The coordinates led me to an abandoned opera house on the edge of the city.
Of course it did.
Villains never picked normal locations.
I parked three blocks away. Checked my phone one last time. A text from Mrs. Chen: Please don't do this alone.
Too late.
I was already walking through the broken entrance, past graffiti-covered walls and shattered chandeliers.
"Seraphina!" Vivienne's voice echoed through the empty theater. "Right on time. I knew you'd come."
She stood on the stage, spotlight somehow still working, illuminating her like the star of a twisted show. She wore red—always red—and held my mother's necklace dangling from her fingers.
"Let's skip the dramatic monologue," I said, stopping in the aisle. "What do you want?"
"The same thing everyone wants. Power. Money. Revenge." She smiled. "Your mother took something from me twenty years ago. Now I'm taking everything from you."
"You didn't even know my mother."
"Didn't I?" She laughed. "Oh, sweetheart. Your mother and I were... close. Very close. She was my mentor on the charity board. Taught me everything about society, grace, how to navigate the world of the elite."
My chest tightened. "You're lying."
"Am I?" Vivienne pulled out her phone, showed me a photo. Young her. Young my mother. Arms around each other, smiling.
Sisters, almost.
"She promised me things," Vivienne continued, voice turning cold. "Connections. Introductions. A path into the Knight family. Then she discovered their crimes and decided to play hero. She was going to destroy everything—including my future. So I made a choice."
Ice flooded my veins. "You helped kill her."
"I told Robert Knight where she'd be that night. What route she'd take home. How to make it look like an accident." No remorse. No guilt. "I was nineteen. Ambitious. She was in my way."
"You were a child—"
"I was smart." She descended from the stage. "And it paid off. Robert rewarded me. Put me through law school. Introduced me to Alexander. I was supposed to marry him, merge our families, rule this city together."
"Then I came along."
"Then you came along." Her eyes glittered with hate. "The daughter of the woman I helped murder. Married to the man who was supposed to be mine. It's almost poetic."
"You're insane."
"I'm practical." She held up the necklace. "This belonged to your mother. But what you don't know is what's inside it."
She twisted the pendant. It clicked open, revealing a tiny USB drive.
"Your mother was clever. Before she died, she copied everything onto this. Every crime. Every name. Including mine." Vivienne smiled. "Robert thought he'd destroyed all the evidence. He didn't know she'd hidden the most damning piece in plain sight."
"Give it to me."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because if you don't, I'll—"
"You'll what?" She laughed. "You have no leverage, Seraphina. Alexander's in prison. Your family's destroyed. You're alone. Again."
My phone buzzed. A text from unknown number: Get out. Now. It's a trap.
I looked up just as men emerged from the shadows. Six of them. Armed.
"You see," Vivienne purred, "I'm not just here to gloat. I'm here to tie up loose ends. You. The evidence. All of it."
"You won't get away with this—"
"I already have." She nodded to her men. "Kill her. Make it look like suicide. Grief over her imprisoned husband. So tragic."
They raised their guns.
I closed my eyes.
A different gunshot rang out.
But not at me.
One of Vivienne's men dropped. Then another.
Chaos erupted.
Someone grabbed my arm, yanking me behind a row of seats. "Stay down!"
I looked up. Marcus. And behind him—a whole team of security.
"How—"
"Mrs. Chen called me the second you left. Boss's orders still stand—keep you safe no matter what."
Gunfire exploded through the theater. Vivienne screamed, running.
"Get her!" Marcus yelled.
His team chased.
I ran for the stage. For the necklace Vivienne had dropped.
My fingers closed around it just as Vivienne appeared, gun pointed at my head.
"You should have died quietly," she hissed.
"Probably." I smiled. "But I never do what I should."
I threw myself backward just as she fired.
The bullet missed by inches.
Marcus tackled her from the side. The gun went flying.
"No!" Vivienne thrashed. "You don't understand! I have information! I know things! I can help you!"
"We don't need your help," I said coldly, standing over her. "We have everything now."
I held up the USB drive.
Her face went pale. "You can't—"
"Can't what? Expose you? Destroy you like you destroyed my mother?" I leaned closer. "Watch me."
Police sirens wailed outside.
"Federal agents are here," Marcus said. "Mrs. Chen didn't just call me. She called everyone."
Vivienne was dragged away, screaming threats and promises.
I stood there, clutching my mother's necklace, shaking.
"It's over," Marcus said gently. "You're safe."
"Is Alexander—"
"Already contacted the prison. Extra security on him. He's protected."
Relief crashed through me so hard I nearly collapsed.
Marcus caught me. "Easy. When's the last time you ate?"
I couldn't remember.
"Let's get you checked out. You've been through—"
"I'm fine." But the world tilted slightly.
"You're not fine. Hospital. Now."
I was too exhausted to argue.
The hospital room was quiet. Clean. Safe.
