LUCK

“C’mon, dearie...Touch me again,” Seraphina whispered as she stood, her voice low and steady, as her gaze locked on Vanessa’s. “Make hurting you easy for me, Vanessa… I beg of you.” The air grew tense, with anticipation, almost like the entire room was holding it's breath waiting for something to break... Maybe it was Seraphina's patience. Stephanie kept a close watch on her as continued to eat. Seraphina had it under control…she always did and there was no way in hell she'd lose to Vanessa in a fight.

“That’s enough trouble for one day, Ness.”

His deep voice cut through the thin silence with authority. The sound of his shoes got closer and closer. Seraphina didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. The familiarity of it settled deep in her chest, the voice she had once looked forward to after a long day.

Adrian Vale.

He stepped forward, his presence was commanding without any effort. Eyes around the restaurant turned quickly as he arrived. His eyes briefly flicked toward her, completely unreadable, before settling on Vanessa and without any hesitation, he placed a hand on Vanessa’s waist. It was supposed to be a simple gesture, but it felt anything but that and Vanessa straightened slightly, a small, satisfied smile formed on her lips as if she had just won a lottery over Seraphina, maybe she did. She leaned subtly into his touch. “She started—”

“Vanessa,” Adrian interrupted, his tone dropping into something firmer. “That is enough.”

The way he said it left no room for argument. “I apologize for the behavior of my wife, we'll be leaving now” he said calmly to Seraphina without looking at her directly. Vanessa pressed her lips together, clearly displeased, but she said nothing more. Seraphina let out a soft, humorless laugh, the sound laced with disbelief.

“Wife? Wow, sir.” she walked a little closer to him “That slipped out a little too naturally…how long have you been using it as an excuse?”

Adrian didn’t respond to her bait. He didn’t even look at her and that seemed to hurt her the most this evening.

“Let’s go,” he said instead, already turning away as though the situation had been handled, and he wanted no part in it anymore. Seraphina’s fingers curled tightly into her palms. “How long, Adrian?”

Adrian paused, just for a fraction of a second, but it was enough for her to notice. She took a few steps closer, her heels clicking sharply against the polished floor.

“How long have you been holding her like that?”

There was no answer. Stephanie shifted behind her, clearly uneasy. “Seraphina…” but Seraphina didn’t take her eyes off him. She waited, expecting something, anything, but Adrian simply exhaled quietly and looked back at Vanessa.

“Meet me at the car, it's suffocating in here” and continued walking, dismissing the question entirely.

That silence hurt more than any confession could possibly have. A cold smile slowly spread across Seraphina’s face.

“Of course, darling.” she laughed under her breath.

Vanessa, clearly pleased with the outcome, let out a small scoff. Then, without warning, she reached for Seraphina’s plate and tipped it over. The food crashed onto the floor, the sound echoing loudly through the now silent restaurant, gasps followed immediately, and Stephanie stepped forward, outrage written all over her face.

“You’ve actually lost your mind, bitch!” Seraphina didn’t react right away, rage painted her white skin red. Her gaze fell slowly to the mess at her feet, the ruined food, the broken calm and something in her expression shifted. Her body tensed, her hand tightening slightly as though she was about to retaliate. She stretched her hand and got a large chunk of Vanessa's hair and before she could pound tens if punches into her ugly face, her phone buzzed. The sound cut through the tension like a blade, she was hoping it was Adrian but she froze. Slowly, she reached into her pocket and pulled it out. The screen lit up with a message from the unknown number.

Her heart began to race as she opened it.

“Don’t fall for it.”

In her head, she had created a hundred scenarios to put Vanessa and Adrian through hell on the spot but the words were simple, but they hit harder than anything else that had happened that unfortunate night. For a moment, everything else faded into the background. The noise, Vanessa's screams, the people, even Adrian, none of it mattered anymore. Her thoughts raced, trying to make sense of it.

Then she looked up. Vanessa was crying and yelling, almost rehearsed, as though she was waiting for her to do it. That was when Seraphina understood and released Vanessa who fell to the ground. The tension in her body eased, replaced by something far more controlled. A slow, composed smile formed on her lips as she straightened.

“Clean it up,” she said calmly, her tone sharp enough to cut through glass. "Since you poured it down."

Stephanie blinked in confusion. “Wait… what?” but Seraphina had already picked up her bag and turned away. “We’re leaving.” and there was no hesitation in her steps as she walked toward the exit, her composure fully intact. Stephanie lingered for a second, shooting Vanessa a final glare before quickly following after her.

Behind them, the restaurant slowly got life again, murmurs filling the air along with the soft click of glasses. Adrian turned then, his gaze following Seraphina as she walked away. There was something different in his expression now, like he was unsettled, though he didn’t move to stop her or even try to speak to her. Vanessa stepped out to the car and closer to him, her voice softer this time. “Adrian, she—” but he paid no attention to her or even gave her a response.