She glanced at the screen; it was a message from Nico, urging her.
Feigning fear, she replied, "I'm getting the money ready. Let's meet at the park." Then she quickly hung up.
The police had already set up and informed Seraphina that she could arrange for Nico to go to the meeting spot at any time.
However, just 15 minutes before the deal, Nico suddenly sent a message changing the location: "Head to the entrance of Urban Oasis Mall now. Don't try anything funny, or those photos will be everywhere."
Seraphina looked at the message on her phone, feeling a mix of helplessness and anger.
She knew she couldn't alert Nico now and had to find a way to handle it.
Taking a deep breath, she looked across at Zachary and decided to come clean.
She leaned in and kissed Zachary, then softly reassured him, "Zachary, don't get upset. I need to tell you something."
With a guilty expression, she confessed, "Nico is blackmailing me for five million dollars with some photos. The plan was to have the police catch him, but now the location has changed. I'm worried the police won't get there in time, and I..."
Zachary's anger flared up instantly. He gritted his teeth and demanded, "What photos? What did he do to you?"
Seraphina quickly explained, "Old vacation photos, but he photoshopped them into nudes to threaten me. Don't get mad."
She handed her phone to Zachary.
After checking the address, Zachary immediately activated the GPS.
"Get in the car. I'm going with you." He pulled Seraphina up, and they headed out together.
As they drove, he reassured her, "Don't worry. I won't let Nico get away with this."
His firm and powerful voice was like a calming presence for Seraphina.
They quickly headed to the new meeting spot, ready to take down Nico.
Seraphina watched Zachary quietly. His handsome face was tense, and though he was trying to control his anger, his deep eyes flashed with a fierce determination.
She felt a warmth in her heart, knowing that Zachary would always stand by her side, no matter what.
Meanwhile, Nico had arrived early at the new meeting spot—the entrance of Urban Oasis Mall.
He looked around nervously, checking his watch frequently like a guilty thief.
His features were sharp, but at this moment, he exuded a chillingly sinister vibe.
Strapped for cash and buried in debt, the pressure of life was suffocating him.
When he found out Seraphina had taken over the company, Nico saw an opportunity.
He thought he could extort money from Seraphina to solve his immediate problems.
Remembering how his perfect image had crumbled, he felt deep regret.
He hadn't dared to touch Seraphina because of an STD, yet he still harbored the delusion that she loved him.
When he saw Seraphina approaching, his eyes lit up.
He quickly straightened his clothes—ones Seraphina had bought for him, hoping to close the distance between them.
Excitedly, he stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly, "Seraphina, you're finally here. I've missed you."
Seraphina looked at Nico with disgust.
She took a step back and shouted, "Stay away from me! You make me sick!"
Nico, undeterred, tried to play the sympathy card.
With a tearful voice, he said, "Seraphina, my mom is seriously ill. I just got out and can't find a job. Please, help me out with some money."
Seraphina sneered, "Stop pretending! You're an orphan. Where did this 'mom' come from? Delete those disgusting photos from your phone!"
Seeing that his act wasn't working, Nico's eyes turned vicious.
He snarled, "Seraphina, I put so much into you, trying to make you happy. If it weren't for your mother, I wouldn't be in this mess. Now, where's my five million dollars? Not a penny less! Or those photos go public, and you'll be infamous!"
Seraphina glanced at Zachary in the distance and calmly said, "Didn't my mom give you money? And now you're blackmailing me? How could I have been so blind to fall for you?"
Nico, enraged by her words, shamelessly admitted, "Yes! I'm blackmailing you. I've already uploaded those photos to a cloud drive with a timer. If you don't give me the money now, they'll be on those creepy websites soon!"
As Nico was gloating and threatening Seraphina, a tall figure appeared like a ghost.
Zachary grabbed Nico's shoulder forcefully and roared, "Try touching her, and see what happens!"
Nico was scared out of his wits. He turned to see Zachary's murderous eyes fixed on him.
Before he could react, Zachary slammed him to the ground.
Zachary pressed his foot hard on Nico's back, making him scream for mercy, "Please, spare me! I won't do it again!"
But Zachary punched Nico in the side of the face, causing blood to pour from his mouth and several teeth to fall out, leaving him in a pitiful state.
Seeing things go south, Nico desperately pleaded with Seraphina, "Seraphina, please, for old times' sake, save me."
Seraphina, disgusted, said, "Nico, today I want you to know that you must pay for your actions. I'll hire the best lawyer to ensure you get the harshest sentence."
Nico, playing the victim, said, "If you let him hit me, I'll sue you both!"
Seraphina, unafraid, stepped forward with a fierce look, "Go ahead. If you threaten me again, I'll have him hit you a few more times." Nico finally saw Seraphina's ruthless side.
Soon, the police arrived. Nico, trying to play the victim, said, "You're just in time. They ganged up on me."
The officer sternly pulled out handcuffs and slapped them on Nico's wrists, "Nico, you're under arrest for extortion. Come with us to the station."
Nico's arrogance deflated.
As he was led away, he glared at Seraphina with hatred.
"Seraphina, you'll pay for this!" Nico's threat lingered in the air.
Seraphina trembled slightly, but Zachary wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "Don't worry. I'm here."
Those few words warmed Seraphina's heart. She exhaled deeply, "I'm so lucky to have you!"
She then held Zachary's hand, suddenly remembering something, and nervously checked his hand, "Does it hurt?"
Zachary shook his head and looked at her helplessly, "Seraphina, how did you ever fall for someone like him?"
Seraphina, trying to appease him, said, "I was wrong. I was in a foreign country, and his sweet words deceived me. Please don't be mad."
Zachary pulled Seraphina into his car, holding her tightly and kissing her lips, "Now you realize your mistake? Too late."
After the kiss, he looked into her misty eyes and softly said, "From now on, your heart should only have room for me."
Seraphina teased him, "What about my parents and grandpa?"
Unexpectedly, Zachary laughed, "Your parents will approve, and grandpa doesn't count as an outsider."
Seraphina hurried home and told Niamh, "Mom, we need to find a lawyer and gather evidence. We must sue Nico."
She then recounted everything that had just happened to Niamh.
Niamh's face darkened with anger, "That scoundrel dared to bully my daughter."