LOGINFrom the second-floor balcony, Elliott watched as Seraphine left safely, his eyes soft with affection. There was no way anyone could terrorize her under his watch. Anyone who tried would pay a hefty price.As for Clifford and Clarissa, he would leave them for Seraphine to handle herself. Killing them off too quickly would be far too boring. Perhaps dragging things out might bring unexpected rewards.With a glass of red wine in hand, Elliott took a slow, elegant sip. He looked into the distant sea, where the moon hung full and bright over the dark waves. Hidden in the shadows, his figure appeared dangerously captivating.He set the glass down on the nearby table and grabbed his phone to text Seraphine, who had just sat down to eat when her phone buzzed. A message from "Eli" came."Hey, Sera. I heard from a friend that you're at the business summit. I'm here, too. When are you leaving? I'm about to wrap up on my end, and we can head home together."Seraphine stared at the message, s
Clarissa's whole body trembled. What on earth was the relationship between Seraphine and Simon? Why was he helping her? Why did she always get so lucky? And how had she suddenly become the VIP of the night?She didn't have the luxury to ponder any of that. Right now, her position as Mrs. Johansen was threatened. If she made another slipup, her whole family would be done for.As for Seraphine, there would always be other chances to deal with her.Putting on a look of remorse, she turned to Seraphine and said sincerely, "I'm sorry. I resented you because you ruined Clifford's product launch. Out of spite, I arranged for those two men to teach you a lesson."It was petty and cruel of me, and I admit I was wrong. I'm truly sorry, Seraphine."Seraphine stared at Clarissa for a long moment, then stepped closer and whispered in her ear, "Even when you apologize, you try to drag me down with you. Say, what do you think will happen to your family next? Let's sit back and watch."With a gr
Megan's face turned ghostly pale. She glared at Seraphine with pure resentment. "I'll never forgive you, Seraphine! Not even if I die!"Seraphine let out a cold laugh. A faint, almost ethereal light surrounded her as she stood there, unshaken."Instead of wasting your life hating me, why not do something meaningful?" she countered firmly. "You know, something that'll make you strong enough to stop bowing and scraping to others?"Megan froze, staring at Seraphine in disbelief. Her words carried a kind of righteous clarity, but Megan knew too well that the world didn't work that way.If she didn't play the game and bend when she had to, her family's business would be swallowed by bigger companies, leaving nothing behind.Her gaze shifted to Clarissa, her hatred suddenly redirected. "Hey, bitch! I went after Seraphine for you! Aren't you going to say something now that I'm the one in trouble?"She hissed, "Everyone here can see it was you who framed her, but I still took your side!
Simon wore a fawning smile. "You heard me right, Ms. Lodge. I don't joke about things. You're our VIP, and it's entirely our fault that you were framed and humiliated like this."He glanced at Megan and continued, "That young lady has already been removed from the event, and her family will be blacklisted across the industry. As for this shameless couple here, they're yours to deal with however you see fit."His words left everyone stunned. All eyes turned to Seraphine in disbelief.Wasn't she just a woman with no backing? Why was Simon treating her with such deference? Even Clifford and Clarissa couldn't believe this.He stared at Seraphine's breathtakingly beautiful face, realization dawning on him at last. He had never truly known her. Even if he had spent a whole year trying to understand her, things between them would've still ended up like this.Now, all he could hope for was that Seraphine might remember the bond they once shared and choose not to hold tonight against him.
Not only that, but even the host had found out. The fallout could be serious. Clifford and Clarissa might both get blacklisted from future business summits, cutting them off from countless connections and opportunities down the line.Mitchell, too, was equally baffled. He had hired those two men, so how did their names get listed under Clarissa's? Why was the host siding with Seraphine?Everything felt like it was slipping out of his control, with new variables surfacing by the second.Clifford's eyes burned with fury, but he couldn't afford to lose his temper now. He turned to Seraphine, lowering his voice in warning. "Let's just settle this in private, alright, Sera?"He couldn't let this scene turn into a public scandal—his family's reputation was on the line.Seraphine shook her head. "Why should I? If we handle it privately, it just means I admit to what I'm accused of. I've already said it—I'm walking out of here with my head held high tonight."They had been so eager to sl
Clarissa had no choice but to turn her attention to the foolish instigator, Megan. Things would inevitably get out of control if this were blown out of proportion.Stephen was in attendance at the business summit tonight. If he caught wind of this, she would suffer yet another lashing from him.She could tell Clifford was doing everything he could to suppress this matter, but Megan was obviously sticking her nose in this to leave an impression on him. She wanted to covet his favor, and Clarissa read her like a book.With a polite smile, Clarissa said, "Thank you for standing up for me, miss, but as you can see, I'm fine now. The last thing I want is to ruin anyone's night when you guys are supposed to be having fun."You should change into something dry. Save yourself the cold.""Oh, my gosh. Her voice is so soothing. She's such a sweetheart!""They're really a match made in heaven—unlike that bitch, Seraphine, who doesn't know her place.""Only a shameless loser will act like h







