Chapter 112: The Drawing

By the time Seraphina arrived back at Julian's mansion, the silence inside the car had become almost unbearable.

No one had said much since they left the Government Estate.

Knox had been focused on driving, his hands firm around the steering wheel and his attention fixed on the road ahead. Joanne had remained silent in the passenger seat.

Seraphina had been worried that Knox and Joanne had returned from their search without telling her anything.

The moment Knox pulled into the driveway, Seraphina remained seated.

Knox glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

“Miss Sera?”

She folded her arms. “I'm not getting out without getting feedback from you.”

Joanne snorted from the front seat. Seraphina ignored her.

Knox sighed.

“I apologized for my phone going off as the reason I couldn’t successfully contact you to tell you I was gone with my friend. Why would you refuse to give me an update?”

Seraphina interrogated with deep seriousness etched in her tone. Boyle who had been silent beside her had to glance at her for a moment before minding his business like he’d been doing.

Joanne rolled her eyes and opened her door.

“I'll be back inside when she decides to stop being difficult.”

She stepped out and shut the door behind her.

Knox remained behind the wheel for another moment before releasing a long breath.

Then he climbed out, walked around the car and opened the back door.

“Please come down, ma'am.”

Seraphina remained where she was. “I'm not moving until you tell me.”

Knox gave her a tired look. “I'll tell you everything once you step out.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“You promise?”

“Yes.”

She hesitated before finally climbing out.

She folded her arms across her chest as Knox closed the door.

“The detector didn't pick up anything,” he finally said.

Her expression fell. “Seriously?”

“Nothing,” Knox clarified. “No signal. No trace of the kind of equipment we were looking for. We checked the buildings we could access, and the device didn't react to any of them.”

Seraphina released a heavy sigh. “So I guess we're back to square one.”

“Not exactly.”

She looked at him.

“I think we may have been searching in the wrong place.”

Seraphina frowned.

“Or,” she countered, “you simply haven't looked deeply enough.”

Knox considered that. “That's why I'm going back tomorrow.”

“I'm coming with you.”

His answer came immediately.

“No.”

Seraphina's brows drew together.

“Why?”

“Because what happened today cannot happen again.”

Her lips parted.

Knox's expression hardened.

“I was terrified when I couldn't find you. You disappeared in the middle of an investigation, your phone was dead, and then you returned with a man none of us knew. You might trust him because you knew him years ago, but I don't know him.”

“He meant no harm.” Seraphina’s voice fell.

“You can say that, but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t a risk.”

Knox said, his voice remaining respectful, but assertive.

“Boss would kill me if anything happened to you.”

Seraphina inhaled slowly. “Fine.”

She looked away.

“If you come around again, reach out to me. You can go.”

Knox gave a small scoff.

“I'm not leaving until I see you enter the house.”

Seraphina stared at the mansion at the same time a thought she’d kept behind her mind surfaced to the fore front of it.

She turned back toward him.

“Knox?”

“Yes?”

“Can you take me to Julian today?”

His expression morphed with slight displeasure.

“Boss wouldn't want that.”

Her voice softened. “Please.”

Knox looked away. “I'm sorry, Miss Sera.”

She swallowed the emotion before it could spill over.

“Okay.”

Knox watched her walk toward the mansion.

He remained there until she disappeared through the doors.

Only then did he return to his car.

Seraphina barely gave herself time to think about Joye who she had planned to check on when she got back.

She wanted to know whether she had eaten, whether she was comfortable, or the pregnancy was affecting her.

But the moment she stepped inside the mansion, she decide to check on her son first.

She exchanged a brief greeting with the security guard before heading upstairs.

When she knocked on the door, the maid opened it almost immediately.

“Welcome back, ma'am.”

“Thank you, Cath.”

Seraphina stepped inside, her eyes instantly settling on him.

Phoenix sat at the living-room table with a pen in his small hand and several sheets of paper spread before him.

His little tongue peeked between his lips as he concentrated.

The moment he heard his mother's voice, he dropped the pen.

“Mummy!”

He ran toward her.

Seraphina immediately crouched and opened her arms.

Phoenix crashed into her embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around her neck.

