All Seraphine had wanted, was a simple, quiet reward after everything she had been juggling lately, because her mind had been running nonstop between responsibilities, plans, and the endless details tied to building out the cyber division she was preparing to launch.
All she craved in that mont was the comfort of going ho, kicking off her shoes, and letting the weight of everything slide off her shoulders while she rested before throwing herself right back into the storm of her routine.
What she had not prepared for, was running into Leon right there, completely out of place in the version of the evening she had imagined for herself, and what made it worse was the fact that he was not alone, which imdiately twisted the situation into sothing far more complicated than she had the energy to deal with.
The confusion that flashed across Leon’s face the second he saw her was impossible to miss, his brows drawing together as though her presence disrupted sothing he thought he already understood.
"Sera, what are you doing here?"
For a brief second, Seraphine found herself unable to respond, her thoughts tangling awkwardly because the last conversation they had shared still lingered in the air between them, especially the part where he had asked her out to dinner, and she had turned him down.
Now here she was, standing in front of him in a setting that made everything look questionable whether she liked it or not.
"Business," she finally said, forcing a smile which did not quite reach her eyes.
The middle-aged woman standing beside Leon turned her attention to Seraphine with an imdiate warmth that felt almost intrusive in its curiosity, her lips curving into a pleased smile as she looked her over.
"She’s very pretty, now tell , who is she?"
Leon hesitated, and that tiny pause said more than anything he could have admitted out loud, but then he spoke anyway, his voice steady even if sothing underneath it wavered.
"She’s my girlfriend."
The words hung there, heavy and undeniable, before his focus returned fully to Seraphine as he continued, "Sera, this is my aunt, Phoebe. She ca to visit yesterday, and that’s why I wanted to take you to dinner tonight, so you could et her."
His gaze moved slowly over her, taking in every detail of her appearance in a way that felt too observant, as though he was trying to piece together sothing that didn’t quite make sense to him.
"Are you alone?" he asked, the question carrying more weight than it should have.
Before Seraphine could even think of an answer that wouldn’t complicate things further, Augustine’s voice cut in from behind her, smooth but edged with aning.
"Did I hear you say that she is your girlfriend?"
Seraphine felt her body tense instantly, a quiet stiffness settling into her posture because the last thing she needed was this turning into a scene when she was already drained.
"Yes," Leon replied without hesitation, clearly recognizing Augustine, his tone carrying a subtle claim that made the air feel tense. "Mr. Clyde, you seem like you know my woman."
Augustine let out a low chuckle that didn’t hide his discomfort, his expression tightening in a way that revealed more than he probably intended, because this situation was not sothing he had expected, especially not after Seraphine had made it very clear where she stood with him.
"Well, with my profession, I know a lot of people," he said, choosing his words carefully, "but I never knew Sera was one who was in a relationship."
Leon’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, a flicker of suspicion passing through his eyes as his thoughts began to connect dots that he wasn’t entirely sure he liked, and without wasting another mont, he turned to his aunt with a polite smile that failed to mask his intent.
"Can you wait for at the table? I’ll have a word with my girlfriend."
Before Seraphine could protest, he gently but firmly took her by the arm and guided her a few steps away, creating just enough distance for a private conversation that felt anything but comfortable.
"What’s going on?" he asked, his voice dropping as his gaze locked onto hers. "Did you co to see him?"
The question pressed against sothing complicated inside her, because no matter how she tried to fra it, there was no simple way to explain her connection to Augustine without dragging in things that were never ant to be exposed, things tied to the pack and everything that ca with it, and that was not a line she could afford to cross.
Thinking quickly, she pulled out her phone and dialed Corvine’s number, setting it to silence before bringing it down again, using the small action to steady herself.
"You know how my company is about to take off," she said, keeping her tone as even as possible. "Augustine was giving so legal advice."
Leon studied her again, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he wanted to challenge that explanation, because nothing about her appearance suggested a straightforward business eting, but whatever he wanted to say, he held it back, swallowing it down instead of letting it surface.
"So, will you join us?" he asked after a mont, turning the direction of the conversation even though the tension hadn’t fully eased. "My aunt is really excited to et you."
Seraphine felt the exhaustion hit her harder at that point, like her body was finally reminding her that she had reached her limit, and all she wanted was to escape this situation gracefully without creating more complications than she already had.
She opened her mouth, searching for the right words that wouldn’t co across as dismissive or rude, but before she could say anything, the faint sound of a familiar voice reached her ears from a distance, perfectly tid in a way that felt almost dreamlike.
"Sera, you should be resting."
Corvine’s voice carried just enough authority to cut through everything else, and the mont she turned and saw him walking toward them, a quiet wave of relief washed over her, loosening the tension that had been sitting tightly in her chest.
"Leon, I’ll et your aunt again, but this isn’t the ti," she said quickly, taking the opportunity without hesitation. "I’m so exhausted."
By the ti Corvine reached her, his presence alone seed to comfort her, his hand coming to rest against the small of her back in a way that felt grounding, steady, as he drew her slightly closer to him before addressing Leon with polite composure.
"Mr. Hawthorne, I hope you understand that she’s very tired."
Leon’s lips curved into a smile that looked right on the surface but failed to reach his eyes, the tension beneath it still lingering even as he nodded, but Seraphine didn’t stay long enough to read further into it, because she and Corvine were already making their way toward the exit, her steps quickened by the need to finally leave everything behind.
They had barely reached the doorway when the energy in the room changed so abruptly that it felt almost tangible, like the air itself had tightened, as two powerful n walked into the hotel restaurant, their presence enough to draw every gaze, freezing conversations mid-sentence and leaving an unspoken tension hanging over everyone who witnessed their arrival.
What Seraphine did not expect was the way they both walked towards her, blocking her path.
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