THE STOLEN LEGACY

The glowing red text on her phone screen seemed to burn into Serena’s eyes. 

> ALERT: Security Breach. 100% of your confidential recipe files have been copied and leaked to Lockford Enterprises.

Serena sat frozen in her armchair, her hand instinctively coming up to cover her lower stomach. Inside her, a tiny, fragile new life was growing—the secret heir to the Lockford bloodline. And outside, her entire career and hard-earned reputation were being targeted for total destruction.

She took three slow, deep breaths, forcing her racing heart to calm down. In her past life, panic would have paralyzed her. But now, her mind worked with sharp, cold precision.

She picked up her phone and dialed Brandon’s private line.

"Brandon," Serena said, her voice completely devoid of tremor. "Check the market news right now."

There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by the heavy clatter of Brandon typing on his keyboard. A sudden, sharp intake of breath came over the line.

"Serena... Lockford Enterprises just held an emergency press conference," Brandon said, his voice unusually grim. "Chloe Vance just announced the release of Lockford’s new luxury food line. She presented six signature dishes... they are exact replicas of your upcoming winter menu."

"I know," Serena said quietly.

"Did someone inside my team leak this?" Brandon demanded, his Alpha aura humming through the phone speaker with deep anger. "I will tear this building apart until I find the mole."

"No, don't fire anyone yet," Serena said, a dark, calculating smile touching her lips. "I knew Chloe would try to hack my private server. Two weeks ago, I intentionally left a backdoor open in my cloud system."

Brandon paused. "Wait... you knew?"

"The files she stole aren't my real recipes, Brandon," Serena explained smoothly. "They are modified versions. They look identical on paper, but I altered the chemical ratios of the spice extracts. When those dishes are mass-produced and heated in industrial ovens, the flavor will break down completely within twenty-four hours. It will turn terribly bitter."

On the other end of the line, Brandon let out a low, impressed laugh. "You absolute genius, Serena. She just invested millions of Lockford capital into manufacturing those batches."

"Let her launch," Serena said coldly. "In three days, Lockford Enterprises will face the biggest product recall in pack history."

An hour later, Serena walked into the central city press lounge to address the media rumors. The room was packed with dozens of journalists and flashing cameras. 

As Serena approached the podium, the glass doors at the back of the hall swung open. 

Chloe walked in, flanked by four armed Lockford guards. She wore an expensive white dress and a triumphant, arrogant smirk. Behind her stood Julian. He was dressed in a dark, tailored suit, his grey eyes locked on Serena the moment he entered the room.

"Miss Sterling!" a reporter shouted, holding up a microphone. "Lockford Enterprises just unveiled a product line identical to your teaser concepts! Did you copy Chloe Vance's work, or did she steal from you?"

Chloe stepped forward, taking a microphone from a technician before Serena could speak.

"Allow me to answer that," Chloe said, her voice smooth and dripping with fake sympathy. "Serena is my cousin. It breaks my heart to say this, but Serena has always struggled with creativity. When we were growing up, she constantly took my notebooks. She used my family's name, and now she’s using stolen concepts to make a name for herself at Gilbert Foods."

The reporters began muttering loudly, camera flashes blinding the stage.

"That is a serious accusation, Miss Vance," a journalist noted. "Do you have proof?"

"I have the official digital timestamp registration from Lockford Enterprises," Chloe lied smoothly, holding up a folder. "Our files were logged three weeks ago. Serena’s files were logged only last week."

Serena stood behind the podium, her posture completely relaxed. She didn't shout. She didn't look flustered. She simply looked at Chloe with pity.

"Chloe," Serena said softly into her microphone, her clear voice easily cutting through the noise. "If those recipes are truly yours... can you tell the press what temperature the Star-Lily extract must be bound at?"

Chloe’s smirk faltered slightly. She blinked. "I... it’s a proprietary secret. I don't have to share technical details with you."

"You don't know," Serena said, stepping around the podium. "Because you didn't write them. You downloaded a trap file from my server yesterday at 2:14 PM from IP address 192.168.1.4—which belongs directly to your personal laptop in the Lockford pack house."

The reporters gasped, instantly turning their cameras toward Chloe.

Chloe’s face turned bright red. "That’s a lie! You're making things up!"

"Am I?" Serena turned her head toward Julian, who was standing quietly near the back. "Alpha Julian, as the leader of Mystic Falls, are you going to stand there and let your Beta lie to the public? Or have you already tested the product batches currently sitting in your distribution warehouses?"

