Chapter 17 Countdown
THIRD PERSON’S POV.
The two ladies stared at the phone like it was a bomb waiting to explode.
“Are you going to answer it?” Trisha whispered, eyes glued to the screen.
“And say what?” Serena replied dryly.
“I don’t know. But it’ll be weird if you don’t pick up. Just… act casual.”
Serena hit the answer button.
“Hey baby, you took so long to answer,” Jonathan’s smug voice filled the line.
Rolling her eyes, Serena replied a little too curtly. “I’m hanging out with Trisha. I didn’t hear it ring.”
“Oh.”
“What’s up?” Serena asked, her tone flat definitely not what he was expecting.
“Where are you? I’ll come pick you up. I have this amazing picnic planned for…
“Jonathan,” she cut in, “my grandfather just died. I don’t want to go for a picnic.”
“Why are you being this way?” His voice cracked with fake hurt ,anyone else would’ve believed it.
“Being what way? Thinking about myself for a change?” Serena’s tone was sharp enough to slice through the phone. Jonathan clearly heard it.
“You make it sound like I’m your enemy. I was just trying to do something nice for us.”
Serena sighed, tired. “I get that. But this isn’t about us. It’s about me. I’m the one who lost someone.”
“So… you don’t want to hang out with me?” he asked, sounding like a child denied candy.
Talking to Jonathan was like arguing with a brick wall, it was pointless. Serena wondered how she’d ever convinced herself he was the best thing that ever happened to her.
“I didn’t say that,” she said patiently. “I’m saying I need time to heal. I..”
The call disconnected. He hung up.
Serena stared at the screen, then rolled her eyes.
“Girl,” Trisha burst, unable to contain herself. “I’ve never heard you talk to Jonathan like that. It felt amazing.”
Serena laughed. “He’s like a child. I don’t know how I tolerated him for so long.”
They both laughed at her past foolishness.
“So,” Trisha said, leaning forward, “you were about to tell me your plans.”
“Oh, right.” Serena straightened in her chair.
“According to my family’s will, I can only access my inheritance if I get married. And not just to anyone, it has to be a billionaire, someone from a wealthy, respected family.”
“What? Why all the rules?”
“My grandfather left most of his shares to me. If you add that to my original ones, I’d become the majority shareholder. The board won’t let me marry a nobody. And that’s not even the worst part.” Serena took a bite of her croissant, bracing herself.
“There’s more?”
“Yes. If Clara marries and produces an heir before I get married, she gets my grandfather’s shares. She becomes the head of the Gregory empire.”
Trisha’s head was already shaking. “We cannot let that happen.”
“Exactly.”
“But where are we supposed to find a billionaire on short notice? And with how you’re acting around Jonathan and Clara, they’re going to know something’s up sooner than later.”
“I already have a billionaire in mind.” Serena took a slow, steadying breath.
“Don’t keep me waiting, girl. Who?”
“Damian Crowne.” Serena said it quickly, then closed her eyes. She braced for Trisha’s scream.
Trisha shrieked anyway. “THE Damian Crowne?”
“The one and only,” Serena sighed. “But I don’t know how to get him on board.”
“Damian won’t have a problem marrying you. He’s always had a thing for you.”
“That was before. Since I’ve been back… he hasn’t looked at me the same. It’s like he’s completely shut me out.”
“Oh, we’re going to fix that. You’re going to have to tap into your feminine powers.”
“What?”
“I’m saying you’re going to seduce him, Serena. Soft girl energy. Feminine charm.”
“I don’t know how to do any of that.”
“That’s why you have me. I’ll teach you everything.”
“Oh my God, I’m not going to like this,” Serena muttered.
“Nonsense. You’ll enjoy every moment.” Trisha waved down the waitress. When the bill came, she paid it along with a ridiculously generous tip.
“Where are we going?” Serena asked as Trisha practically dragged her out of the café.
“The salon. Then shopping.” She paused. “Did you drive? Because I Ubered here.”
“Yeah, my car’s in the parking lot.”
The drive to the salon was loud not from music, but from Trisha’s nonstop squealing.
