Chapter 41
Serena stood outside her mother’s study door for a long moment, pressing the stack of legal papers against her chest as if they might somehow shield her heart. Her pulse thrummed wildly in her throat. She could hear her mother’s gentle humming from inside, the delicate notes of a tune she used to sing to Serena as a child.
It hurt. God, it hurt to know she was about to shatter that fragile peace.
She finally lifted her hand and knocked.
“Come in, darling,” Mrs. Lin called, her voice warm.
Serena opened the door. The sunlight streaming through the tall windows caught dust motes in golden suspension. Her mother sat at the antique writing desk, going through garden party invitations with hopeful eyes. The calm, domestic image nearly brought Serena to tears.
“Is something the matter?” Mrs. Lin asked when she saw Serena’s face.
Serena walked forward, set the thick envelope on the desk, and met her mother’s eyes. “I… I think you should read this.”
Her mother frowned delicately, picking up the papers with careful hands. As she scanned the lines, Serena saw her expression falter, confusion first, then dawning horror. Her fingers trembled. A sharp, tiny gasp escaped her lips.
“Oh my God…”
She pressed a hand to her chest, struggling to breathe. “No, this, this can’t be correct. We never authorized anything like this. These holdings… Serena, these are all the Lin family’s assets. Your father set these up to safeguard our future.”
“I know, Mama.” Serena’s throat burned. “I think Ethan… I think he found a way to leverage them. To pay off debts or, or to gamble, maybe. I don’t fully understand it yet. But it’s happening.”
Her mother’s eyes were wide, pupils blown with panic. “But that would mean… the estate? Your father’s company shares? Even your dowry trust… it would all be...”
“Seized. Liquidated. Repossessed. They’ve started the process already,” Serena whispered.
Mrs. Lin slumped back in her chair, her elegant composure fracturing all at once. “How could he do this to us? After everything your father gave to cement that partnership with the Zhao family… Ethan was supposed to protect it. He promised he would keep your father’s legacy intact, that marrying you would secure it all.”
Serena dropped to her knees beside her mother’s chair, taking her trembling hands. “I think that was always the plan, Mama. To get control of it all. And when I called off the wedding, he didn’t just lose me. He lost his iron grip on our fortune, or thought he did. So he’s taking the rest now, before Lucien can crush him completely.”
Her mother’s breath came in shallow spurts, tears spilling freely. “Your father trusted them. He trusted Ethan like a son. And Lila… I thought she loved you like a sister.”
The names felt like acid in Serena’s mouth. “They’re parasites. They always were.”
A phone began to ring sharply on the desk, Mrs. Lin’s private line. The sound sliced through the heavy silence like a knife. Serena reached for it with shaking fingers and put it on speaker.
“Mrs. Lin?” A cool, clipped voice crackled through. “This is Simon Chan, your family attorney. I’m calling with unfortunate developments regarding your outstanding secured debts tied to Zhao International. Due to a series of triggered covenants and personal guarantees signed years ago by the late Mr. Lin, now rolled under Zhao collateral, the bank is exercising their right to immediate foreclosure on the Lin estate, your investment properties in Central, and your remaining stock portfolio.”
Serena squeezed her mother’s hand so hard their knuckles blanched. “How long do we have?” she demanded hoarsely.
“I’m sorry, Miss Lin. As of 9 AM this morning, the orders have been filed. Bailiffs will begin documentation within 48 hours. You should prepare to vacate the premises.”
Mrs. Lin let out a tiny, broken sob.
“Is there… is there no way to halt it?” Serena asked, desperate. “An injunction? A countersuit?”
The lawyer hesitated, his voice softening only a fraction. “Given the documentation Ethan Zhao’s team provided, showing debt cross defaults linked to your father’s holdings, it would be extremely difficult. Any attempt to stall might actually accelerate the asset freeze. I’m deeply sorry.”
Serena’s world tilted. The walls of her mother’s study seemed to shrink, the air so thin it felt like her lungs couldn’t fill. She thanked the attorney with a numb kind of courtesy, then ended the call.
When she turned back, her mother was staring blankly at the desk. “Your father worked his entire life to build this for us. For you. And now we have… nothing.”
Serena knelt there, pressing her forehead to her mother’s trembling hands. “We still have each other. We’ll figure it out. I promise.”
But inside, a cold fury burned brighter than her fear. Ethan had done this, systematically dismantled everything her father built, hollowed it out and left them teetering on the edge. All because she dared reject him. Because she found the strength to stand by Lucien’s side instead.
And somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized that whatever game she thought she’d been playing with Lucien, whatever delicate, vengeful dance they’d orchestrated, it was now painfully, frighteningly real.
Because Ethan had made this personal in a way she could never forgive. And she was suddenly, sharply aware that without Lucien, she and her mother might very well be destitute.
Serena rose, helping her mother into her arms. Together they stood by the window, watching as that dark sedan still lingered by the gates like a carrion bird waiting for its feast.
The Lin estate was already a carcass. Ethan had made sure of it.