Lucia’s POVSeraphina’s sob broke through the silence as almost everyone scampered towards Grandpa. Dad had hung his head low in despair, leaving the room with Mum while my uncle Richard, began calling all the other cousins to inform them about Grandpa’s death. While the whole commotion happened, I heaved a sigh of relief—Not because I cared that after Grandpa went through so much pain, he finally found rest. I heaved a sigh of relief because I was happy that he was now dead. Finally! A smile threatened to creep through my face but suppressed it as the memories from where he had pointed to me flooded through my mind. When he was still in a vegetative state, I had said so many horrible things to him and even confessed thousands of things because I was sure that he was never going to wake up. Now, imagine my fear when I received the call that he had regained consciousness. Excitement bubbled deep within me because not only did his death delight me, but his death was going to open m
Seraphina’s POVOne thing I would never understand was my family’s hastiness to share my late grandpa’s inheritance. His funeral was only a few days ago, and if it hadn’t been for Rowan, I wouldn’t have come at all. He helped me see that, even with my family keeping their distance, my grandfather would have wanted me here.I heaved an exasperated sigh, adjusting my sunglasses while trying to hold back my tears on seeing the cheerful mood that my family was in. The more I stared at every one of them, the more unease rose to choke me. It was more like they never cared about my late grandfather. My fingers trembled as I fisted my dress and my eyes kept scanning everyone around. Lucia stood around the dining table with Mason, feeding him dessert while my cousins, Ava and Kira kept predicting what share of the inheritance would be allocated to them. Ava squealed in excitement. “What if Grandpa gives me his vacation house?”“And he gives me the yacht” Kira screamed before she threw a gl
Rowan’s POVSeraphina crouched before Grandpa Martin’s grave, burying her head between her knees, before she raised her head and made a tiny sniffle. “Your favorite flower, Grandpa” She dropped a rose petal on his grave while I clenched my fist, resisting every urge to place my hands on her shoulder. Slowly, she turned and when my eyes met hers, the tears that shone in her eyes shattered my heart into pieces. She forced out a smile, opening her arms wide. “Do you want to hug?”“Do you?” She pursed her lips slightly, bobbing her head up and down. “I think I can use one”Without thinking twice, I stepped forward and wrapped my hands around her, while she pressed her head so hard against my chest that the fear of her hearing my heartbeat clawed at me. Plus, why was my heart racing so hard in my chest?I could feel her warmth seep into my chest in an electrifying way while she sobbed gently. “I can’t still believe everything that happened. I can’t believe that he would leave such an
Lucia’s POVThis was a nightmare!If it was a nightmare, then why wasn’t I waking up from it?All my life, I had been jumping from one traumatic experience to the other, but this was different. I knew that wretched old man never liked me, but how could he be so cruel to give almost all his properties to Seraphina? How could he make her the boss of me?Why was I so unlucky with my life? My life, my plans, and my dreams were all crumbling before my very eyes and there was nothing that I could do to stop it. Mason snapped me out of my reverie, squeezing me gently on the shoulder as my children, Jason and Henry followed him. While Jason was focused on his video game, Henry rushed up to meet me. “Mummy, are you okay now? You won’t be returning to the hospital right?”I forced out a smile. “I wouldn’t be returning to the hospital…”Before I could complete my words, Mason interrupted. “Henry, can you please not stress your mum? She needs all the rest that she could get”“Okay Daddy” He lef
Mason’s POV Opening the door to our luxurious home, a sense of fulfillment and relief washed over me. As much as I despised Seraphina, I couldn’t help but be glad that she made such a decision by throwing us out of the house. The family house was stifling, filled with endless drama. It was clear they never truly liked Lucia, and her presence often felt as though she was forcing her way into their world. Yet, despite everything, I couldn’t understand her deep attachment to them. Because she exposed my sister’s murderer, I felt obligated to grant every one of her wishes, even the ones that unsettled me. Finally, we could have the perfect nuclear family that I had envisioned in mind. Just me, Lucia, Jason, and our adopted son, Henry. While the children ran around the house in excitement, Lucia seemed displeased as she had a frown on her face and was acting nonchalantly about everything that I showed her. “I think that you would love this Piano. I can’t wait to play the piano for
Seraphina Rowan sat across from me, his eyes fixed on the tablet that he scrolled through as the maid dished out his plate of omelets. I bit on my sandwich, staring at him suspiciously while he ignored my total existence. Rowan and I might act close in public, but inside the house, we were total strangers. We hardly talked to each other unless it was critical—I mean, how were we supposed to talk to each other when we hardly saw each other? We were both workaholics. I took a spoonful, chewing, and I was about to speak when all of a sudden, my heart lurched when Rowan raised his head, his eyes meeting mine as he shot a glare at me. “Can you stop staring at me because I am trying to get work done here, and can you stop chewing loudly?”I smiled at him before the smile on my face died. “Is that how you say good morning? Mr. Rowan?”“There is nothing good about the morning for me to exchange pleasantries with you and—” He paused, removing his glasses, placing them on the table before h