Julian’s eyes narrowed sharp as daggers. He didn't look at Chloe. He stepped forward, his massive presence instantly hushing the entire room.

"The test batches were delivered to my office an hour ago," Julian said, his deep voice resounding through the hall.

Chloe turned to him, her eyes wide with hope. "Julian! Tell them! Tell them my food is perfect!"

Julian pulled a official laboratory report from his inner coat pocket. His grey eyes were cold as ice as he looked at Chloe. "The lab results came back ten minutes ago. The sauce batch has separated and turned toxic due to improper herb ratios. The entire inventory is ruined."

The press room went chaotic. Shouts and flashing lights filled the room as reporters scrambled to record the explosive revelation.

Chloe’s jaw dropped in absolute horror. "What?! No! That’s impossible! I followed the recipe exactly!"

"Which proves you stole it without understanding the science," Serena said, her voice dropping to a sharp whisper as she walked past Chloe. "Thank you for wasting three million dollars of Lockford money, cousin."

Chloe looked toward Julian, tears of panic spilling down her cheeks. "Julian! Please! I did this for the pack! I did this for us!"

"Guards," Julian commanded, his voice cold and terrifyingly calm. "Escort Chloe back to the pack house. Strip her of her Beta clearance until a full financial audit is completed."

"Julian! No! You can't do this to me!" Chloe screamed as two large guards grabbed her arms and dragged her out of the press hall.

Serena turned to leave through the side exit, not wanting to deal with the media frenzy. But as she stepped into the quiet hallway, Julian was already there, cutting off her path.

He looked towering and imposing, but his grey eyes were filled with a wild, turbulent intensity.

"You knew," Julian said, taking a step closer to her. "You set a trap for her."

"She tried to destroy me, Julian," Serena said, holding her ground. "I simply let her crush herself."

Julian looked down at her, his gaze softening in a way Serena had never seen in her past life. "You are remarkable, Serena. Every day, you shock me."

"I don't care about shocking you," Serena said, trying to move past him. "Get out of my way."

Julian reached out, catching her forearm gently. He didn't use force, but his touch sent that familiar electric spark racing through her body. His eyes drifted down her body, stopping at her waist. 

Because of his heightened Alpha senses, Julian’s nostrils flared slightly. He took a deep breath, picking up a faint, delicate new scent mixed with her lavender—a soft, milky fragrance that made his inner wolf roar with sudden, overwhelming protectiveness.

His grey eyes snapped back to hers, wide with realization and utter shock.

"Serena..." Julian whispered, his voice trembling as he stared at her stomach. "Your scent... it changed."

Serena’s blood ran cold. She pulled her arm back violently, stepping away from him. "Don't touch me!"

Before Julian could say another word, Brandon stepped into the hallway with four armed Pinewood guards. 

"Step back from her, Lockford," Brandon ordered, his voice sharp as steel. "You’ve done enough damage today."

Julian didn't look at Brandon. His entire focus was locked onto Serena, his breath coming in shallow gasps as the truth settled into his mind. "You're pregnant," he breathed out, the words raw and filled with sudden awe. "It’s mine."

"It is none of your business!" Serena shouted, her voice laced with defensive fury.

"She is coming with me," Brandon said firmly, taking Serena’s arm and guiding her toward the private elevator. 

Julian took a step forward to follow, but the Pinewood guards drew their weapons, blocking his path. Julian watched as the elevator doors closed, separating him from Serena.

Inside the elevator, Serena leaned her head against the wall, her heart pounding furiously against her ribs. 

Brandon looked at her with deep concern. "Serena... is it true?"

Serena closed her eyes and nodded slowly. "Yes. But he can never have this child. Never."

Brandon remained quiet for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small leather folder. He handed it to her.

"What is this?" Serena asked, opening the folder. Inside was an old birth certificate and a royal seal from the ancient Crestwood Kingdom—the lost royal wolf bloodline.

"I ran a DNA test on the glass you touched in my office two weeks ago," Brandon said softly, his amber eyes filled with deep emotion. "Serena... you aren't a Vance. And you aren't an Omega. You are the lost daughter of King Alistair Sterling... which means you are my younger sister."

Serena stared at the document in absolute shock, her mind spinning.

Before she could speak, the elevator came to a sudden, violent halt between floors. The lights flickered and died, plunging them into pitch darkness.

A heavy, metallic thud echoed from the top of the elevator roof, followed by the sound of twisting steel.