Chapter 92
Herman was like, “Well, look who’s here You too?”
Leandro loosened his tie and sat down “You off already?
Herman mused a bit, then decided to stick around
Victor couldn’t help but chuckle at Leandro “Man, you’ve got some pull Edgar begged Herman to stay, but he wouldn’t budge Now you’re here, and he’s all ears”
Leandro took a sip of his wine You’ll know when it’s time to know No use asking”
Edgar shot him a look “You seem preity pleased with yourself. Balch’s in hot water, and there’s no rival. Enjoying the show?”
Victor gave a light laugh. “That’d be my guess
“Enough” Herman interjected. “Balch’s no competition for Leandro”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Edgar demanded. “We saw with our own eyes that Seraphina moved into Balch’s place, right next door to Leandro’s. Bald move for a woman, dont you think?
“Not just bold” Herman added
He trailed off, and Edgar gave him a nudge. “Well, don’t just leave us hanging‘
“Do you guys know who leaked that story online?” Herman asked
Leandro just sipped his wine, not reacting
“No way!” The others were visibly shocked and couldn’t believe it.
Herman nodded
Edgar shivered at the thought, and Victor looked at Leandro.
Leandro lit a cigarette and turned to Herman “So, she spilled the beans. You’ve got a problem with that?”
“From a legal standpoint, no” Herman replied. “But she seems cold”
“Agreed” Edgar chimed in “Balch even took a knife for her that night. He must really care for her. And she just turns around and rats him out? I’d be scared shitless if I had a
woman like that.”
“She’s not just cold, she’s cool as a cucumber Herman added “She knew what she was doing from the start.”
Edgar took a sharp breath, then nudged Leandro “You heard him, right? Cut ties with her ASAP She’s still your fiancee, and if she turns on you, you won’t even know what hit you!”
Victor, lounging on the couch, glanced at Leandro and slowly started to smile. “I remember Seraphina being nothing like this who barely dared to speak to anyone. Who knew she’d turn out so decisive?”
Leandro sat quietly, Victor’s words stirring up old memories.
we were kids. She was a gentle, shy girl
To him, Seraphina, before she turned seventeen, was just a pretty shy, and endearing little girl who lived with the Reynolds family. She was fun to tease and get to talk to
Things changed when he realized she had feelings for him.
She was still a shy and beautiful girl, but in front of him, she showed courage like he’d never seen before.
She would wait for him late into the night, just to catch a glimpse of him
She would approach him when he was home, just to catch his attention.
She would sneak into his room when he came home drunk, looking after him all night.
Their relationship became complicated, even tangled, and she gave him all her love
The last time he saw her, when he sent her away, her gaze was cold for the first time.
Seven years later, the girl he remembered was no more. She was different, inside and out.
On the surface, she was stunning and alluring, but when it came down to it, she was so cool–headed that it scared r
Leandro finished his cigarette, stood up, and announced “I’m going to take off“, then left
d men
Edgar started, looking puzzled. “He barely sat down, and he’s gone. He’s really blowing us off these days”
Victor just started to laugh
“What’s so funny?” Edgar asked
Victor watched Leandros feceding figure and chuckled. “I just find it funny how Leandro has changed.”
Seven years had passed, Leandro had changed, and so had Seraphina
A cold man meeting a cool headed woman could be interesting
Leandro left the winery, got in his car, but didn’t say where he was going
The driver started the car, thought for a moment, then said, ‘I heard Ms. Bennett moved in with Conway tonight”
Leandro just replied, “Hmm”
The driver then drove off to Urban Oasis
Conway was thrilled when Seraphina promised to move into the rehab center with lum
For Seraphina, the rehab center was a peaceful place with Conway as her shield, it was great for relaxation
But the peace was shattered the next afternoon
Seraphina was playing with a selfie app on her phone with Conway when she saw two formally dressed men approaching.
“Ms. Bennett, hello” One of them said, “We are Mr. Balch’s lawyers‘
Serapluna expected someone to come for her, just not this soon.
At the mention of “Balch“, Conway’s face scrunched up, and his good mood was ruined
It took Seraphina quite a while to convince Conway to sit down with the lawyers, even after explaining everything to him.
“Ms. Bennett, we represent Mr. Lawson”
As she was making coffee, Seraphina replied, “I know You guys can just spit it out and tell me what he wants to ask.”
After saying this, she pushed two cups of coffee toward them and smiled at them.
“Why?” This was the first question Balch asked
Seraphina gently turned her head and thought about her answer: “For the pursuit of the truth, for upholding justice, or maybe just because I’ve got a bee in my bonnet, all are valid”
“Why?” This was the second question Balch asked.
Seraphina could almost picture Balch as he asked this question. He must’ve been quiet, cool as a cucumber, always a perfect gentleman, fully focused
“Because he screwed up. Seraphina slowly said, “His wife slabbed him in the back; he had her killed through Fidelia, then, he helped Fidelia cover up the whole shebang and pinned the blame on an innocent guy who ended up kicking the bucket in jail for nothing. That was a life too. Some mistakes are just unforgivable”
