For a moment, the conference room was dead silent, with only the sound of heavy breathing echoing through the space.
"Should we tell Seraphina about this?" Ezra finally broke the silence, his heart aching for Seraphina, fearing she wouldn't be able to handle the blow.
"I think we should," Dane said gravely. "Seraphina has the right to know. We can't keep this from her."
"But... can she handle it?" Knox asked worriedly.
Zachary furrowed his brow, remaining silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "We don't have the right to hide this from her. Seraphina deserves to know the truth."
With that, he stood up and walked towards the door. He knew this decision might cause Seraphina immense pain, but he had no other choice.
The knock on the door woke Seraphina. She opened her eyes slightly, got up, and opened the door to find Zachary standing there.
His eyes were deep and serious as he said coldly, "Seraphina, come to my room." With that, Zachary turned and walked away.
Sensing something important was about to happen, Seraphina changed into casual clothes before heading to Zachary's room.
After closing the door, Zachary took a deep breath and looked at Seraphina. "I received some news about your family ten minutes ago..."
Seraphina tensed up immediately. "What happened to my family?"
"Your mother... she was in a car accident a few hours ago and is now in the hospital undergoing emergency surgery," Zachary said in a low voice.
Seraphina's mind went blank for a few seconds before pain surged through her heart. "What?!" Her face turned pale, and she began to sway.
Seeing this, Zachary quickly reached out to support her. "Seraphina, you need to be strong..."
But Seraphina couldn't care less. She pushed Zachary away and rushed back to her room, frantically searching for her wallet and phone to go see her mother, Niamh.
Zachary followed her and stood at the door, his voice stern. "Seraphina, you can't go!"
"Let me go!" Seraphina screamed, her voice hoarse. "My mother is in critical condition. I have to see her!"
Zachary's voice rose as well. "Do you know how dangerous it is to go back now? Your safety is just as important!"
"I don't care!" Seraphina's eyes were red from crying as she pushed Zachary with all her might. "Move! I need to go back!"
But Zachary stood firm like a mountain. "Seraphina, this is an order! I promised your parents I would keep you safe!"
Despair and helplessness overwhelmed Seraphina as she realized she couldn't move Zachary. "Zachary, if anything happens to my mother, I'll hate you forever!"
She was in agony and felt that Zachary was being heartless. She would rather take control of her fate, even if it meant risking her life. Zachary, however, was determined not to let her die. The two were at an impasse.
Seraphina broke down, crouching and crying, letting out all her helplessness and despair.
Zachary stood by, his gaze intense, feeling as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart tightly.
Seraphina, trembling, held onto the doorframe, trying to stand up. Tears streamed down her face as she choked out, "Can I at least call my dad? I want to know how my mom is doing."
Seeing the worry and hope in her eyes, Zachary nodded slightly.
With his permission, Seraphina turned to leave, but her legs felt like they were filled with lead, and she nearly fell.
Zachary quickly stepped forward to catch her, but she stubbornly pushed him away.
Gritting her teeth, she stood up straight and walked step by step towards the conference room.
Inside, Knox and the others were gathered around the table. Seeing Seraphina with red eyes, they all stopped what they were doing.
Knox stood up, concerned. "Seraphina, are you okay?"
Seraphina didn't answer, staring directly at Ezra with a hoarse voice. "Where's the video of the accident? I want to see it."
Ezra hesitated, glancing at Zachary.
Seeing Zachary shake his head slightly, Ezra understood and said, "Seraphina, the video is gone. It was deleted."
"That's impossible!" Seraphina shouted, pushing past Ezra to search the computer for the video.
No matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find any trace of it.
Zachary walked over and gently closed the laptop. "Seraphina, calm down. The hospital has already updated us. Your mom is in surgery. There's nothing you can do right now."
Hearing this, Seraphina looked up, her vision blurred by tears.
She trembled as she spoke, "Is it because the video is too horrific? Are you afraid I can't handle it? Is my mom... does she have no chance of surviving?"
With that, Seraphina broke down, covering her face as tears streamed through her fingers.
Suddenly, she felt dizzy, her consciousness fading, and she collapsed.
"Seraphina!" Knox shouted, quickly catching her.
Zachary rushed over, picking her up and heading towards the infirmary.
Knox and Ezra followed closely behind.
After the doctor's examination, it was determined that Seraphina had fainted from excessive stress. The doctor gave her a sedative and advised her to rest.
Knox stood by her bed, looking at her pale face and closed eyes. "Seraphina is so pitiful. When she wakes up, she'll still have to face such a harsh reality."
"Yeah, I hope her mom will be okay," Ezra agreed.
Zachary sat in a chair by the bed, his brow furrowed as he looked at Seraphina. His gaze was filled with a mix of gentleness and worry. He reached out and gently held her cold wrist, then sent someone to wait for news from the hospital.
After only a few minutes of IV fluids, Seraphina woke up abruptly, trying to pull out the needle.
Zachary quickly held her hand. "Don't move. I'll do it."
He carefully removed the needle and pressed a cotton ball to the puncture site.
Ignoring the bleeding, Seraphina threw off the covers to get out of bed.
Zachary grabbed her arm. "Where are you going? The doctor said you need to rest."
"I need to go back! To see my mom!" Seraphina struggled to break free from Zachary's grip.
But Zachary held her firmly. "You can't go back now! You need to stay here and wait for news!"
Seraphina pulled away, her voice cold. "What if I refuse? What if I insist on going back?"
Zachary looked at her deeply, then said after a moment of silence, "If you insist on going back, I can't stop you. But you need to know it's dangerous out there. You won't be able to help, and if something happens to you, how will I explain it to your family?"
Seraphina was speechless. She knew Zachary meant well, but she couldn't stop worrying about Niamh.
Just then, Knox burst in excitedly. "Seraphina! Good news! Your mom is okay! She just has a broken leg and needs some time to recover!"
Seraphina was so excited she nearly jumped out of bed, running to Knox.
She grabbed his shoulders, confirming, "Really? My mom is really okay?"
Knox, dizzy from her shaking, nodded quickly. "Yes, really! Your dad just called!"
With confirmation, Seraphina hugged Knox tightly, then hurriedly ran towards the conference room...