"I know you want to protect me," Seraphina said softly, her eyes sincere and determined. "I get why you're worried, but I can't just cut Nico out of my life. He's too important to me. Can I please call him? I promise I'll just say a few words to let him know I'm safe, so he won't worry."
Zachary's brow furrowed slightly as he listened to Seraphina's plea. He understood the risks of letting her contact the outside world, but seeing her like this, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
After a moment of hesitation, he finally pulled out his phone and handed it to her. "Alright, you can make a call," Zachary said, his voice tinged with mixed emotions.
Seraphina took the phone, a joyful smile spreading across her face. She quickly thanked him and eagerly dialed Nico's number. As soon as the call connected, her face lit up with happiness and anticipation.
Hearing Nico's concerned voice, Seraphina breathed a sigh of relief, responding softly and gently, telling him not to worry and that everything was resolved, promising they would see each other soon.
"Honey, I love you so much. I was wrong before. You're the one I love. We've been together for so long, I can't live without you. Can we make up?"
Seraphina, immersed in Nico's sweet words, was willingly trapped in the cage called "love."
Zachary snatched the phone away. He knew Nico was using sweet talk to deceive Seraphina and couldn't let her be fooled any longer, so he took the phone.
A video appeared on the screen. In the video, Nico was embracing another woman. They exchanged smiles, the woman playfully teasing him, their intimacy glaringly obvious. He mentioned pretending to reconcile with Seraphina to take her parents' wealth.
Seraphina's body stiffened, her eyes glued to the screen as if trying to see through it. The video had no sound, but Seraphina could almost hear Nico's laughter and the woman's teasing, piercing her heart.
"No... this can't be..."
Seraphina muttered, her hands trembling as she gripped the phone tightly. Her fingers turned white from the pressure, but she seemed oblivious to the pain.
The video continued to play, each frame like a needle stabbing into Seraphina's heart. She saw Nico gently stroking the woman's hair, and everything about it filled her with immense anger and pain.
"Why... why would you do this to me..."
Seraphina's lips quivered, her eyes brimming with angry tears. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, nor could she believe that the man who once swore to love her forever would betray her.
Seraphina's body trembled slightly, her gaze never leaving the screen. She recalled the moments she shared with Nico, those beautiful memories now turned into sharp blades that cut deep.
The video finally ended, but Seraphina seemed still lost in that harsh reality. Her eyes were empty and confused, unable to accept what she had seen.
Seeing her tears fall through her fingers, Zachary, though not good with words, couldn't help but try to comfort her, urging her to see Nico's true colors and be more cautious in future relationships.
Seraphina broke down in tears. Zachary handed her some tissues, trying to calm her down. Seraphina took the tissues, covering her eyes, sobbing about the pain and regret of discovering the truth, regretting that her four years of love were not cherished, regretting her poor judgment, though grateful for finally seeing the truth.
Suddenly, she threw herself into his arms. Zachary stiffened, his arms slightly open. She was overwhelmed with sadness, needing someone to lean on, and Zachary happened to be there.
Seraphina gradually regained her clarity, realizing that the sweet moments were all part of Nico's calculated plan. She felt nothing but disgust, hating herself for not seeing Nico's true nature sooner. At least her body wasn't taken advantage of, which was a small consolation. However, the emotional pain wouldn't be easily healed.
Zachary, seeing her like this, felt a pang of sympathy. He held Seraphina's shoulders, guiding her to sit on the couch, speaking gently, "Seraphina, calm down. It's better to see his true colors now than to be kept in the dark forever."
Seraphina wiped her tears, looking at Zachary gratefully. "Thank you, Zachary. If it weren't for you, I might still be blind to Nico's true nature."
Zachary shook his head, his expression serious. "No need to thank me. I just did what I had to do. Seraphina, I hope you'll cooperate with us from now on and not cause any trouble. We can't afford any mistakes."
Seraphina nodded, her eyes red but calm. "I understand, Zachary. Don't worry, I won't hold you back. I... I need to use your phone again."
She took a deep breath, as if making a firm decision. "I need to call Nico and end this once and for all."
She wanted to reclaim her dignity and rights, not letting this scumbag continue to deceive and hurt her.
Zachary handed her the phone without hesitation. "Alright."
He was curious to see how Seraphina would handle this.
Seraphina took the phone, took a deep breath, and dialed the familiar number.
When Nico's voice came through, Seraphina felt a wave of nausea and disgust.
Without waiting for him to speak, she coldly said, "Nico, we're done. You don't deserve to be with me."
Her voice was resolute and icy, as if coming from a cold chamber. "I know all about your dirty, despicable tricks. I'm not that easy to fool. From now on, stay out of my life."
With that, she hung up the phone.
Seraphina turned and handed the phone back to Zachary, sincerely thanking him for pulling her back from the brink and preventing her from sinking deeper into the wrong path.
Seraphina reflected that the lipstick was a turning point in her fate. If she hadn't met Zachary because of it, she might have been destroyed by Nico, but her fate was saved in time.
As Zachary left Seraphina's room, her experiences still lingered in his mind.
Before he reached the door, he overheard his subordinates whispering.
"Seraphina, with all her money, got tricked by a bad guy for so many years. Isn't it because she's starved for love? Her parents don't care about her."
"Yeah, thank goodness for Mr. Baker, stepping in to save Seraphina from that con artist."
"If it weren't for that lipstick, we wouldn't have discovered that the con artist was after Seraphina's family fortune."
Knox, sitting at the computer monitoring, suddenly shouted tensely, saying that members of an international organization had illegally entered the country.
His hand trembled slightly as he gripped the mouse, his eyes fixed on the changing data on the screen.
Zachary entered the room, startling everyone, who then looked down guiltily.
Zachary sternly ordered them to investigate the identities of these people. Knox quickly typed on the keyboard, pulling up faces and using the recognition system to identify them as globally wanted dangerous criminals. Everyone's faces turned serious, knowing the severe consequences if these criminals acted within the country.
Zachary, frowning, decided to release the news that the lipstick had been found, hoping to divert their attention and keep Seraphina and others safe, as the lipstick was their main focus.
Knox, his thoughts wandering, suddenly looked hopeful, forgetting the tense situation.
Zachary's stern command to focus on the task at hand brought Knox back to reality.
Knox, though frustrated, sped up his typing, continuing his work.
Teammates teased Knox about not measuring up to Zachary, using humor to ease the tension.
Zachary then ordered all the information on the suspects to be on his desk within half an hour before leaving.
Knox, watching Zachary leave, couldn't help but speculate that something was off with him. A teammate, with a keen sense of smell, claimed to detect a woman's scent on Zachary.
Knox guessed that Zachary had been embraced by Seraphina, lamenting his own lack of such opportunities, while his hands kept working.
Another team member, Ezra, mischievously suggested doing a good deed, revealing a video of Nico transferring money to the woman, identifying it as payment for services and reporting it. The team felt this act avenged Seraphina, unanimously approving.