Serena picked on her food, spaced out. She barely had any sleep last night as the thought about the possibility of that monster being Gerald's brother and the fact that he fell out of favor from the family makes everything worse. She thought about telling Gerald about that night but she has no idea how he'll take it. Sighing softly, she stared at the food on her fork, unable to eat.     " Is everything okay?' Gerald's low rumbling voice brought her out of her train of thoughts. She glanced at him, her mind empty at first before slowly nodding.     " Yes..." She mumbled, twirling her fork.     " You've barely eaten anything." He muttered, pointing at her plate. She stared down at it, indeed she really hadn't eaten much. Forcing out a smile, she placed her fork gently on the table.    " Guess I'm not so hungry." She replied, chuckling. It had no mirth.      

        Days passed and their relationship kept improving. Gerald found out he looked forward to their evening walks when they talked about everything and nothing. The empty mansion didn't feel so empty anymore with someone beside him. Besides she was doing a good job running the households and the workers in it so Gerald could focus on other things. Dinner was a special time for the two. Then, he saw Serena the way in a more different light as she told him about her activities of the day and plans for the next one. And for some reasons neither could explain, they began spending the night in the same room. Hands wrapped around each other, they fell asleep cuddling.          This particular day seemed like it would play out like the last ones. They were out in the balcony and as usual Serena was talking while Gerald listened with rapt attention, a glass of whiskey in hand.      " So, you fell asleep

      Gerald wasn't lying when he said they'll be busy in the coming days. Worked filled her to the brim she thought she'd pass out from it. There were do many things to do, so many places to visit. But it was what she signed up for so she was determined to pull through. One good thing about this though, was she got to see more of Gerald and understand him. That's what kept her in a good mood the past few days.     " Are this the last batches?" She asked the butler, pointing at the arranged files on her table. He nodded. " Okay then, could you put them back in their shelves?"     " Will do, my lady." He replied and proceeded to pick them up.      "And, oh... One more thing. Could I get the list of the workers in the palace? "    " Yes, of course. My lady." He replied before taking files away from her office. Serena let out a breath, palming her forehead. She straightene

Serena ran out of the room, gasping for air. Only then did the realization of what she just did hit her and she gasped, mortified. She turned around and placed a hand on the doorknob but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't open it. What would she say to Gerald? How would she explain herself to him? Worst of all, they're not even at home. She tried again but didn't get any luck. Scared, she ran away.Making sure not walk to far away, she glanced at the door, tears pricking her eyes. She needed to go back but was terrified of how Gerald would react. Biting her lips, she tried to stop the tears from falling." Serena, is that you?" A voice asked and she flinched, a bit startled. Turning to the direction of the voice, she found out it was from Jessica. She let out a sigh of relief." Yes, it's me." She replied, her voice hoarse. Jessica walked closer, her eyes scrutinizing her." What are you doing here?" She asked. " I thought you wanted to sleep

    Gerald arrived home, feeling more tense than necessary. He'd expected to feel lighter now that he had cut ties with Scarlett but couldn't help the bad feeling I his gut. Like something terrible was going to happen afterwards. He'd tried to shake it off on his way home but it only got stronger.       Of course, Serena was waiting for him when he arrived. A smile on her face, she welcomed him with a kiss, wrapping her hands around him afterwards. He took in a deep breath, some of his worries dropping away.          " I didn't expect you to be out so late." She whispered against his neck.       " Sorry, I didn't know I would take so long." He muttered, his voice gruff. She pulled away, the smile still on her face. She had already dressed for the night and from where he stood, he could see all her beautiful features but now wasn't the time for carnal desires.       &n