Chapter 207

Serena’s POV
I jerked awake to the harsh ring of Ryan’s phone, my sleep-addled brain struggling to make sense of the late-night intrusion. Through half-lidded eyes, I watched his face transform as he listened to the caller—his features hardening, jaw tightening, a storm brewing behind those steel-blue eyes.
“What’s happened?” I murmured, pushing myself up on my elbows.
Ryan ended the call, his expression grim. “Grandmother’s in the hospital. Critical condition. They’re trying to save her.”
The fog of sleep vanished instantly. “Critical? What happened to her?”
While I’d kept my distance for self-preservation, I still held a complicated affection for the old woman who’d once shown me kindness. Despite her manipulations, Evelyn Blackwood had been the closest thing to a grandmother figure I’d had since losing my own.
“They don’t know yet,” Ryan said, already throwing off the covers. “I need to get to the hospital. You should stay and rest.”
I shook my head decisively. “I’m coming with you.” Reading the concern in his eyes, I added, “She was good to me once. If something happens and I didn’t at least try to be there… I couldn’t forgive myself.”
Ryan sighed but didn’t argue further.
We arrived at the hospital too late. Death had beaten us by minutes.
Kane Blackwood sat blocking the doorway to Evelyn’s room, his wheelchair positioned like a barricade. The sight of him sent warning signals flaring through my system. His presence here, so quickly after her passing, wasn’t coincidence.
“Look who finally showed up,” Kane sneered. “The dutiful grandson and his pretty little mistake. Too busy to visit when she was alive, but rushing to her deathbed? How touching.”
“Stay away from my mother,” he hissed. “You’ve done enough damage.”
Ryan’s face darkened dangerously. Without hesitation, he shoved the wheelchair aside and guided me past Kane into the room. I felt Kane’s eyes boring into my back—calculating, assessing, plotting.
Inside, Evelyn’s body lay covered by a white sheet. The doctor explained it had been a sudden cardiac event, that she’d been experiencing symptoms but refused medical attention until it was too late.
“Just like that,” Ryan whispered, more to himself than to me.
I watched his face carefully. The grief was genuine, but there was something else—a haunted look I recognized. He was remembering his parents’ deaths. I’d seen that expression before when he spoke of them, that same raw, unhealed wound resurfacing.
I took his hand, squeezing it gently. “Ryan, she wouldn’t want you drowning in grief. We have to focus on what comes next.”
My words were deliberately chosen—’what comes next’—because I knew Ryan needed practical concerns to anchor him when emotions threatened to pull him under. It worked; I felt the subtle shift in his posture as he gathered himself, straightening his shoulders.
As we exited the room, Kane was waiting, a predatory smile playing on his lips.
“Ryan,” he called out, voice dripping with false sympathy. “Mother died because of your neglect. All your talk about family duty, yet look how cruelly you’ve treated your own uncle.”
“You’ll pay for this eventually,” he added, threat barely veiled.
Ryan’s control snapped. Before I could react, his fist connected with Kane’s face, splitting his lip and drawing blood.
The hallway froze in shocked silence. I stepped between them instantly—not just to protect Ryan from doing something worse, but to shield him from the consequences I could already see forming.
“Ryan, stop!” I grabbed his arm. “This isn’t the time or place. Think of your grandmother.”
Kane’s reaction confirmed my suspicions. Instead of retaliating, he smiled through bloodied teeth, a chilling sound escaping his throat.
“Go ahead, hit me again,” he taunted. “It won’t change what’s coming. Mother’s will is already executed. Every share, every property she owned—it’s all mine now.”
My breath caught. I spun to face Kane. “What did you say?”
“I’m now Blackwood’s second-largest shareholder,” Kane announced triumphantly. “One more mistake from you, nephew, and that CEO position you’re so proud of becomes very, very precarious.”
Ryan’s muscles tensed beneath my hand. I could feel him preparing to lunge again—exactly what Kane wanted. The pieces clicked together in my mind with crystal clarity: Kane had orchestrated this confrontation, deliberately provoking Ryan to create a scene that would strengthen his position.
I had to act fast.
“Ah!” I cried out suddenly, doubling over and clutching my stomach. “Ryan! Something’s wrong!”
Ryan’s focus instantly shifted. “Serena! What is it?”
I maintained the pained expression, saying nothing but continuing to grimace. Without hesitation, Ryan scooped me up and rushed me to the nearest examination room, barking orders at the hospital staff.
Only when Kane was far out of earshot did I allow myself to relax as the doctor approached us.
“Where’s the pain, Mrs. Blackwood?” the physician asked, concern evident in his voice.
I waved him off with a small smile. “I’m actually feeling much better now. I think it was just the baby moving rather forcefully. The emotional situation probably triggered it.”
The doctor frowned. “At your stage of pregnancy, we shouldn’t take any risks. Let me examine you properly.”
“That won’t be necessary,” I insisted politely but firmly. “If anything changes, I promise I’ll come straight back.”
As we left the examination room, Ryan’s expression had shifted from panic to dawning comprehension.
“You were faking,” he stated simply, no accusation in his voice.
I nodded. “If I hadn’t stopped you, you would have given Kane exactly what he wanted—evidence that you’re unstable and unfit to lead Blackwood. That second punch would have been corporate suicide.”
Ryan’s eyes widened slightly as the implications sank in. “You’re right. I played directly into his hands.”
“We should go home,” I suggested, steering us toward the exit. “Kane will handle the arrangements—he’ll have to, now that he’s claiming Evelyn’s legacy. If he wants to be the dutiful son, let him perform the role.”
I sighed, my mind racing through the implications of this new development. “What I don’t understand is why Evelyn would do this. Making Kane the second-largest shareholder essentially ensures conflict between you two. It’s almost like she wanted to reignite the power struggle.”
Ryan remained silent, his expression unreadable.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked finally. “The baby—”
I shook my head with a gentle smile. “I’m fine. I wasn’t really in pain. Some things are worth a little deception.”
Relief washed over his face, though the tension remained in his shoulders. “I shouldn’t have brought you here tonight.”
“Oh, stop that,” I chided, playfully tugging his arm. “We are family, why keep score about things like this? If I’d stayed home, I would have been awake worrying anyway.”
Something flickered in Ryan’s eyes at the words “family”—a softness I rarely saw anymore.
“I’m lucky to have you, Serena,” he said quietly.
The sincerity in his voice caught me off guard, warming something in me I thought had gone cold months ago. I stepped forward, wrapping my arms around him in a gentle embrace. As I felt his body relax against mine, I stroked his back soothingly.
“You’re not alone,” I whispered. “You have me and our child. We’re your family now, and we’re not going anywhere.”
I pulled back slightly, meeting his eyes. “As for Kane… men like him never stay on top for long. He’s shown his hand too early—and that’s his first mistake.”