but she couldn’t let it overshadow the glimmers of hope that were beginning to surface.
Upon arriving at Alice’s apartment, she was greeted by the sound of her phone ringing again. This time it was the agent handling the sale of her marital home.
“Miss Kline, I have some fantastic news,” the agent announced, his voice brimming with enthusiasm. “I found a buyer who is willing to pay double the market price.” Serena’s brow furrowed in disbelief. “Double? Fourteen million?”
“Exactly, Miss Kline,” he confirmed, the excitement palpable. “And he’s also prepared to pay an additional six million for the luxury items you left behind.”
“Really?” she asked, her heart racing as she rummaged through the fridge for something to eat. Despite the ache in her chest, this news felt like a small victory. The prospect of shedding the weight of that house and starting afresh was exhilarating.
“Thank you,” Serena replied, trying to keep her voice steady. “When can I meet the buyer?”
“The buyer prefers to stay anonymous, Miss Kline. His lawyers will manage everything through me. Rest assured, we’ll finalize the sale once the funds are transferred.”
Serena forced a smile, though it felt slightly strained. “Alright, whatever works for him.”
Alice had gone out after catching a few hours of sleep, her last message indicating she was meeting a friend at Velmon Prime Medical Center. If it hadn’t been for her visit to her father, Serena would have joined her. Regardless, they had plans for dinner together later.
Alice returned sooner than expected, and they sat down for a meal. However, Serena noticed her friend seemed preoccupied, her mind clearly elsewhere. It wasn’t until they finished eating that Alice finally broke the silence. “So, I went to see my friend at Velmon Prime Medical Center. She helped me dig into the old medical records regarding your mom and your birth.”
Serena leaned forward, her interest piqued. She had just finished her soup, and the prospect of uncovering new information made her heart race.
Alice stood up, retrieving a set of documents from a brown envelope. “Serena, when you were born, the hospital conducted a standard blood typing.”
“And?” Serena prompted, her curiosity intensifying.
Alice slid the documents across the table toward her. “According to these records, Roselind Kline gave birth to a baby girl with A+ blood type. But you… you’re O+. If Dianna’s suspicions hold any truth, this is a significant clue.”
Serena felt the world tilt beneath her. Just last week, Dianna, her mother’s longtime assistant, had confided in her, saying, “Serena, I’ve always sensed that you weren’t truly Roselind and Victor’s daughter. The way they spoke about you when you weren’t around-it felt like you were a stranger to them.”
If anyone had witnessed the coldness of her parents towards her, it was Dianna and the old nanny who had taken care of her.
Given what Alice had just revealed, it felt as if the ground was shifting beneath her. Either Dianna was right, or her parents were simply cruel beyond measure.
“Though,” Alice added cautiously, “I have to say, hospitals can make mistakes. Samples can get mixed up, and errors can occur… and this result is over twenty years old. We still need more concrete evidence.”
Serena felt a dull throb in her temples as she massaged them gently. “The only way to confirm this is with a DNA test.”
She looked up at Alice, who had a concerned expression on her face. “Are you…?”
Serena exhaled slowly, a wave of emotions crashing over her. Her eyes felt heavy with unshed tears cant I can’t face Victor anymore. And if this is true, I know he wouldn’t willingly give me his DNA.”
“Then what do we do? Exhume your mother?” Alice suggested, her voice laced with a mix of concern and frustration.
That thought sent a chill down Serena’s spine. The mere idea of disturbing her mother’s resting place was unbearable, complicated, and would undoubtedly infuriate Victor.
“There has to be another clue,” she murmured, her brow furrowing in deep thought. “Have the police investigated everything in your parents’ mansion?” Alice inquired.
“I know Nathan seized the property, and yes, they’re going through it with a fine-tooth comb,” Serena replied
Qu
“A new complainant has come forward-the wife of an old driver who worked for victor years ag She claims her husband was killed because he uncovered a secret… something related to Victor. But she never learned what that secret was.”
“So the investigators are digging deeper,” Alice noted, her voice tinged with disbelief.
“Victor was truly something else, wasn’t he?” Alice muttered, her disgust evident.
Serena nodded in agreement. “I don’t even want to be associated with him anymore. I loathe my last name.”
It was a miracle that she had survived it all-the early abuse, her parents’ frigid demeanor, the incessant belittling. Victor and Roselind had only begun to feign interest in her once Nathaniel entered her life.
