Welcome to the dark side

Serena sat on the bed, her muscles were tense and she was hungry and tired. Her mind was racing but she believed her father had noticed her disappearance by now. She had barely caught her breath from the failed escape when the door swung open again. Lucian stepped inside, but this time, he wasn’t alone.

Two men followed him, One had a jagged scar down his cheek, the other sported tattoos creeping up his neck.

Serena’s insides clenched.

Lucian strolled forward, looking as composed as usual. “Serena,” he said smoothly. “Let’s talk.”

She forced herself to remain still. “I have nothing to say to you.”

Lucian sighed, as if disappointed. He gestured to the men beside him. “This is Carl and Vito. They’ll be keeping an eye on you from now on.”

 Vito, the tattooed one, smirked. “Can’t have you trying anything stupid again.”

Serena’s fingers curled into fists. Lucian motioned toward the chair. “Sit” 

But She didn’t move.

Carl stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. The sound sent a chill down her spine.

Lucian’s lips twitched. “That wasn’t a request.”

Serena’s jaw tightened, but she sat. She had no choice right now. She really didn't want to be rough handled.

Lucian took his time pulling up another chair, positioning himself directly across from her. He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, eyes pinning her in place. “You need to understand something,” he said. “Your father is not the man you think he is.”

Serena glared. “You don’t know anything about my father.” she wished she could kill him right now.

Lucian chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re smarter than that, Serena. You’ve always known something was off, haven’t you?”

Her heart beat spiked. He was playing with her, Twisting her thoughts.

She clenched her teeth. “Shut up.”

Lucian leaned closer, his voice a low whisper. “Do You want proof?”

He pulled a flash drive from his pocket and held it between two fingers. Lucian smirked as he continued “Your father didn’t just kill your mother. He sold her out.”

Serena shot up, shoving the chair back so hard it toppled over. “You’re lying. You son of a bitch. How low can you go”

Lucian rose just as slowly, his gaze locked onto hers. “Am I?”

Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she turned red with anger. No, it couldn’t be true, she tried to convince herself. But deep down, a whisper of doubt crept in.

Lucian studied her reaction before turning to Carl. “Leave us.”

Carl and Vito hesitated, but after a brief nod from Lucian, they left. The door shut behind them with a heavy thud.

Lucian faced her again. “I don’t expect you to believe me right away. But sooner or later, you’ll have to face the truth.”

Serena’s hands began trembling and Lucian tossed the flash drive onto the table between them. “Take it. See for yourself.”

She didn’t move, all she wanted to do was punch him. How dare he bring her mother into their conversation. 

Lucian tilted his head. “Or are you too scared?”

Her pride burned through her veins. Without thinking, she grabbed the drive and Lucian’s lips curled in satisfaction. “Good girl.”

Serena scowled. “Don’t call me that.”

He chuckled but said nothing as he watched her fingers tightened around the flash drive.

If there was even the slightest chance that he was telling the truth… she needed to know.

Serena sat on the bed, with a laptop in front of her, her heart was hammering as she plugged in the flash drive.

The screen flickered and a series of files appeared.

Her fingers hesitated over the touchpad.

Then, with a deep breath, she clicked the first video. It was grainy, low-quality security footage. But the voices were unmistakable. She saw that her father stood in a dimly lit warehouse, speaking to a man she didn’t recognize.

“She’s a liability,” her father said to the man “Get rid of her.” Serena’s blood ran cold.

The man nodded. “And the kid?”

There was a pause

Then, her father’s voice came very calm. 

“She’s young. She won’t remember.”

The screen went black. And Serena turned pale as her hands trembled.

“No ….No, no, no” 

The door creaked open and Lucian leaned against the frame, watching her. “Now do you believe me?”

Serena shot up, rage and devastation twisting inside her. “You knew.”

Lucian didn’t flinch. “Of course I knew.”

Serena’s vision blurred with tears. 

Her father, the man she had loved and trusted blindly had ordered her mother’s death.

Lucian stepped closer, his voice softer now. “I told you, Serena. Your father isn’t the man you think he is.”

Tears burned fiercely at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Instead, she sucked in a shaky breath and met Lucian’s gaze.

“What do you want from me then?” 

Lucian smiled very darkly. “I want you to help me destroy him.”

The next morning, Serena sat at the dining table, she was extremely hungry but refused to touch the food in front of her. She hadn’t slept a wince. 

Lucian sat across from her, sipping his coffee as if this were just another day.

“You’re quiet,” he observed unfazed.

Serena lifted her gaze. “What’s your plan?”

Lucian’s smirk deepened. “Now that’s the right question. I have been waiting for that all morning” 

He set his cup down and leaned forward rubbing his hands together. 

“We’re going to dismantle your father’s empire,” he said. “Piece by piece.”

Serena’s fingers dug into her palms she knew that it was possible that the video was forged but she would play along until she had the real truth. 

Lucian’s voice dropped lower. “And it starts with you.”

Her throat tightened she really wished she was somewhere else. “What do you mean?”

Lucian’s eyes gleamed. “He values you I think. He sees you as his greatest asset.”

Lucian arched a brow “So we use that against him.”

A shiver ran down her spine as she picked up her fork slowly. 

Lucian tilted his head, watching her closely. “Are you ready to betray him, Serena?”

Betrayal, The word tasted bitter in her mind. If the video was legit, it meant that he had betrayed her first. 

Serena inhaled sharply as she picked up a peice of steak with the fork. Slowly, she lifted her chin, meeting Lucian’s gaze.

“Yes.”

Lucian’s smirk widened. “Good,” he murmured. “Welcome to the dark side.”