<b>Chapter </b><b>120 </b>
Elena’s POV:
Tsee, Seraphina hummed softly, her gaze thoughtful as she swirled the remaining tea in her cup. The quiet murmur of conversation from the other patrons in the private lounge on the top floor café of Legacy Motors barely registered as afortable silence settled between us
I took a deep breath, the slightly floral scent of her perfume lingering in the air. Honestly! Aber everything I had been through in the past few months? Meeting Seraphina, a woman who had basically been my idol since I was a kid, didn’t put me on edge the way it might have just weeks ago. I felt a strange sense of calm in her presence, a feeling that perhaps she genuinely wanted to offer some form of support, however unconventional
“You <b>needn’t </b>worry about the rumors or the online articles, Llena,” she continued, her tone reassuring. “They will die down soon enough. The media’s attention span is notoriously short. As for the details of your personal life…” She paused, her gaze direct but not intrusive. “I certainly don’t have the authority or the right to intervene in such matters. But if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need my help with something anything at af please do let me know. I am more than willing to offer whatever assistance I can.” She offered a warm, genuine smile as she raised her teacup for another small sp.
Inodded, a feeling of gratitude washing over me. But then, a question that had been nagging at me since our conversation began finally surfaced. i pursed my lips slightly, a hire of curiosity coloring my tone. “So… what exactly did you want to talk to me about asked, and she nodded slowly, her gaze flicking towards the doorway through which Mkai had excused himself earlier. The subtle shift in her expression suggested that his absence was perhaps not entirely coincidental
“To be honest, Elena,” she began, her voice dropping slightly, bing more confidential “my initial intention for this meeting had been different.. that <b>was </b>directly after everything that unfolded so dramatically at the charity g” She paused, her eyes meeting mine, searching for understanding nodded slowly, silently urging her to continue. “I know this <b>might </b>sound rather invasive, and please forgive me if it does, but I had actually wanted to warn you
“About… Lasked, my brow furrowing <b>in </b>anticipation
“Nik… well, the entire Vetrov family, to be precise. I just wanted to advise you to be careful and not make any hasty decisions in situation. However,” she added, a small, almost imperceptible smile ying on her lips, “it seems my worry might have been for naught, considering the
regarding your….. news that has already surfaced.”
1 frowned, a knot of <b>confusion </b>tightening in my stomach. “You… wanted to warn me about Niki Aren’t you… his friend?” The question hung in the air,ced with a genuine bewilderment. By the news surfacing did she mean the divorce?
She nodded, her smile fading slightly, reced by a more thoughtful expression, res, Elena, I am his friend. <b>I </b><b>have </b>known Niki for a very long time. I’m not saying <b>he’s </b><b>an </b>inherently bad person, not at all. His circumstances, his past… they are undeniably bad, though. That’s precisely why I was initially happy when I found out he had married you I genuinely thought that perhaps he would finally be able to move beyond his deeply troubled past… that perhaps his constant visits to <b>his </b>therapist would finallye to an end. But it seems I had been terribly mistaken in that hope. And after everything that unfolded so publicly at the g, with Sergei’s shocking revtions, I just felt this overwhelming sense of guilt for not having warned <b>you </b>beforehand. I hadn’t known about your connection to Sergei Morozov back then, of course, but I still feel I should have looked into Niki’s past more thoroughly. being one of the few people who knew about his long standing obsession with it.” She finished, her gaze filled with a genuine regret<b>, </b>and with every word, my gut felt like it was twisting into tighter knots. Niki, obsessed with his past?
“Why is he so obsessed, Seraphina? Is it only because of what happened to his mother?” I <b>asked</b>, my voice barely above a whisper. She tilted her head slightly, her expression thoughtful.
“N? Oh, Elena… I don’t know how much you truly know about his childhood. But his early years were marked by significant neglect and the kind of abuse, <b>both </b>emotional and physical, that he endured at the hands of his father and… well, his mother as well….
“<b>Abuse</b>?” I interrupted, the single word hanging in the <b>air</b><b>, </b>a cold dread washing over me.
She quirked her brows, her expression acknowledging my shock. “res, Elena… Niki… be carries a very deep psychological shadow from it all. Buthe doesn’t remember many of the <b>specific </b>details, thank goodness. I honestly think that’s ultimately for the best. It’s better for him if those memories remain buried. He was hospited numerous times as a child due to his father’s violent temper, and there was one particrly humific incident, i believe, where things got so bad that he <b>was </b>practically at death’s door. His mother in a fit of rage, she had apparently stabbed him with a broken piece of ss.” She finished, her voice hushed, and a wave of nausea<b>, </b><b>far </b>stronger than the morning sickness, washed over me. Disgust <b>and </b>a profound. sense of sorrow mingled within me,
que
I took in a heaving breath, biting my lip to steady myself, “1. Heel terrible about everything he went through as a child, Seraphina But honestly. did he expect to happen? Did he really think that blindsiding me the way he did would somehow make everything better for him? He took revenge on someone who had absolutely no idea about any of it” I said, my voice filled with a mix of hurt and anger. Seraphina nodded slowly, h expression understanding “I know, Elena. Ipletely understand your feelings. That’s precisely why I wanted to tell you to steer clear, to protect yourself.” She trailed off, her gaze softening with concern,
Inodded slowly. Nothing about this conversation, however well intentioned, was setting me at ease, I’d seen this dynamic far too often in life, women having to make endlesspromises and excuses for their husbands‘ wrongdoings, always trying to understand and forgive their wed partners, often at their own expense.
I understood Niki’s trauma on an intellectual level. I genuinely felt bad for the horrific experiences he had endured as a child. <b>Maybe</b>… maybe if 1 hadn’t been carrying his child, if my life hadn’t taken this unexpected turn, I would have gone back to him, at least for the duration of our ridiculous contract. Or maybe even further. But now, everything was different.
“You have a bright future ahead of you, Elena. Stay focused on that, on your career, on building a life for yourself am absolutely certain you can achieve great things.” She offered a warm, encouraging smile as she stood up, and I followed suit, ncing at my watch to realize that our extended lunch break was officially over. We made our way out of the private lounge in the top–floor café, afortable silence settling between us once more
I went back to my allocated desk in the bustling intern area, thanking Seraphina sincerely for the unexpected lunch and her candid conversation. The rest of the afternoon at Legacy passed quickly, my focus returning to the demanding research tasks i had been assigned. However, as soon as I arrived back at the condo that evening, a sense of unease settled over me. The front door was slightly ajar, a sliver of darkness beckoning from within. My heart skipped an anxious beat.
“Mielle?” I called out hesitantly, my voice echoing in the silent hallway. Not hearing a response, I stepped inside, my senses on high alert. Then, I heard a loud, unmistakable sniffleing from the direction of the living room. I hurried towards the sound, my footsteps quickening, and found Mielle huddled on the floor, her small frame shaking with dry heaves, Shinichiro sitting beside her.
I frowned, running towards them, a surge of rm coursing through me. “What the hell happened?!” I asked, my voice sharp with concern, and Shinichiro looked up.
?