Seraphina’s POV**The Day**Standing outside the auditorium, my mind drifted back to the confrontation that happened between Rowan and me. The more I thought about it, the more anger coursed through me. No matter how much I tried to process the reason behind his actions, I just couldn’t. There was no explanation to justify everything he said to me.What if he had been pretending all along? What if his actions were part of some elaborate plan to get back at me for rejecting the proposal for an arranged marriage between us? Or worse, what if he had been conspiring with Mason and Lucia, playing me for a fool from the very beginning?I mean, that had to be it because there was no reasonable explanation why he would tell me to go to the spa and pretend as if my life weren’t crashing down.The more I stood rooted in the same spot, the more it hit me that I was lonely. At that moment, fear slowly crept through my mind—The fear of losing the contract. My mind replayed the conversation I ha
Rowan There are two things that I don't forgive— Breaking promises and hurting the people that are dear to my heart. And for Mason, he has crossed all lines but the bright side of all this was that he was exactly where I wanted him to be—My trap. I already knew that he was going to take the first step and unlike others who retaliate once, I don't just strike back—I dismantle so bad that they feel it in their bones. Only if Mason and Lucia knew about the huge blow that would be coming their way soon. Maybe they would have never messed with Flamingo. My assistant, Kaleb, broke my train of thought. “Sir, I just got the information from our insiders that the contract has been given to your wife sir”A smile spread across my face at that moment but was I surprised? No! From the get-go, I had known that she was going to be awarded the contract. So when she had panicked, and cussed at me after Mason and Lucia pulled the stunt they did, I wasn't bothered because I knew that the pieces wo
Mason’s P.O.VSeething with rage, my jaw clenched, gripping the steering wheel so hard that I could feel my veins almost popping out. My plan had failed and as if that wasn’t enough, I had gotten into a greater problem. “Damn!” I slammed my fist against the dashboard, my chest heaving up and down as my mind replayed the conversation that had happened between Seraphina and me. That wasn’t the way things were supposed to turn out!I had underestimated her and thought that she was still that gullible fool who would come crawling back to me the moment I had beckoned. She had changed— hardened, sharpened, and far more dangerous than I had imagined. If that recording of me asking her to have an affair with me manages to get to the public, the situation of my company would worsen and the last thing I wanted was a scandal right now. Considering the way things were already crumbling before my eyes, I couldn’t afford to cause more harm to my company and also damage my family’s reputation.
Seraphina’s P.O.VI leaned in my swivel chair, watching the pretentious display of gifts from my cousins—Ava, Kira, and Karina. The same Ava, who wouldn't waste a single chance to throw snide remarks at me, smiled so brightly that her eyes sparkled. “Ms. Seraphina, I know that you must have heard lies about us causing a scene in your prestigious company, but all of that is a lie and misconception. Right, girls?”Kira and Karina bobbed their heads hurriedly. “Yes ma’am”Despite the frown on my face, an amused smile curled at the corner of my mouth as I twirled a sleek black pen between my fingers. “What is going on here? What is with all the formalities”Ava cleared her throat, taking the bouquet of roses from Karina. “Don't say that ma’am, we are your cousins, and we love you and to show our love for you, we brought these beautiful gifts that reflect your beauty”I raised a brow. “Why are you doing all of this?”The three girls exchanged fleeting glances with one another before they
Mason “Rowan…” I muttered through gritted teeth, raising my head while fixing my gaze on the screen where news about the sudden decline in my company’s stock was being reported. My eyes reddened as anger seeped through my veins, my heart pounding in my chest and despite the horror that was being reported on the screen, the only name that my mind kept screaming was Rowan!The investors pulling out of the company and the shareholders pulling out their shares—All of this showed Rowan’s finger and influence in it. He was on a mission to wreck me just because of a murderer. Rowan had painted me as the image of a toxic ex-husband according to the public. He had rallied disgruntled journalists—those he knew had been dismissed—and orchestrated a campaign against me. They published vicious stories, accusing me of being obsessed with destroying Seraphina, claiming I had manipulated them into inciting public outrage against her.The public, who had once directed their outrage at Seraphina,
