Page 13 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

Victor's expression didn't change as he turned the tablet toward her. On the screen was a photograph she'd never seen—a younger version of her mother, radiant in an evening gown, smiling up at a tall, imposing man with golden eyes identical to her own.

"Marcus Vale was murdered," Victor continued, his voice a study in controlled authority. "Shot in his penthouse by professionals. The power vacuum his death created has destabilized operations across North America. Blood will flow in the streets unless succession is established quickly and decisively."

Serenity felt ice form in her veins. "And this concerns me how, exactly?"

"It concerns you, Ms. Vale, because you now own everything. The properties, the businesses, the alliances, the enemies." Victor leaned forward slightly, his presence intensifying. "Your father built an empire that controls major drug trafficking routes across three continents, weapons manufacturing facilities in six countries, a shipping fleet that moves cargo no customs agent is permitted to inspect, and real estate holdings that would make small nations envious."

He paused, his gaze unflinching.

"And now, every Alpha with ambition and firepower wants to claim it—and you—as their own. Your father's lieutenants are already positioning themselves. His rivals are mobilizing. And The Society must ensure the transition adheres to our protocols—for everyone's safety."

Everyone's safety except mine, Serenity thought, her mind racing through implications, dangers, angles.

"You have your father's eyes," Victor observed quietly. "I wonder if you have his instinct for survival as well. You'll need it in the coming days."

Serenity's heartbeat thundered in her ears, though she maintained an outward calm that belied the chaos inside her. Marcus Vale. Her father. An empire built on blood.

She knew it all, of course—had known it for months. But these men couldn't know that. They couldn't know about the encrypted files she'd decrypted, the offshore accounts she'd traced, the midnight visits to her mother where she'd extracted painful truths from a dying woman.

The Society thought they were revealing her lineage. In reality, they were revealing their own ignorance.

"This is absurd," she said, injecting just the right amount of incredulity into her voice. "My father is not some... drug lord." She looked around the opulent office, letting her eyes widen slightly. "This is some kind of mistake. Or a sick joke."

Victor's thin smile never reached his eyes.

"I assure you, Ms. Vale, The Society does not make mistakes of this magnitude." He nodded to a man standing in the corner, who stepped forward with a sleek black portfolio.

"Perhaps some evidence will help clarify the situation."

The man placed the portfolio on the glass desk between them and opened it methodically. Serenity leaned forward, pretending reluctance, while her analytical mind raced ahead.Why now? Why ambush me tonight? They could have approached me properly if they just wanted to inform me. There's something more.

"DNA comparison," Victor said, sliding a document across the desk. "Your profile from a glass you used at Verte last Tuesday, compared against samples we have of Marcus Vale."

Serenity studied the document, buying time.They've been watching me. For how long?

"99.998% paternal match," she read aloud, allowing her voice to waver slightly. "This could be fabricated."

Victor's expression didn't change. "Perhaps. But this?"

He placed a photograph on the desk. Her mother—younger, radiant, wearing an elegant evening gown—stood beside a tall man with striking golden eyes. The same eyes Serenity saw in her mirror every morning.

"That's my mother," she whispered, genuine emotion slipping through her guard. She'd never seen this photo before. Her mother looked happy, her hand resting on Marcus Vale's arm with comfortable intimacy.

They've had access to my father's private files. Which means they've had access to his properties. For a long time. What else do they have?

"They met at a charity gala in Monaco," Victor explained. "Marcus was there laundering money through art auctions. Your mother was... accompanying a business associate."

Another photograph appeared. Her mother again, visibly pregnant, walking through a garden with Marcus. His hand protectively at the small of her back.

"And finally," Victor said, "your original birth certificate."

The document looked official, bearing government seals and stamps. Father: Marcus Alexander Vale. Mother: Elise Catherine Winters.

Why did they collect all this evidence? The Society enforces rules among criminal enterprises, they don't get involved in succession planning. Unless... unless there's something about my father's empire that makes it strategic to them.

Serenity let her hands tremble slightly as she pushed the papers away. "I don't understand why you're showing me all this. Even if it's true?—"

"It is," Victor interrupted.

---