Chapter 124
Octavius's POV
I kissed Seraphine's lips, tasting her familiar flavor, unable to stop myself.
Until a sharp pain shot through my lower lip, and the taste of blood filled my mouth.
I jolted awake, and at the same time, Seraphine pushed me away forcefully.
Her eyes were red, her lips swollen, her gaze furious.
Even so, I still had this urge to ravage her.
Seraphine was too much like a gorgeous rose, waiting to be picked.
"Octavius, you bastard!" Seraphine was breathing hard, her face flushed. "What do you think I am? Is it fun humiliating me like this?"
Humiliating?
I didn't expect her to see it that way.
Coming back to my senses now, I suddenly felt a bit regretful.
Earlier, hearing men calling her one after another, I got inexplicably worked up emotionally and lost control.
Seeing her talk to others with that gentle smile made me jealous, and seeing her still tangled up with Mitchell made me even angrier.
But doing this was wrong.
We both had our own lovers now.
I looked at Seraphine's tear-filled eyes and decided to just go with it, sneering, "So what? Seraphine, you've got plenty of men, don't you? What's the difference who you kiss? I just wanted to see how easy you really are."
Seraphine looked at me in shock, like she was looking at a complete stranger she'd never known, clearly hurt.
She took a deep breath and said slowly, "Octavius, don't worry. From now on, I'll never set foot in your company to find you again."
Seraphine turned and left without looking back, even her retreating figure carrying a sense of finality.
The office door closed.
I clenched my fists, standing there, my lip burning with pain.
A knock sounded at the door.
I snapped out of it and turned to sit at my desk. "Come in."
My assistant Flynn pushed the door open. Seeing the wound on my lip, he froze for a moment, then quickly recovered.
He walked over with a tablet and placed it in front of me. "Mr. Capulet, regarding the specific date for your engagement party with Ms. Powell, the Powell family has been asking several times, hoping to finalize and announce it soon. When do you think would be suitable?"
He pointed to several dates on the tablet. "On these dates, you don't have any heavy work commitments, so you could completely make time for the engagement party."
I frowned. I didn't want to have any engagement party at all.
This was just a fake marriage alliance, something I was using to deal with the Powell Group shareholders, to more openly manipulate the Powell Group for my revenge.
Right now, my mind was full of images of Seraphine leaving with red eyes just moments ago.
"Next weekend." I randomly picked a date.
Flynn paused, quickly pulling back the tablet to check the dates.
"Next weekend? But Mr. Capulet, next weekend is when Ms. Whitaker is getting engaged to the young master of the Obelon family. Although they announced that timing, it might not be the exact same time, but..." He looked at me carefully, not finishing his sentence, though his meaning was obvious.
The engagement dates would clash.
I suddenly came to my senses, remembering that Seraphine and Gabriel's engagement party was indeed next weekend.
That was fast.
I let out a breath and closed my eyes.
If we were going to break it off, might as well make it complete.
"Set it for next weekend. The news can be released early." My attitude was firm.
Flynn still had concerns but didn't dare say more.
He could only nod and say quietly, "Alright, Mr. Capulet. I'll communicate with Ms. Powell's side to confirm the details."
I waved my hand to dismiss him.
Flynn was about to leave when my phone rang.
Seeing Quinlan's name, I felt annoyed and didn't want to discuss anything with her.
"Wait."
When Flynn turned back, I pointed at my phone and ordered, "Tell her I had to leave on an urgent business trip and won't be back until tomorrow. If she needs anything, she can deal directly with you. I can't take calls."
Flynn looked a bit surprised but didn't ask questions. He picked up my phone and walked aside to answer it.
After he hung up, he placed the phone back on the desk, glancing at me repeatedly. "Mr. Capulet, Ms. Powell said she really wants to have dinner with you to discuss engagement party details. She also said you promised to go to the Powell family tonight. Are you really not going?"
I gave him a cold look. "Mind your own business."
Flynn immediately fell silent and left.
I was alone in the office.
I pressed my temples. The wound on my lip was still throbbing, reminding me of how out of control I'd been.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside again.
Without opening my eyes, I asked impatiently, "What else?"
But it wasn't Flynn who spoke—it was Veda.
"Mr. Capulet, I brought you some nutritious food, the kind you and Mrs. Capulet used to love. Try it and see if you still like it."
I opened my eyes to see Veda walking over in faded, worn clothes, her hair pulled back, mostly gray.
She was looking at me warmly and kindly, just like when I was little.
I instantly recalled a memory from when I was six.
Summer, with cicadas chirping endlessly in the trees.
Raina and Veda brought over a big basin of water and made me get in to bathe, each scooping up water to pour over me.
I had been making a fuss about going swimming, but they thought I couldn't swim and that public pools weren't completely clean, so they used this method to humor me.
I had so much fun that day. The sound of Raina and Veda's laughter seemed to still echo in my ears.
My heart warmed. I stood up immediately and went over, taking the thermos from her hands and helping her sit on the sofa. "Veda, you didn't need to make a special trip for me. Those clothes and jewelry I bought you—you haven't worn any of them. Are they uncomfortable or don't they fit?"
Veda smiled awkwardly. "They fit fine, it's just that such expensive clothes and jewelry, how could someone like me wear them..."
I cut her off. "You can wear them. Don't say things like that. I bought them for you, so wear them."
Veda said nothing, lowering her head, then suddenly looked up with tears in her eyes. "Even if Mr. Capulet says so, I still can't wear them, because I feel guilty."
I paused and frowned. "Guilty about what?"
"Your mother's revenge hasn't been taken yet. Heath, who caused her and the Stewart family, is at large, and his family is still enjoying wealth and glory. How can I feel at ease enjoying these things? When your mother's great revenge hasn't even been avenged." Veda began sobbing, and soon tears were streaming down her face.
My heart clenched painfully. I forced a smile. "Veda, sorry, I didn't think it through, didn't consider your feelings. But if Mother could see me treating you so well, she'd be happy too. After all, you were one of the people closest to her when she was alive."
"You're getting older. If she were still here, she'd definitely send you to some villa to enjoy your retirement, but now you're still following me around and cooking for me."
I emphasized my tone, ordering, "Wear them. Don't overthink it."
Veda nodded, and a strange gleam flashed through her eyes.
Before I could examine it further, she suddenly asked, "You've completely cut things off with that Seraphine, right? I've been hearing gossip lately that you two had something before, that you chased after her and she humiliated you."
My smile faded slightly, and I unconsciously pressed my wounded lip. "Things between her and me are over, Veda. You don't need to worry."
"I'm not worried about that. I just wanted to remind you that some people you really should let go of." Veda wiped her tears and smiled again. "I think Ms. Powell is very good. You can build a family and career with her, and after your great revenge is complete, you can live a good life. Don't think about people you shouldn't."
If it were anyone else, I wouldn't want to hear this.
But this was Veda. I knew she genuinely cared about me, so I just nodded vaguely. "I know."