CHAPTER 5: A Familiar Shadow

Seraphina bade farewell to Director Evelyn and Grandma Eleonor after dinner.

She looked down at the simple gold ring on her finger. It was a wedding gift from Grandma Eleonor, not Alexander. He hadn't even bothered to buy me a ring, she thought bitterly.

A dull ache settled in her chest as she stepped out of the restaurant and into the pouring rain, holding back her tears. Didn’t he promise to love me and give me a ring?

_

At that exact time, Alexander was at the same restaurant, hosting a business dinner just doors away from Seraphina’s lounge.

"Brilliant work, Mr. Thorne," the lead investor toasted. "Closing a mega-deal like this while securing your marriage shows the board you're ready for the big picture."

Guilt prickled at Alexander as he nodded politely, his mind stuck on the marriage certificate he'd recently signed. He knew ignoring his grieving wife was wrong, but he couldn't give her false hope when his heart already belonged to his phantom savior.

"Excuse me, everyone," Alexander said, pushing back his chair. "I just need to step outside for some air."

He walked onto the private balcony, glancing toward the glass exit below. 

Through the pouring rain, a lone woman walked into the night. Her posture made her seem untouchable, but in the middle of the storm, she just looked lonely and heartbroken.

Something in his chest twisted. He felt a sudden, fierce urge to run out and comfort her. 

Then his breath caught. That posture. Why did it look so familiar?

Alexander tried to look closer, but his ringing phone cut him off. "Mr. Thorne, come back quickly! Your grand-uncle is trying to steal the investors!" Calden's voice sounded frantic.

He glanced outside again, but the woman was gone. With no time to dwell on it, he rushed back inside to deal with the emergency.

Alexander marched back into their private dining room and crushed Cooper’s attempt to steal the investors, using sharp market analytics to secure the multi-billion-dollar deal.

Cooper smirked as Alexander entered the room. "Alexander. I was just taking care of our guests while you were... distracted. I’m sure they appreciate a Thorne who is actually focused on the bottom line."

"If you were focused on the bottom line, Grand-Uncle," Alexander countered, his voice cutting through the room, "you would know that the projection models you just presented rely on a three-percent margin error in the supply chain."

He tapped the screen, pulling up a real-time data visualizer that filled the room's display board with crisp analytics.

"As you can see," Alexander continued, meeting the lead investor's eyes, "Thorne Enterprise’s direct control over the logistics corridor guarantees a twenty-four percent higher yield over the next five quarters. What Cooper is offering you isn't a partnership. It's a liability."

Cooper slammed his palm on the table, his face flushing crimson. "You arrogant insolent boy—"

"The numbers don't lie, Grand-uncle," Alexander interrupted quietly, signing his name on the master agreement and sliding the pen across the table to the investors. "And neither do I. Gentlemen, the choice is yours."

In truth, the investors were never truly convinced by Cooper. “We trusted your judgment, Mr. Thorne,” one of the investors said, nodding toward Alexander.

Cooper’s jaw clenched, his knuckles turning white around his glass. “This isn't over, Alexander,” he spat before striding out of the room.

Alexander, you just got married, didn't you? Cooper thought, a sinister smirk tugging at his lips as a new plan for revenge took shape.

_

After sealing the contracts, Alexander headed home. On the way, his phone buzzed with a call from his grandmother.

"I told Sera to move into your villa tomorrow," Eleonor said without preamble. "That will serve as your matrimonial home from now on."

"What? You told her to stay there?" Alexander’s grip tightened on his phone. "Grandma, you’ve crossed the line! That villa is strictly for the woman I love. She can stay in any of my other properties, but not there!"

"Well, I already told Sera that the villa was your matrimonial home," Eleonor retorted, unfazed by his outburst. "That's what you get for neglecting your wife. Besides, the villa suits Sera perfectly."

Sensing her grandson’s pure frustration, Eleonor delivered her final, inescapable card. "And let me remind you, Alex, if your grand-uncle Cooper catches wind that you aren't living together, he’ll declare this marriage a sham. He’ll mobilize the board to strip your power, and under the inheritance clause, they have every legal right to do so."

Alexander’s jaw clenched. He wanted to refuse, but his grandmother’s reminder had cornered him. Cooper was just waiting for him to slip up.

"Fine," Alexander gritted out. "She can stay there. But strictly in the guest wing."

"Whatever you say, darling," Eleonor said before hanging up.

Alexander tossed his phone onto the seat with a frustrated sigh. That villa was meant for his missing girl.

Alexander had never met a woman so fierce and captivating just like his savior. He remembered when he looked at her, a strange familiarity took hold. He felt as though he had known her all his life, and that she truly belonged to him. He promised he would find and marry her.

Now, he hated that his contract bride he’d never even met was invading his sanctuary.