Zachary stood by the window, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders.
At least he didn't have to risk sending Seraphina back.
He turned around, his gaze landing on the conference room door.
Inside the conference room, the atmosphere was tense.
Seraphina sat on the couch, clutching her phone tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Her voice was choked with sobs as she spoke to her parents, filled with guilt: "It's all my fault. I brought danger to you." On the other end, Xander's voice, though worried, was more comforting: "Seraphina, don't worry. We'll be fine. Just listen to Zachary, don't run off, and don't cause any trouble."
Seraphina nodded. Although being unable to reunite with her family made her feel incredibly sad, she firmly promised to follow Zachary's arrangements.
Xander's voice suddenly became serious and urgent: "Seraphina, remember, don't tell anyone your location. We're moving to a safe place right now."
With that, the call ended.
Seraphina was stunned, her phone slipping from her hand, but Knox quickly caught it.
Knox looked at Seraphina and sighed, "Ms. York, don't be too upset. We're all here to protect you."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Someone spoke up for Zachary: "Ms. York, Mr. Baker is only looking out for you. His job is to keep you safe from any harm."
Seraphina looked up at everyone, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her.
She thought about her impulsive actions earlier and felt ashamed, lowering her head: "I'm sorry. I was too impulsive before and didn't understand your difficulties."
She took a deep breath and continued, "I'll cooperate with your work from now on."
Everyone comforted her, saying it was understandable and that Zachary wouldn't hold it against her.
Seraphina looked up just in time to see Zachary walking in from outside.
Her heart tightened, and she quickly turned her head, her voice trembling slightly: "Mr. Baker, I'm sorry."
Zachary glanced at her calmly, his tone even: "It's okay."
Though his voice was soft, it gave Seraphina an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
Watching Zachary's calm and wise demeanor as he gave instructions, her guilt deepened.
She realized how inappropriate her previous outbursts had been.
She stood up and quietly left the conference room.
Back in her room, Seraphina hugged herself tightly, Xander's words and the threats from foreign forces echoing in her mind.
She felt an overwhelming sense of fear and unease.
Seraphina didn't go to the cafeteria for dinner, instead hiding in her room alone.
At eight in the morning, she shielded her eyes from the glaring sunlight and sighed softly. Her eyes were red, and dark circles showed she hadn't slept well.
When Seraphina came out, Knox was the first to notice, asking with concern, "Seraphina, are you okay?"
Seraphina forced a lighthearted wave: "I'm fine."
Knox's eyes twinkled: "Why don't you bring Mr. Baker a cup of coffee? It might help smooth things over." Seraphina understood Knox's intention. She hesitated for a moment, then looked at Zachary, who stood out among the morning joggers, and found herself staring.
It wasn't until the group dispersed that she snapped out of it.
Seraphina brewed a cup of hot coffee and took it to Zachary's room. She knocked on the door and asked softly, "Mr. Baker, may I come in?"
"Come in," Zachary's cool voice responded.
Seraphina carefully pushed the door open, just in time to see Zachary changing clothes. His muscular frame and tall stature made her freeze in place, mesmerized.
Zachary felt the intense gaze from behind and quickly grabbed a shirt to cover his lower body, feeling a bit awkward as he said, "You... step out for a moment while I change."
Seraphina's face turned bright red, and she quickly turned and shut the door with a bang, her heart pounding wildly.
When she re-entered with the coffee, she couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.
She kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with Zachary, just wanting to place the coffee on the table quickly.
Her hands trembled, and the coffee cup tilted, spilling its contents onto Zachary's pants. Worse, the coffee landed right on a sensitive area, leaving a large dark stain on the light fabric.
Seraphina gasped and quickly grabbed some napkins from the table, kneeling to wipe Zachary's pants.
In her panic, she didn't realize where she was wiping until she felt the awkwardness of her actions. Her face turned crimson, and she pulled her hands back as if she'd been shocked.
"You...!" Zachary's voice was low and powerful, tinged with a hint of anger.
He looked down at Seraphina's flushed face and frantic hands, his lips pressed into a thin line, his throat bobbing as he seemed to struggle with some emotion.
His eyes darkened.
Seraphina bit her lip in frustration, filled with regret. She had intended to make amends with Zachary but had only made things worse.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"
She looked up at him with a red face, speaking softly.
Zachary said nothing, just gave her a cold look and told her to leave.
She left the room with her head down.
Standing in the hallway, Seraphina took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves and embarrassment.
Zachary changed and came out of the bathroom, seeing Seraphina cleaning up the mess. Her long hair was tied back, and she clumsily handled the broom, even knocking over the trash can. Fortunately, it was just paper balls, and she hurriedly cleaned up, her clean face flushed.
Seraphina turned and saw Zachary sitting on the couch in fresh pants. "Mr. Baker, do you need to see the medic?"
"No need, I'm not that delicate," Zachary said coolly.
Seraphina looked at Zachary's handsome lips, a small smile playing on her own.
Feeling playful, she moved closer to him, her big eyes sparkling: "Let me check if you're hurt?"
Before she could finish, Zachary grabbed her wrist with a firm, cold grip.
Seraphina froze, her body going limp, her head resting on Zachary's leg, her hair spreading out.
Zachary's breath hitched.
Holding Seraphina's wrist, he didn't know what to do.
He felt his heart start to race.
Holding Seraphina's wrist, he couldn't move.
Her soft body was so close.
Seraphina looked up with clear eyes. Zachary suddenly felt a strange panic.
A panic of losing control.
Zachary only managed to order her to get up: "Stop it."
Seraphina tried to get up, but her hair got caught, pulling painfully. Instinctively, she moved closer to free her hair from the belt buckle.
Her hand touched a place it shouldn't, and she quickly pulled back, her face red to her ears. Zachary frowned and helped her untangle her hair, his fingers gentle to avoid hurting her.
Just then, Knox and the others burst in, seeing the intimate scene on the couch and instantly misunderstanding.
Isaac quickly said they'd come back later and shut the door.
The other three wanted to stay but were pulled away.
Seraphina, worried about being misunderstood, covered her face with her hands, feeling too embarrassed to face anyone.
Zachary calmly helped her untangle her hair. It was tightly caught, and his rough fingers carefully pulled out each strand.
Once her hair was free, Seraphina sat up on Zachary's leg, her long curls messy. Her delicate face was close to his, her big eyes seeming to seek an explanation for the misunderstanding, even her pursed lips looking a bit playful.