Ace pulled out his phone from his pocket and showed a photo he had secretly taken of Seraphina. In the picture, Seraphina was sitting elegantly under the lights, dressed in a gray suit, exuding the grace and beauty of someone from a wealthy family.
Ace shoved the phone in front of the two men, his breath reeking of alcohol as he bragged, "Check out this girl. Isn't she stunning? That kind of class, you won't find it in any bar girl. Let's grab her, teach her a lesson, and help me blow off some steam."
A sly smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he hinted, "And you guys can have some fun too."
The two men exchanged a greedy glance and readily agreed, laughing, "Sure, Ace, we're in. We'll make sure you have a good time too."
Ace's smile turned cold as he patted their shoulders and ordered, "Find an opportunity to act tomorrow."
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windows into the office of the Translation Department's head.
Blair sat at her desk, her eyes bloodshot. After drunkenly confessing her feelings to Aiden the previous night, she was now sober and in agony, her mind constantly replaying images of a young girl named Nova. She muttered to herself in confusion, "What exactly is Nova's relationship with Aiden?"
Just then, her secretary brought in a stack of documents, informing her that they were the profiles of new interns starting next week and asking her to review and sign them.
The secretary added, "Originally, there were six interns, but another one named Nova was added later."
Blair's head snapped up, and she urgently asked, "Who added Nova?"
The secretary replied, "Mr. Martinez called to arrange it. If you have any questions, you can ask Mr. Martinez."
Blair quickly flipped through the documents and found Nova's youthful photo in the last one, instantly realizing that Aiden must have been the one to get Nova in.
Knowing Aiden's usual meticulousness, she was surprised that he would go out of his way for Nova.
She carefully reviewed Nova's background and found that her parents worked in the Department of State, making her family background relatively average among the interns. Blair couldn't help but wonder, "What makes Nova so special that Aiden would treat her this way?"
Unable to resist, she dialed Aiden's number. She never missed an opportunity.
When the call connected, Aiden's deep, magnetic voice came through. Blair, with a hint of flirtation in her tone, asked, "Mr. Martinez, did you arrange for Nova to join the Translation Department? Why didn't you give me a heads-up? If you had, I would have taken good care of her."
Aiden responded coolly, "Let her prove herself through her own abilities. No special treatment needed."
But Blair wasn't satisfied and pressed further, "What's your relationship with Nova? Is she someone you like?"
Aiden paused before replying, "Don't make wild guesses. We have no special relationship."
Still unwilling to give up, Blair invited, "Mr. Martinez, how about dinner tonight? Consider it my apology for my drunken behavior yesterday."
Aiden declined, citing work, "Maybe another time." Then he hung up.
Blair bit her lip, staring at Nova's photo with jealousy in her eyes. She had loved Aiden for five years, sacrificing her youth for him, yet he had always ignored her.
As Aiden's status grew, he became increasingly out of reach. Now, seeing him care for another girl, how could she not be jealous?
Meanwhile, Seraphina received a call from Niamh early in the morning, asking her to handle some business at the office at 9:30.
Seraphina agreed.
At 9:30, she arrived at the office on time and entered her mother's office, where numerous documents awaited her review and signature. Though she hadn't taken over daily operations, her month-long experience at the company made her adept at handling the tasks.
Outside the office, a male employee secretly observed Seraphina and then sent a message: "Seraphina has arrived at the office."
Soon, he received instructions to continue monitoring Seraphina's every move and report back. The employee, once Ace's trusted aide, now served as Ace's informant.
Seraphina finished her work by noon and checked the time on her phone, realizing it was time for her lunch date with Zachary.
She stood up, handed over the processed documents, and informed them that she would return in the afternoon to handle the rest. Then she grabbed her bag and left the CEO's office.
The office area was quiet as most employees were out for lunch.
She walked down the corridor towards the elevator, unaware of the male employee who quickly reported to Ace, "Seraphina is heading out, probably to the underground parking lot."
He then turned off his phone and retreated into the shadows.
Seraphina remained oblivious to all of this.
The elevator descended to the basement level, the exclusive parking area for York Group's management. Ace still had a key card for this area, which he hadn't returned, and he lay in wait with his men.
Seraphina reached the parking lot but didn't head towards her car. Instead, she walked towards Zachary's black SUV.
Zachary watched Seraphina intently from inside the car. Suddenly, two shady figures emerged behind her. His eyes narrowed, and he swiftly opened the car door and strode towards her.
Seraphina was startled by Zachary's tense expression, "Zachary, what's wrong?"
Zachary's voice was low and commanding, "Get in the car."
Seraphina nodded and quickly got in.
The two men thought they had an opportunity, seeing the car door open. But they didn't realize it was a trap set by Zachary.
As they approached the car door, Zachary, who had been hiding behind a pillar, swiftly emerged. He grabbed one man's shoulder and slammed him to the ground with a clean, decisive move.
The other man, realizing the danger, tried to flee but was blocked by Zachary. He stumbled and fell, sitting on the ground in a panic, facing Zachary's menacing glare.
Zachary's eyes were cold and filled with fury. The two men tried to argue, "What are you doing? We didn't do anything wrong. Why are you attacking us?" They were secretly planning to use a weapon against Zachary and escape.
Curious, Seraphina approached with her bag and saw Zachary standing over the two men. She noticed a glint of light under the parking lot's lights.
She gasped, covering her mouth in shock, as she saw a knife about half a foot long. Zachary, unfazed, sneered, "You want to die?"
He swiftly twisted their wrists, eliciting a scream and the sound of the knife clattering to the ground.
With a flick of his foot, the knife landed in his hand, and he immediately stabbed one man's leg. The man screamed in agony, "You bastard! Do you know who we are?"
Zachary's eyes were icy as he looked down at them, "I don't care who you are. If you mess with my people, this is what you get."
The parking lot's atmosphere was tense, and danger was imminent. This was just the beginning of the story.
Zachary's gaze was sharp as he stared at the two men who had tried to kidnap Seraphina, demanding, "Who sent you?"
One man tried to deny it, "I don't know what you're talking about. We were just here to get our car. We didn't do anything. I'm calling the cops to report you for assault!"
Zachary scoffed and slowly crouched down, his cold eyes piercing through them. The other man, terrified, wet his pants. His leg was bleeding, soaking his pants, and he trembled as he finally confessed, "It was... Ace. He said Seraphina is a rich girl, and he also said..."
"Said what?" Zachary grabbed the man's throat, his eyes fierce.
"He said... we could have some fun with her!"