“You’re actually doing this,” she kept repeating, practically vibrating. “Damian Crowne. Damian Crowne. Serena, do you know how insane this is? This is like main character energy on steroids.”
Serena kept laughing, shaking her head every time Trish got louder. “You’re going to break something if you don’t calm down.”
“I can’t calm down! My best friend is about to pull off an elite-level power move.”
When they pulled into the parking lot of Lyn’s beauty Lounge, Trisha clapped her hands. “Okay, first stop, transformation.”
“Trish, it’s not a transformation,” Serena said, locking her car. “It’s just… a reset.”
“Fine,” Trisha said, linking her arm with Serena’s. “A very soft, very feminine reset.”
Inside, the salon smelled like vanilla and fresh blowouts. The soft music playing in the background was enough to make Serena’s shoulders drop in relief.
“Serenaaaa!” one of the stylists, Bella, called out. “Girl, where have you been hiding? I haven’t seen you since Trisha forced you to come get your hair done for your convocation. Sit, sit we have things to fix.”
“That’s what I said!” Trisha replied, already pushing Serena into a seat.
Bella got right to work brushing out Serena’s hair, sectioning it and trimming the uneven ends. The sound of scissors made Serena feel like she was shedding the weight of the last twenty-four hours.
Next came her eyebrows.
“Oh God,” Serena whispered as Bella approached with the tweezers.
“Relax,” Bella said, tilting her head. “You need structure. Your face is too pretty to be hiding under overgrow.
Trisha giggled.
Serena groaned and closed her eyes.
The plucking wasn’t exactly pleasant, but by the time Bella handed her the mirror, Serena stared at her reflection in shock.
They were perfect. Lifted, clean, elegant.
“Damn,” Trisha whispered. “Damian is done for.”
Serena’s cheeks warmed. “Trish, stop.”
Next were her nails.
Trisha insisted on a soft, glossy neutral color because it screams feminine without trying too hard” and honestly, she wasn’t wrong. Serena’s hands suddenly looked delicate, almost doll-like.
Afterward, Bella finished with a soft blowout that gave Serena’s hair movement, bounce, and the kind of effortless beauty she used to envy in movies.
Trisha clasped her hands dramatically. “You look rich. The type of rich that doesn’t even check price tags.”
Serena laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously right.”
They paid, thanked the stylists, and headed back to the car. Trisha opened the passenger door like a personal assistant.
“Next stop, shopping.”
Monterra’s upscale fashion district was buzzing, but Trisha walked through it like a woman on a mission.
“We need outfits that say elegant, sensual, but not desperate. Powerful, but soft. Feminine, but dangerous if crossed.”
“Is that even a category?” Serena asked.
“It is now.”
They stepped into Maison Aurelia, a boutique known for timeless pieces and scandalous price tags.
Trisha began scanning racks like she was curating a museum.
“Nope. Too casual. Too office. Too… grandmother.”
She stopped. Pulled out a dress. Held it against Serena.
“Yes,” she breathed. “This. Try this on.”
It was a soft champagne slip dress, subtle shimmer, thin straps, nothing complicated, but the kind of dress that made a woman look like she walked in with her own spotlight.
Serena took it to the fitting room, slipped it on, and froze.
It fit like silk poured over her body, simple but striking.
When she stepped out, Trisha screamed. The sales assistant gasped. An older woman browsing shoes literally paused mid-step.
“Oh my God,” Trisha whispered. “Serena… you look like trouble.”
Serena’s cheeks burned, but she couldn’t deny it. She felt… beautiful. Feminine. Different.
They bought lots of outfits, bags in hand, they walked back to the car with the kind of giddy excitement that made everything feel like a teenage movie montage.
They reached Serena’s car, still giggling as Trisha unlocked the passenger door.
But just as Serena reached the hood of the car, the smile slowly slipped from her lips.
Because there, tucked neatly under her windshield wiper, was something that hadn’t been there when they arrived:
A single white envelope.
Just waiting for her.
No stamp.
Trisha’s excitement evaporated. “Serena… what is that?”
Serena didn’t answer.
She already knew the universe was done being soft on her.
Whatever was inside that envelope…
Could change everything.