The doctor smiled kindly. "You've been through quite an ordeal, Mrs. Knight. But you're going to be okay."
"When can I see my husband? Can I—"
"There's something else." She glanced at her chart. "When we ran your bloodwork, we found something. You're pregnant. About six weeks."
The world stopped.
"What?"
"Pregnant. It's very early, but—"
"No." My hands went to my stomach. "No, that's not—we only—"
The night before the gala. In his study. When everything had fallen apart and come together.
"Oh God."
"Is this... not welcome news?" the doctor asked carefully.
"He's in prison." My voice cracked. "For five years. I can't—he can't—"
"You have options—"
"No." The word came out fierce. Protective. My hands pressed against my stomach. "No. This baby is... this is ours. This is real."
Even if he was locked away.
Even if I'd face this alone.
This was ours.
"Congratulations, then." The doctor squeezed my hand. "You'll need to take it easy. Reduce stress. No more theatrics with armed criminals."
I laughed. It came out half-sob.
"I'll try."
Two days later, I sat across from Alexander in the prison visiting room.
He looked tired. Thinner already. But his eyes lit up when he saw me.
"You're okay," he breathed into the phone. "When I heard about Vivienne—"
"I'm fine. She's in custody. The USB drive had everything. The FBI is building cases against dozens of people. It's over. Really over this time."
"Thank God." He pressed his hand against the glass. "I was going insane thinking about—"
"Alexander." I put my hand against his through the barrier. "I have to tell you something."
His expression shifted. Worried. "What?"
"I'm pregnant."
Silence.
His face went through a dozen emotions. Shock. Joy. Fear. Pain.
"How far?"
"Six weeks. The night before the gala. In your study."
"Seraphina—" His voice broke. "I'm going to miss everything. The pregnancy. The birth. The first years. I'm going to miss all of it."
"I know."
"I'm so sorry—"
"Don't." Tears streamed down my face. "Don't apologize for doing the right thing. Our child will know their father is a good man. A man who chose justice over comfort. That's worth everything."
"I love you," he whispered. "God, I love you so much."
"I love you too. And this baby—our baby—is going to know that. I'll bring pictures. Videos. I'll tell them stories. And when you come home—"
"When I come home," he said fiercely, "we're going to be a family. A real one. I promise."
"I'm holding you to that."
The guard announced visiting time was over.
"One more thing," Alexander said quickly. "My lawyers found a loophole. With Vivienne's confession and the new evidence, they might be able to reduce my sentence. Maybe two years instead of five."
Hope fluttered in my chest. "Really?"
"Maybe. No promises. But Seraphina—" His eyes burned into mine. "Wait for me. Please. Wait for me."
"Always."
They led him away.
I sat there, hand on my stomach, watching him disappear.
Two years.
I could do two years.
I'd done worse.
Three months later, I stood in the Knight Enterprises boardroom, slightly showing now, facing down twelve hostile board members.
"Mrs. Knight," the chairman said coldly, "this company cannot be run by a pregnant woman whose husband is in prison. We're calling for a vote of no confidence."
I smiled. Channeling every ounce of Alexander's ruthlessness.
"You can call for whatever you want. But I own fifty-one percent of this company. Courtesy of my husband's gift before his incarceration. So unless you want to find yourselves jobless by morning, I suggest you sit down and let me work."
Silence.
One by one, they sat.
"Good." I placed my hands on the table. "Now. Let's discuss the future of Knight Enterprises. Because under my leadership, we're going to do something radical. We're going to make this company legitimate. Profitable. And clean. Any questions?"
No one spoke.
"Excellent. Meeting adjourned."
They filed out, muttering.
My phone buzzed. A text from Alexander: Heard about the board meeting. You're magnificent. I'm so proud of you.
I smiled, typing back: Your daughter kicked for the first time today. She's going to be just as stubborn as her parents.
Daughter?
Just a feeling.
I love you both. More than anything.
We love you too. Come home soon.
I will. I promise.
I stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out over the city.
Somewhere out there, my family was probably plotting revenge.
Vivienne was awaiting trial.
A dozen investigations were ongoing.
But I wasn't scared anymore.
I had survived everything they'd thrown at me.
And I'd survive whatever came next.
Because I was Seraphina Knight.
Wife. Mother-to-be. CEO.
Survivor.
And this story?
This story was just beginning.
My phone buzzed one more time.
Unknown number.
My blood chilled.
The message: Congratulations on the baby. And the company. You've done well. But you have something that belongs to me. And I always collect my debts. See you soon. - Your Mother
I stared at the screen.
That was impossible.
My mother was dead.
I'd mourned her for twenty years.
She was gone.
Wasn't she?
Outside, storm clouds gathered over the city.
And somewhere in the darkness, someone who knew all my secrets was watching.
Waiting.
Planning.
The game wasn't over.
It had only just begun.