Dear Gentle Readers, who’s here also think that Jonathan deserves a raise?
The drive back to Le Châteauesque Manor stretched long into the evening, the winding road cloaked in silence. When Serena finally reached her bedroom, she went straight to the wardrobe, slid aside a panel, and retrieved the hidden box.Inside lay the remnants of a past she could neither bury nor confront fully: a folded letter whose edges had softened with time, a simple ring, and a chip no larger than her fingernail. Nestled beside them was the small scorpion seal she had discovered in Charleston—a puzzle she had yet to solve, its origins far beyond her reach. For now, it slept inside the box, as if waiting.Her fingers unfolded the letter almost by instinct, hungry to read the words again. But halfway, she froze. Her gaze drifted to the ring. She lifted it, weighing the cool band against her palm, then brought it close to slip onto her finger. Yet, at the image of Alexander’s face flashing through her mind, she stopped short. Her brows furrowed, and she set the ring back down with a
That evening, after hanging up the phone, Serena sat in silence for a long while. Her thoughts tangled into knots, her gaze fixed on the rain-streaked window. Waiting passively for disaster had never been her way. Within minutes, she had arranged to meet Raphael.Raphael had only returned from abroad the night before. This was their first encounter since he had uncovered her true identity. The moment he saw her, he couldn’t stop staring—his brows drawn together, disbelief written all over his face.Finally, he exhaled and shook his head. “I still can’t believe it, Penny. What were you thinking when I introduced you to Alexander? Did you even know he renovated Manhattan Villa for a woman he loved?”The name of that villa sliced through the air like a blade. Serena refused to follow him down that path. Her voice, steady but cool, cut in. “Do you have Alexander’s father’s number?”Besides Cornelius, the other formidable figure in the Vanderbilt family was Frederick. Serena knew almost no
Alexander’s gaze swept across the room, sharp and unwavering, his eyes narrowing like a blade catching light. His voice broke the silence, steady and cold enough to chill the air.“Justin, did I not beat enough sense into you last time? What gives you the courage to threaten me again today?”The color drained and then flared back into Justin’s face, a furious shade of crimson. The reminder struck deep. Last time, Alexander had humiliated him—knocked him flat in front of Serena—and the memory still burned like acid in his chest. Now, dragged into the open once more, Justin’s pride crumbled. He clenched his fists at his side but said nothing, swallowing rage along with humiliation.Without waiting for an answer, Alexander pushed open the heavy glass door of the conference room, the hinges groaning faintly as though aware of the tension clinging to the air. Jonathan trailed close behind, his steps deliberate, his eyes darting between Alexander and the gathering storm outside.Jonathan ha
Alexander leaned back in the leather seat of his car, phone pressed to his ear. His voice carried a low, restrained weight. “Colton, I’m certain there’s nothing in those boxes. I haven’t received a single gift from him since I was a child. They’re just old keepsakes—simple things. Nothing that could conceal information.”On the other end, Colton exhaled slowly, his tone laced with disappointment. “I see… Marken really was a genius. If he wanted to bury something, it would stay hidden forever. No one would uncover it.”The words hung heavy between them. Alexander’s gaze dropped, his fingers absently tracing the stitching on the steering wheel.“Maybe,” he murmured, “it’s not that he was too clever, but that we never truly understood him. I’m his brother, and yet only recently did I learn he was capable of loving a woman so deeply.”A wry curve touched his lips. Geniuses were often a little mad—and madmen seldom loved. Yet Marken, flawless in talent and conviction, had defied that rule.
Justin’s expression shifted from stormy rage to something colder, more calculating. His eyes swept over the circle of relatives gathered in the room, their faces pinched with anger and indignation. For a long moment, he let the silence stretch, savoring their hostility toward Alexander.Finally, he sighed, his voice low and heavy. “You all see it, don’t you? Ever since he got entangled with Serena, he’s cared less and less for the family. He disregards us, disregards tradition. Now, while he still holds fewer shares, we must strike. We need to push him out of the Vanderbilt family once and for all.”The words hung in the air like smoke.Diana’s face was stiff, her mouth pressed into a hard line. Alexander’s behavior wasn’t just reckless—it was insulting, a blatant slap to the dignity of his elders. If the rumors were true, if he had indeed raised his hand against Cornelius, then he wasn’t just reckless; he was dangerous. A loose cannon who could tear the Vanderbilt family apart from w
On her way back, Serena made a stop at the pet hospital.Rex had been there for over a week, his body wrapped in the stillness of recovery. The doctors had explained that several of his bones were fractured and would need weeks—maybe months—to mend. The lively shepherd who once bounded around like a streak of lightning now struggled just to stand.The moment Rex spotted Serena, though, his whole demeanor changed. His tail thumped furiously against the tiled floor, his tongue lolled out in excitement, and with an uneven limp, he hobbled toward her on his injured leg.Serena’s heart clenched. She rushed forward and knelt down, her eyes soft. “Rex, are you feeling better?”He let out a muffled whimper—not the sharp cries of pain she’d heard before, but a subdued sound, as though he’d grown used to the hurt. His eyes carried a quiet sorrow, as if in her absence he had wondered whether he’d been left behind for good.Serena stroked his head, her fingertips brushing through the coarse fur b