Ch: 3 THE DEVIL OF WALL STREET.

Seraphina's POV

I landed on the ground and quickly pushed myself up. My eyes moved around the area. No

one was there. I let out a quiet breath of relief.

I looked down at my wedding dress. It was a complete mess. The beautiful dress that had

once made me feel like the luckiest woman in the world was now torn into pieces. A small

smile appeared on my lips. I didn't care anymore. I would rather walk through the streets

looking like a mad woman than return to Julian and allow him to destroy me again.

I quickly moved away from the estate. Every step I took made my heart beat faster. Not

because I was afraid of being caught. I was afraid of what would happen if I failed to change

my future. I had already lived through the worst ending possible. I wasn't going to allow it to

happen twice.

I kept walking until I was far enough from the estate. People passed by me, and some of

them stared at my dress. A few whispered to each other. Others laughed. I ignored them all.

They didn't know what I had been through. They didn't know that the woman standing in

front of them had already died once.

I only cared about one thing. I needed help. But not just anyone's help. I needed someone

Julian couldn't control. Someone powerful enough to stand against him.

Then a name entered my mind. Lucius.

I stopped walking. Lucius Thorne. The Devil of Wall Street. Julian's greatest rival.

In my previous life, I had heard his name several times. Julian never liked talking about him.

Lucius was one of the few men who could challenge Julian and walk away without backing

down. And right now, he was the only person I could think of.

If I went to the police, I had no proof. If I told my friends that I had returned from the dead,

they would probably think I had lost my mind. But Lucius... He was diferent. He was

powerful. He was smart. And most importantly, he hated Julian. That was enough for me.

I started walking again. I needed to find him before Julian realized I was no longer at the

estate.

My thoughts suddenly returned to my first life. I remembered how easily Julian had fooled

me. How I had trusted every word that came from his mouth. Whenever I questioned him, he

would take my hand and smile. Sometimes, he would even kiss my palm and tell me

everything was fine. I had thought those little things were proof that he loved me.

How foolish I had been. I had given him my trust. I had given him access to my father's

company. I had defended him when people questioned his intentions. And what did I get in

return? Betrayal. He had never loved me. He had only loved what I could give him.

I clenched my fists. Not again. This time, Julian would never get the chance to use me. And

Lillian would never get my life. She could have Julian. She could have his lies and his empty

promises. But my father's company? My properties? Everything that belonged to me? She

would never have them.

I came out on the road outside the wedding venue. And that was exactly where I needed to

be. I stopped at the side of the road and looked at the passing cars. My hands tightened. I

knew Lucius would be here. I knew it because he came to my wedding before. I only needed

to wait for him.

A few cars passed. Then another. My heart began to race. What if he didn't come? What if I

had remembered the wrong time? What if

Then I saw it. A black limousine. My eyes widened. Lucius.The limousine was moving straight towards me. I didn't think twice. I stepped into the road.

The driver immediately slammed on the brakes. The limousine came to a sudden stop right

in front of me. I stood there, breathing heavily.

For a moment, everything was silent. The driver's door opened. A man stepped out and

stared at me. His eyes moved from my face to my ruined wedding dress. Then to the

scissors still in my hand. His expression became confused. I didn't blame him. I probably

looked completely insane.

The driver turned towards the back of the car. “Sir, there's a woman standing in front of the

car.”

I heard a deep voice from inside. “What is going on?”

The driver opened the back door. And then I saw him. Lucius Thorne. He stepped out of the

limousine. Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark eyes. A cold expression that made it clear he wasn't a

man people dared to mess with.

His eyes moved over me. For some reason, I felt like he was looking straight through me. I

swallowed hard. This was the man I had come looking for. The man who could help me

change my fate.

Lucius looked at the scissors in my hand before looking back at my face. There was

something strange in his eyes. Amusement. It was a small expression, but I noticed it.

“You're blocking my way,” he said. His voice was calm.

I looked at the limousine. Then back at him. “I know.”

His eyebrow lifted. Most people would probably have been terrified standing in front of the

Devil of Wall Street. But I had already died once. What was there left for me to fear?

“Get in,” he said.

I blinked. He turned and walked back towards the limousine. I quickly followed him.

The moment I entered the car, I sat opposite him. The door closed behind me. The inside of

the limousine was quiet. Too quiet.

Lucius leaned back and studied me. “Who are you?”

I looked directly into his eyes. “Seraphina Pearce.”

His expression didn't change. But his eyes became slightly sharper. “Julian Pearce's

fiancée?”

I nodded. “Not anymore.”

For the first time, something changed in his expression. I placed the scissors beside me and

took a deep breath. “I want to make a deal with you.”

“A deal?”

“Yes.” I looked straight at him. “I know things about Julian.”

He remained silent.

“I know about his merger plans. I know about the people working with him. I know about the

things he has done to get what he wants.”

Lucius continued staring at me. I could tell he was listening.

“I can give you all that information.”

“And what do you want in return?”

His question came so quickly that I almost smiled. He was exactly as I remembered. Straight

to the point.

“I want you to marry me.”

Silence. Complete silence. Lucius stared at me. I stared back.

For the first time since I entered the car, I began to wonder if I had made the right decision.

Maybe this was too much. Maybe I should have asked for something else. But I couldn't turn

back now. I had already chosen my path.Lucius finally spoke. “You want me to marry you?”

“Yes.”

“And you're ofering me information about Julian as your dowry?”

“Yes.”

He stared at me for a long moment. I started to feel uncomfortable under his gaze. Then his

lips curved slightly. Not quite a smile. Something colder. More amused.

“You're interesting.”

I didn't know whether that was a good thing.

He leaned back against the leather seat. “I don't want your money.”

I frowned. “I didn't ofer you money.”

His eyes remained on mine. “You ofered me a dowry.”

I nodded slowly. “Then what do you want?”

Lucius didn't answer immediately. He simply looked at me. The silence stretched between

us. My heart began beating faster.

Then he leaned closer. His dark eyes locked with mine. “I want you.”

My breath caught. I didn't expect that answer. Lucius reached out and held me against the

leather seat, making his meaning very clear.

“You came looking for me, Seraphina.” His voice was low. “So don't stand there and pretend

you don't know what you're ofering.”

I stared at him. For the first time, I realized that making a deal with the Devil might be more

dangerous than I had imagined. But I had no intention of running away. Not anymore.

I looked directly into his eyes. “Then we have a deal.”

Lucius's lips curved into a faint smile. “Good.”

I leaned back slowly. For the first time in my new life, I had made a decision that belonged

completely to me. I was no longer Julian's bride. I was no longer the innocent woman who

trusted everyone around her. I was Seraphina. And I had just agreed to marry Julian's

greatest enemy.