She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in the familiar scent of her son.

“Hello, my baby.”

He pulled away with a smile. What did you bring me?”

Seraphina laughed softly.

“You're becoming very demanding.”

Phoenix giggled.

The maid smiled from behind them as Seraphina kissed his forehead.

“So, what have you been doing?”

Phoenix immediately turned around and pointed toward the table.

“Drawing.”

“Drawing?”

He nodded enthusiastically.

Seraphina smiled.

“You smart little one. Let's see what you've got in there.”

She followed him to the table.

Her smile slowly faded into stunned silence as her eyes settled on the drawing.

The art covered almost the entire sheet.

She knew, was very aware, that her son was talented with sketching- but this that she was staring at… had to be a discovery.

It was a building.

A massive three-story structure drawn with an astonishing level of precision.

The front of the building had a wide entrance framed by two tall pillars. Several rectangular windows lined each floor, all positioned almost perfectly. A long staircase led toward the main doors, and Phoenix had even drawn a curved driveway sweeping around the front of the property.

There were smaller structures on both sides.

A high wall surrounded the compound.

At the top, Phoenix had added several small square shapes that looked like surveillance cameras.

The proportions were almost unnervingly accurate.

Seraphina leaned closer.

It didn't look like something a child had simply scribbled onto paper.

It almost looked like someone had taken a photograph of the building and reproduced it by hand.

Her lips parted. “This is beautiful.”

The maid stepped closer- towards them.

“I've been here since he started it, ma'am. The boy is really good. I wouldn’t have believed he did this if I didn’t witness it myself.” Cath admitted.

Seraphina glanced at her.

“You watched him draw all of this?”

“Yes. I must say your son made my day, ma’am. He’s truly gifted.”

Seraphina's heart swelled.

She looked back at Phoenix.

“You really drew this all by yourself?”

Phoenix nodded.

“I wanted to finish it.”

Seraphina kissed his hair. “I'm proud of you.”

A knock sounded at the door and the maid went to check.

She peeped through the opening.

“Miss Joanne is here.”

Seraphina straightened. She thought she already left with Knox. “Let her in.”

The maid opened the door and Joanne stepped inside.

Her eyes immediately found Seraphina.

Without preambles, she held out a phone.

“You forgot this in Knox’s car.”

Seraphina stared at it. Her eyes widened as she realized it’s hers.

She took it from Joanne. “Thank you.”

Joanne shrugged. “You see? I could have thrown it away. But I'm not always the menace you think I am.”

Seraphina rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Joanne. You can leave now.”

Joanne's eyes darted to Phoenix wide ones and she smiled.

She started to turn around, then she stopped.

Her eyes had landed on the table, focused on the drawing.

She slowly turned back. She saw a pencil in Phoenix little hand.

“Did Phoenix… draw that?”

Seraphina opened her mouth to say ‘no’ but Phoenix spoke first. “I did.”

He interrupted proudly.

Joanne’s gaze alternated between him and the drawing.

“This is beautiful.” She stepped closer, bent, and examined it.

Her eyes moved from the front entrance to the surrounding wall.

Then she froze.

Her brows slowly furrowed.

“Where did you see this?”

Phoenix looked at her. Seraphina frowned, answering for her son. “He probably drew something from his imagination.”

Joanne didn't respond immediately. She continued staring at the paper. “This isn't just imagination.”

Her voice had dropped.

Seraphina looked at her. “What do you mean?”

Joanne pointed toward the drawing. “This is a place.”

Phoenix looked up at them. Then he casually answered.

“I saw the house picture on Uncle Vincent's phone.”

Seraphina froze, her chest tightening painfully at the mention of Vincent who was no more.

Joanne blinked, stilling for a moment. “Vincent's phone?”

Phoenix nodded. “It’s been…long. It was when I was scrolling through his gallery.”

Seraphina stared at Joanne, looking confused.

“Why are you asking him all these questions?”

Joanne didn't answer immediately.

She looked at the drawing again.

Her face had completely changed.

The irritation that usually lived in her expression had disappeared, replaced by one of shock.

She slowly lifted her eyes to Seraphina.

“This is probably the building we're looking for.”