Chapter 32
Octavius's perspective
I stepped back, holding up my phone.
The flashlight beam danced across the elevator doors.
Silence. As if the sounds I'd heard were just figments of my imagination.
My mind flashed to the surveillance footage I'd seen at the wellness center that afternoon.
Seraphine, wearing a hat and mask, but her familiar silhouette unmistakable.
She had impersonated a Capulet family relative to deliver mysterious pills to my grandfather.
Yet when the doctor tested them, he confirmed they were genuinely beneficial for heart conditions. He even remarked that some of the formulation concepts were brilliantly innovative—unlike anything he'd seen before.
If they were beneficial, why all the secrecy? And where did she get them?
After finishing my business meeting, something drew me to the Whitaker Group building.
I'd noticed the light still on in Seraphine's office and was heading up to get answers when the entire building suddenly plunged into darkness.
After waiting a while with no one emerging, concern pushed me inside. That's when I heard noises from the elevator.
Now, it seemed I'd imagined it.
Maybe I should check the stairwell or her office directly.
Just as I turned to leave—
A dull thud came from inside the elevator, like a body slamming against the wall.
Then a man's voice, threatening and hushed,
"Don't make a sound!"
Mitchell?
He's in there—then what was that sound?
The bastard dared to touch Seraphine!
I spun around, striding to the elevator doors.
"Mitchell, is Seraphine with you? I'm warning you—back off!"
My voice turned glacial, each word dripping with lethal intent.
The elevator fell silent, save for faint rustling sounds.
I pounded on the doors. "Mitchell! I know you have Seraphine. Touch one hair on her head, and you're finished!"
I immediately pulled out my phone and called Flynn.
"Sending you my location now. Elevator malfunction at the Whitaker Group building. People trapped inside. Bring men and equipment. I want these doors open in five minutes!"
No hesitation from the other end, "On it!"
Just then, Seraphine's voice burst through, a desperate cry,
"Octavius! I'm in here! Help me!"
"Seraphine, listen."
I forced myself to stay calm, steadying my voice as I spoke through the metal barrier. "I'm right here. Don't be afraid. We'll have the doors open soon."
My tone shifted instantly as I addressed her captor. "Mitchell, if you so much as breathe on her again, I'll make sure the Stafford family ceases to exist in Skyview City."
Sounds of struggle and muffled grunts filtered through.
Within minutes, Flynn arrived with men and professional equipment.
The building's emergency power kicked in.
The lights flickered, then stabilized.
When the elevator doors were finally pried open, I took in the scene at once.
Seraphine huddled in the corner, hair disheveled, tear tracks staining her cheeks, her jacket askew, revealing angry red marks circling her wrists.
She looked up at me, her beautiful eyes swimming with tears, her face painted with terror and relief.
Mitchell stood pale-faced on the opposite side, his gaze darting nervously, panic still evident in his demeanor.
A murderous rage surged through me.
I strode to Seraphine, lifting her into my arms in one fluid motion.
She trembled against me, instinctively clutching my shirt, burying her face against my chest.
The warm wetness of her tears immediately soaked through my dress shirt.
"Octavius! What—what are you doing?"
Mitchell's voice quavered when he spotted my security team filing in behind me. "Let's talk this out! I'll leave her alone from now on, I swear! If you touch me, I'll—I'll make her life miserable! I'll never leave her in peace!"
"Negotiating with me? You don't have the right."
Still holding Seraphine, I turned to Flynn with a cold command, "Handle him."
"Octavius!"
Mitchell's terrified shout filled the space.
"Beat him," I repeated, expression unmoved.
"Wait!"
Seraphine suddenly raised her head from my chest, sniffling as she gripped my arm tightly. "Not here."
I looked down at her, suppressing the jealousy and fury churning inside me. "What's wrong? Having second thoughts about your boyfriend?"
Seraphine shook her head vigorously. "No! There are security cameras. It would cause trouble for the company... bad publicity."
So that was her concern.
The tightness in my chest eased slightly.
"Take him outside first," I amended, then carried Seraphine to my car, carefully setting her in the passenger seat.
The interior lights illuminated her tear-streaked face.
I pulled out tissues, gently wiping away her tears.
"One day apart and you've managed to get yourself into this state."
My tone wasn't exactly gentle—concern masqueraded as irritation. "If you saw his true colors, why meet him alone?"
Seraphine's lips formed a wounded pout. "I didn't. He showed up uninvited. I had my car keys and was leaving when he followed me... then the power went out."
Looking at her like this, my anger dissolved, leaving only an aching tenderness.
I took her swollen wrist, my thumb carefully tracing the angry red marks while my mind circled back to the wellness center incident.
Silence filled the car for a moment.
Then I spoke, "Why did you sneak into the wellness center?"
Seraphine's body visibly stiffened, her eyes suddenly avoiding mine.
"Why not just tell me directly?" I pressed further. "Where did those pills come from?"
I watched her intently, scrutinizing every microexpression.
Even top cardiologists praised those pills for their ingenuity.
How did an Ivy League business graduate from the Whitaker family get her hands on something like that?
Seraphine's eyes darted nervously as her lips fumbled for words. "I heard Mr. Capulet wasn't doing well, so I... I asked someone to find a remedy that might help. I didn't tell you because, because..."
Her voice trailed off into nothing. Like a child caught in wrongdoing, she lowered her head, fingers twisting anxiously together.
Only our breathing filled the car's interior.
Looking at Seraphine like this, I realized I didn't fully understand her.
I thought I knew everything about her past—I'd had people monitoring her every date with Mitchell.
From past to present, she had never shown any interest in medicine, let alone possession of formulations that even top doctors found revolutionary.
I'd publicly announced in our social circles that anyone who could help with my grandfather's heart condition would receive the full resources of my company.
If this were a Whitaker family heirloom remedy, Heath would have used it to bargain with me long ago. He wouldn't have waited for Seraphine to secretly deliver it.
This had to be her own initiative, her own formula.
What was the real story behind these pills?
I couldn't help myself—I reached out, gently but firmly tilting her chin up, forcing her to meet my gaze.
"Seraphine, how many more secrets are you hiding from me?"