SeraphinaI took my seat at the head of the round table, the voices in the boardroom fading in the background as my mind reeled from all the events that had happened with Rowan. Leo had disrespected me and because of that, Rowan had beaten him up and as if that wasn't enough for him, he would have killed Leo if it weren't for my quick intervention. The way his eyes darkened and that creepy smile on his face, when he trained the gun in Leo’s direction, sent shivers down my spine. Rowan may show that he cares for me at times and goes out of his way for me, but deep down, I knew I meant little to him. There were clear boundaries to how far he would go for me.Apart from all of that, confusion swirled in my mind because one thing I knew was that he couldn't have almost killed Leo because of me. So all of this meant that Leo and Rowan might have had some serious rift that made Rowan snap out in the end. I had always known that Rowan had a dark edge to him, but I had never expected that
RowanThe door to the hospital VIP room slid open with a soft whoosh as the nurse raised her head, fear creeping through her eyes as she ducked her head immediately. My eyes darted over to a motionless Leo who lay on the bed with bandaged arms and legs. Did my father honestly think that I wasn't going to find him? He was scared that I was going to go after Leo and he couldn't be any more right because his fears were coming to pass. “Does the wound still ache?” The nurse asked Leo who was still oblivious to the fact that I was standing at the door and ready to unleash his favorite nightmare on him. Leo’s voice croaked, his voice barely above a whisper. “I can still feel this dull ache, but it is better than before” The nurse smiled. “Don't worry, it is only a matter of time before you heal properly”I watched as she adjusted the flow of the IV drip and in the next minute, she was out. I clutched the bouquet of black dahlia, walking towards him with a smile tugging at the corner of
Rowan’s P.O.V I stretched out a helping hand to Seraphina, guiding her down the helicopter as her hands slipped through mine. “Whew! I can't believe you came here with me after so much pestering” She chuckled while I threw a glance at her. “I have no idea why you would want to have anything to do with my family after that” I sucked between my teeth as the memories of that horrible dinner and the words that bastard said to Seraphina coursed through my mind. Since that night, I found it difficult to get rid of those memories. I wasn’t at peace. The way he spoke rudely to her. The lack of remorse even after he got punished by me fueled the rage inside of me. I needed to quench the thirst inside of me and the only way to quench it was to make Leo fall on his knees. I wanted to see that fear in his eyes. Not only that, but I wanted him to realize that he was at my mercy and Seraphina wasn't someone he should disrespect. All of a sudden, Seraphina took me aback, slipping her arms thr
Rowan’s P.O.VA storm brewed deep within me because HOW DARE HE?Anyone who tried to disrespect Flamingo had always been on the receiving end. If I could deal badly with those who wagged their tongues at her, then what made Leo think that he could get away with this?My pulse quickened, my heart pounding so hard against my chest that I could feel it drumming in my ears. I pushed my dad aside, walking towards Liam whose palm was already smeared with the blood that streaked down his face. “B-Blood… Blood… Blood” His lips wobbled as he screamed out in panic. “Mum, blood! Rowan is…”Before he could complete his words, I gripped him by the collar of his shirt and crashed my clenched fist on that stupid face of his. “You called my wife a slut?”A dangerous smirk curled at the corner of his mouth. “Why are you that pissed, though? Isn't she a slut and a…”Another wave of anger coursed through me as that word echoed down my ears. Slut. He dared to call her a slut again! He fucking dared! Wi
Seraphina’s POVMy mind was still reeling from the sudden shift in the media’s portrayal of me. How did I go from being protested against to suddenly being praised in the media? After winning the contract, I received many calls from journalists and reporters requesting an interview with me. I stopped on the pathway that led to Rowan’s parent's mansion, my eyes drifting to Rowan as the cold air brushed through my bare arms, causing me to shiver slightly. “All of this happened as soon as Rowan announced that we were married” I muttered. My heart lurched when Rowan turned. It seemed more like he heard my words. In the next second, he walked up to me, slipping off his coat, and gently wrapping it around my shoulders. “I told you to wear a coat, but you never listen” He shook his head and remembering everything that he had done, different emotions crashed over me and I pursed my lips. “Thank you for the coat and everything” Rowan’s eyes locked onto mine for a second before he averted
Rowan There are two things that I don't forgive— Breaking promises and hurting the people that are dear to my heart. And for Mason, he has crossed all lines but the bright side of all this was that he was exactly where I wanted him to be—My trap. I already knew that he was going to take the first step and unlike others who retaliate once, I don't just strike back—I dismantle so bad that they feel it in their bones. Only if Mason and Lucia knew about the huge blow that would be coming their way soon. Maybe they would have never messed with Flamingo. My assistant, Kaleb, broke my train of thought. “Sir, I just got the information from our insiders that the contract has been given to your wife sir”A smile spread across my face at that moment but was I surprised? No! From the get-go, I had known that she was going to be awarded the contract. So when she had panicked, and cussed at me after Mason and Lucia pulled the stunt they did, I wasn't bothered because I knew that the pieces wo