Chapter 61: Crisis Averted
Ethan clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Seraphina's words dropped a bombshell in the project team office.
Dead silence. The girl who had been so cocky a second ago turned pale, her face drained of color.
Her mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out.
Her eyes darted between the girl in the trendy baseball cap and designer clothes and the expressionless Elara, finally settling on Seraphina's cold, haughty eyes that mirrored Kieran's.
The air felt like it had turned into a heavy block of ice, making it hard to breathe.
Maya was the first to react, stepping forward with a cheerful smile.
"Hey, Seraphina, what brings you here today?"
Seraphina's name shattered the eerie silence like a stone breaking the surface of a frozen lake.
Everyone knew the name Seraphina, though few had seen her.
Rumors of Kieran having an illegitimate daughter had circulated in the company for years, but no one expected her to show up in the office today.
The employees who had been watching the scene unfold now lost the last bit of color in their faces.
The sound of chairs scraping the floor filled the room as almost everyone instinctively stood up, heads lowered, not daring to look in Seraphina's direction.
Juniper's office door burst open with a loud bang.
She rushed out, her face still showing traces of anger, but when she saw the situation outside, especially Seraphina's unmistakable face, her rage froze into shock and a hint of panic.
"Seraphina? What are you..."
Juniper's voice lost its usual smoothness, sounding dry and strained.
"I'm here to work with my mentor."
Seraphina tilted her head, her tone flat and innocent.
She didn't even glance at Juniper, walking past the nearly collapsing female employee.
She stopped at the door of Elara's bright office, peeked inside, then turned to Elara.
"Elara, that person at the door is so noisy, blocking my way."
She pointed her chin at the girl who was about to collapse.
All eyes in the office turned to Elara.
Elara could feel the intense stares on her back, especially Juniper's sharp gaze.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the small shock and pressure from Seraphina's revealed identity.
Seraphina was doing this on purpose today, making a statement on behalf of Kieran and herself to Elara.
In the Blackwood Heritage Group, Elara was Seraphina's mentor.
Seraphina wasn't done yet.
She glanced at Juniper's complex, scrutinizing gaze and spoke calmly to Maya. "Maya, that colleague seems emotionally unstable and might need a break. Please assist with the sick leave and resignation process."
She didn't say fired, but sick leave and resignation clearly marked the end of that girl's career at Blackwood Heritage Group.
The Blackwood family children were always decisive.
If Kieran wanted to protect Elara, Seraphina would too, cutting off any threats without hesitation.
Seraphina might not have worked in an office before, but she had an innate sense of authority.
From then on, she stood by Elara—challengers beware.
Maya immediately responded, "Yes, Miss."
With a hint of admiration in her eyes, she gestured for the trembling girl to leave.
The girl let out a sob, tears streaming down her face as Maya supported her out of the office under the silent gaze of everyone.
The office was silent again, except for the faint sound of sobbing and Juniper's heavy breathing.
Every standing employee was frozen in fear, realizing for the first time that the new Ms. Voss wasn't just backed by Kieran.
Behind her stood the future of the Blackwood family, Seraphina.
This meant that Elara had the full support of the Blackwood family, even carrying the will of the family head, Harrison.
Juniper stared deeply at Elara, her facial muscles twitching unnaturally before forcing a very awkward smile. "Seraphina, you're really something."
Then, with a hint of elder concern, she added, "Seraphina, does Kieran know you're here? With me around, you don't need to..."
"He sent me here."
Seraphina interrupted, her tone matter-of-fact and slightly impatient.
She walked straight into Elara's office and plopped down in the large executive chair.
"And I'm here to be Elara's assistant. You can go about your business."
She swung her legs, her gaze sweeping over the varied expressions at the door, finally landing on the still-shocked Ethan and the equally stunned Sophia beside him.
"Hey, pink shirt lady, and you, the goofy guy, why are you blocking the sunlight?"
Sophia's face turned bright red, and Ethan, stunned, looked at Elara in disbelief.
Elara nodded, indicating that Seraphina knew him.
"Alright," Seraphina waved her hand like an impatient boss, "We're all colleagues now. Elara's in charge. Get to work and stop dawdling."
She completely ignored Juniper's almost fiery gaze and the suffocating atmosphere in the office, picking up a small artifact from Elara's desk to play with.
Elara nodded slightly at the furious Juniper, her voice still calm. "Ms. Hart, if there's nothing else, I'll show Seraphina around."
Juniper's chest heaved a few times before she forcibly suppressed all her resentment, anger, and fear, turning them into a cold snort as she stormed back into her office, slamming the door behind her.
The loud bang echoed in the silent air, like a death knell of failure.
Seraphina stopped playing with the artifact, looking up with bright eyes and a sly smile."So, how was my entrance? Pretty cool, right?"
Elara rubbed her temples, looking at the fearless yet genuinely helpful Seraphina in front of her.
But a more surprising thought echoed in her mind. Elara vaguely remembered Sylvia mentioning that the Blackwood family and the Hart family had once been connected by marriage, but for some reason, the two families had suddenly cut ties.