Page 18 of Knot Heirs: Serenity's Reign

Serenity kept her face impassive, though her heart raced. Her mother had never spoken of this, only that she'd chosen to leave her family behind.

"The night before her wedding," Victor continued, "she was caught in a compromising position with a Beta servant. The scandal would have been containable, but Elise refused to go through with the wedding. She declared she would choose her own path." His eyes lingered on Serenity's face. "Your mother was stubborn. Like you."

"What happened then?" she asked, mind racing through potential escape routes. Five men in the room. Two by the door. Three windows, probably reinforced. 80th floor.

"Her family disowned her. Cut her off completely. In our world, an unmated Omega without family protection becomes property of The Society. She would have been sent to the rehabilitation islands."

Serenity's blood ran cold. The islands—where "difficult" Omegas were sent for "retraining." Everyone knew the euphemisms disguised something far more sinister.

"But Marcus Vale happened to be in the city on business," Victor said. "He saw her at a charity function—a last appearance before her banishment. He claimed her that night, against Society rules."

"He rescued her," Serenity whispered.

Victor laughed, harsh and abrupt. "Your father rescued no one. He wanted her, so he took her. He smuggled her out of the country before The Society could intervene. For nine months, we hunted them. When we found them, you had just been born."

Serenity's mind whirled with the implications. "And then?"

"Your mother died shortly after. Complications from childbirth, or so we were told. Marcus disappeared with you,leaving a bloody trail of dead Society enforcers. When he resurfaced years later as the head of the Vale Empire, he was too powerful for even us to touch." Victor's eyes narrowed. "But he knew the rules. You were always meant to be claimed within The Society."

Memories flashed through Serenity's mind—her father's insistence on self-defense training, his ruthless education in business tactics, his repeated warnings about trusting Alphas. He'd been preparing her all along.

"And now you think you can just pick up where you left off? Auction me off to the highest bidder?" she asked, her voice deceptively calm as she slipped her phone back into her purse.

"The laws of The Society are absolute," Victor stated. "An Omega of your lineage must be claimed. It's tradition."

"Fuck tradition," Serenity snapped, letting a hint of her rage surface. "My father built an empire without your precious Society. I am his daughter."

"And that's precisely why you're valuable," Victor replied. "The Vale Empire needs an Alpha at its helm. You need protection. The claiming serves both purposes."

Serenity laughed, a sound devoid of humor. "Protection? Like the kind Darius Castellano offered while planning to murder me once he had control of my father's assets?"

Victor shrugged. "Choose more wisely tonight."

She thought of her father's final gift—the hidden accounts, the offshore properties, the contingency plans only she knew about. The empire that appeared in official records was merely the tip of the iceberg. These men, Darius included, had no idea what they were truly fighting for.

"And if I refuse to participate in this farce?" she asked.

"Then you'll be sent to the islands," Victor stated flatly. "Your choice."

No choice at all. The fury that had been building inside her crystallized into something harder, colder. More useful. Her mother had faced these same men, this same impossible situation. And though Elise hadn't survived, she'd defied them until the end.

Serenity stood, smoothing her skirt with deliberate care. "I'll need suitable attire for tonight's event. Unless you expect me to attend in blood-stained clothes."

Victor nodded, seemingly pleased by her acquiescence. "A wise decision. We have preparations underway. You'll be escorted to accommodations where you can rest and ready yourself."

As two of the guards moved to flank her, Serenity permitted herself one small, dangerous smile. "You know, there's something my father taught me that's served me well in business."

"And what's that?" Victor asked.

"Always identify the weakest link in any chain." Her golden-red eyes scanned the room, noting the small tells of each man—the slight fidget of the youngest guard, the tightness around another's eyes, the barely perceptible hesitation in the third's movements. "Tonight should be... educational."

The guards led her toward the door, but she paused at the threshold, turning back to face Victor. "My mother chose her own path, against all odds and against The Society itself. I am her daughter too."

In the elevator, surrounded by men who viewed her as property to be claimed, Serenity's mind cataloged resources, scenarios, potential allies. They expected an Omega cowed by circumstance, overwhelmed by revelations. They expected her to be grateful for the protection they offered.

What they failed to understand was that Marcus Vale hadn't raised a daughter to be claimed—he'd raised an heir. AndSerenity Vale had no intention of surrendering her father's empire or her own freedom to anyone, least of all to the man who'd orchestrated his murder.

Let them prepare their competition. Let Darius Castellano come with his arrogance and his betrayal. Let Victor and his Society believe they held all the cards.

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