It wasn’t love. It wasn’t even affection. It was merely a means to an end. Nathaniel represented everything they had always desired but could never attain. He was the brilliant heir to the Thorne Empire, the man who could elevate Kline BioSolutions beyond Victor’s grasp.
And because Nathaniel had chosen her, suddenly Serena became… valuable.
That was the first time she felt even a semblance of “acceptance” from her own parents.
Not embraced. Not loved.
Just… acknowledged.
At best, Victor and Roselind viewed her as a potential asset, not as their daughter. They never truly appreciated her hard work as the Director for Clinical Research at Kline BioSolutions. During her tenure, sh? developed two groundbreaking antibiotics, an achievement that Nathaniel alone praised and rewarded.
Or did he? Was that merely part of the act?
Serena couldn’t shake the suspicion. After all, Nathaniel had married her to gather evidence against Victor.
“Why don’t we… sneak in?” Alice proposed suddenly, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “You know the mansion inside and out. I remember you mentioned another way in, right?”
A sharp hiss escaped Serena. “It’s a terrible idea.”
“If we don’t do this,” Alice reminded her, “we’ll have to exhume your mother.”
Serena glanced down at her belly, a wave of apprehension washing over her. She knew she shouldn’t engage in anything dangerous, but a part of her yearned to uncover the truth.
What if she truly wasn’t their daughter? What if another family was out there, waiting for her?
After a moment of deliberation, she swallowed hard and finally conceded, “Fine.”
The Basement.
The plan had been meticulously crafted, and now it was time to put it into action.
Serena and Alice had decided to make their way into the grand Kline mansion after six o’clock that evening. To ensure everything went smoothly, Alice had taken the early morning shift at her job, allowing her to be free for the heist.
While still in Velmon City, Serena had met with the agent responsible for the sale of a warehouse, an opportunity that seemed too golden to overlook. Yes, she was preparing to leave soon, but this investment could prove to be a turning point in her financial future. If there was ever a moment to be prudent with her money, it was now.
With the payment for her marital home processing, she and the agent had finalized their agreement. By the end of the week, Serena would officially own a ten-acre property-one that held the potential for a significant fortune down the line.
At precisely three in the afternoon, Alice clocked out of work. She hurried to pick up Serena so they could gather the few essentials they would need for their audacious plan.
Not that they required much. Serena had stumbled upon a secret backdoor entrance to the mansion during one of her childhood escapades. Remarkably, that part of the house had remained untouched over the years.
By five o’clock, both Serena and Alice were stationed outside the old Kline mansion, their hearts pounding with a mix of excitement and trepidation.
“Looks like we’ve got two officers on duty,” Alice observed, her brow furrowed in concentration. “They seem to be focused on the front of the house. We can definitely work with this.”
Serena let out a heavy sigh, her heart racing in her chest.
“Alright, here’s the plan,” Alice said, her voice filled with determination. “I’ll go in, and you keep watch out here.”
Alice slipped on a Bluetooth headset, adding, “As long as we’re connected, you can direct me on where to go.”
Serena frowned, a knot of anxiety forming in her stomach. This wasn’t going to work.
For one, she had only shown Alice the secret back entrance once, and that was ages ago. Her friend had never actually ventured through it herself, not even once. “No way,” Serena insisted, shaking her head. “You stay out here, and I’ll go in.” Alice gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief. “No, I can’t let my pregnant friend go in there alone!”
“If I get caught, I’ll just say I thought I still had the right to enter,” Serena replied, trying to sound more confident than she felt. After all, the mansion belonged to the Klines, but with Nathaniel’s ongoing case against Victor, the court had granted him sole custody of the estate.
“Now I really regret suggesting this,” Alice muttered, her voice tinged with worry.
“Well, there’s no turning back now,” Serena said, her determination solidifying. “Let’s go around to the back.”
They drove slowly around the block, Alice at the wheel, both of them trying to remain inconspicuous. Behind the Kline mansion was a gazebo, a quaint structure often used for neighborhood gatherings and outdoor events.
Serena stepped out of the car, donning gloves and a mask to conceal her identity. She made her way toward the gazebo, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. Behind it lay a thick patch of overgrown vegetation, the one blind spot in the mansion’s security.
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.