Leon could feel the tension crawling up his spine long before he opened his mouth, because standing in front of Voren Ashkael was never a casual experience, and answering a question from him felt less like conversation and more like stepping into a quiet interrogation room where every word could be used against you later.
He wanted to give a diplomatic answer, sothing smooth and carefully backdated, sothing that would stitch together a believable tiline without exposing too much, but the truth was ssy and improvising in front of a man like Voren carried risks he was not prepared to take, especially when he had no real idea what existed between Voren and Seraphine beneath the surface.
Luckily, Seraphine stepped in before Leon could say sothing that would unravel everything.
"Mr. Ashkael," she began, her voice steady even though her fingers subtly tightened against the side of her dress, "are you enquiring for my brother? Looking at all the businesses in human form, our relationship shouldn’t concern you, right?"
Her tone was respectful, but there was steel under it, and Voren noticed.
He knew she was technically right, because on paper, within the boundaries of human business structures, her personal life should have had nothing to do with him, yet sothing about the situation refused to settle in his mind.
The pieces did not align the way they were supposed to. Was this simply her thod of entering the Sovereign Circle, a strategic attachnt to secure position and influence, or was there truly sothing he did not know about Seraphine?
She did not strike him as soone who used people for privilege, yet doubt slid into his thoughts anyway, quiet and persistent.
"There are rules," Voren said calmly, though the calm felt deliberate, like a mask. "And you don’t think just saying you’re his boyfriend is enough, right?"
"I assu you want proof that we are indeed dating," Leon replied carefully, picking up on the challenge woven into Voren’s words.
Voren gave a slow nod, his gaze unblinking, assessing.
Beside Leon, Seraphine forced a small, nervous smile, and for a fleeting second she imagined the worst possible scenario, one where Voren demanded sothing theatrical and humiliating to confirm their claim, sothing that would trap them in a performance neither of them was prepared to stage.
Instead, she tilted her head slightly and said, almost casually, "Since you’re so eager to confirm our relationship, I’m wondering what you’d say if I was an escort like those other won."
The room seed to still for half a heartbeat.
Voren chuckled, the sound low and almost amused, yet his eyes remained cold, and there was no trace of humor in them because he had never, not even once, placed Seraphine in the sa category as the won she referenced.
"I would be disappointed," he replied evenly, his gaze locking onto hers with unsettling steadiness. "And sure, I would wonder what your parents have to say about that behavior."
Leon shifted uncomfortably, the air around them suddenly heavier than before, because the familiarity in Voren’s tone felt intimate in a way that raised questions Leon did not like.
"You know her so well?" Leon asked, unable to hide the edge in his voice as he studied the dynamic between them, wondering how Seraphine had co to speak so boldly to a man feared across New York’s elite circles.
Voren opened his mouth to respond, but Leon spoke again before he could.
"Never mind," Leon muttered, forcing a breath through his chest as if steadying himself. "I’m still trying to understand her myself. She saved my kid brother with a therapy even I had no idea about. I told my father to arrange a eting with her, and when I t her, I was completely smitten."
There it was. Sothing flickered in Voren’s eyes, sharp and brief, gone before anyone could fully grasp it, but it had been there.
Seraphine was indeed a doctor, yet in Voren’s mind, her cyber skills had outshined everything else about her, overshadowing that piece of her identity in a way that now made it feel strangely off balance.
"I see," Voren said slowly, his voice lowering as he studied Leon more closely. "And do you know what she does?"
Leon nodded with confidence. "We work together now."
The color drained from Voren’s face so subtly that it could have been mistaken for a trick of the light, but Seraphine saw it, and it unsettled her.
"You two work together?" Voren asked, and this ti there was no attempt to disguise the personal nature of the question.
Leon was about to elaborate when Seraphine cut in smoothly, her composure returning like a shield sliding back into place.
"Mr. Ashkael, do you interview every new mber like this?"
The question landed lightly, but it carried a quiet challenge.
Voren seed to co back to himself, straightening slightly as though he had crossed a line he had not ant to reveal. He forced a polite smile that did not quite reach his eyes.
"Mr. Hawthorne, let know when you make up your mind," he said, regaining his authoritative tone. "You can acquaint yourself with the other businessn."
"Yeah," Seraphine added quickly, seizing the opening. "And I need a chance for a presentation."
Voren’s head turned sharply toward her. "What?" The surprise in his voice was genuine. "What do you want to present?"
"A business proposal," she replied without hesitation, her confidence now unwavering. "I want as many people to invest as possible, and I’m looking at you as my potential business partner. Are you in or out?"
For a mont, Voren actually glanced behind him, as if expecting her words to be directed at soone else standing nearby, but there was no one there. Her eyes were fixed on him and him alone.
Was she so desperate to destroy Ravyn that she was willing to stand directly across from him and attempt this bold maneuver? He had already foreseen her divide-and-rule strategy, and with soone like Seraphine, he knew better than to underestimate her ambition.
"And why," Voren asked quietly, leaning in just enough to close the distance in a way that made Leon instinctively stiffen, "would I invest in your business?"
His voice was low, controlled, almost intimate in its intensity, and the proximity alone was enough to unsettle anyone standing too close.
But Seraphine did not retreat.
Instead, she held his gaze, and when she responded, her words carried a weight that shook both n in ways neither of them could have anticipated.
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