Seraphina sat comfortably on the ornate couch, sipping tea with a slight smile.
Then she dropped the line that changed everything.
"Is it because of my cousin, Ethan Bond?"
The words echoed like a thunderclap.
Alistair's cup froze mid-air. Carter leaned slightly forward, confused. Walter Hayes visibly stiffened. For a long second, none of them said a word. They exchanged glances, their expressions shifting from polite confusion to quiet alarm.
The silence was thick.until Seraphina softly chuckled.
"So you all knew," she said, tilting her head slightly. "And it is because of him, huh?"
Alistair cleared his throat. "How did you know?"
Before Seraphina could answer, Luke leaned forward slightly, a rare smirk forming on his usually cold face.
"Did you really think I wouldn't look into the man who orchestrated a full-scale breakout in the middle of a auction?" he said calmly. "I did a thorough background check. And what I found… was surprising, to say the least."
