Chapter 282: Seraphine, I'm Here!

His mistress needed him — but did that mean she and her mother didn't?

Out of nowhere, Seraphine thought of Charles.

She had once done exactly what her mother was doing now — begging, desperate, humiliating herself to keep a man who didn't want to stay.

And what had it gotten her?

Betrayal. That's all either of them had ever gotten.

"Drop dead. You all deserve to rot."

She knew she was dreaming. It didn't matter. Seraphine's composure shattered anyway, her brow twisting tight as a raw, ragged cry tore out of her throat.

That was the scene Jason walked in on, takeout containers in hand.

Seraphine lay against the couch with her eyes shut, her face drained of color, cold sweat beading across her forehead, her brow furrowed like something was crushing her from the inside.

"Seraphine!"

The sight of her knocked the air from his lungs. He set the food down and crossed the room in three strides, pulling her into his arms before he'd even thought about it.

"Hey — hey, you're okay. What happened? Don't be scared, I'm right here. Whatever it is, I've got you. I swear I've got you."

"Jason —"

His voice. It cut right through the nightmare and pulled her back.

Seraphine's eyes opened slowly, her mind still lagging somewhere behind her body — because her body had already curled into him, already found the curve of his shoulder, and before she could think, her teeth sank into it. Hard.

Jason hissed sharply at the bite but didn't pull away. Didn't even flinch back.

"I'm here," he murmured. "I'm right here, Seraphine. I'm not going anywhere — not when you need me, not ever."

He rubbed slow, steady circles across her back, his voice dropping low and careful, like he was talking someone down from a ledge.

"Tell me what scared you. Did someone hurt you?"

"No one hurt me." She loosened her grip on his shoulder gradually, exhaling a weak, shaky breath. "I just... I remembered something. From when I was a kid."

The words came out halting at first, then steadier as Jason kept his hand moving against her back.

"Jason — both my mother and I were betrayed by the people we loved most. But my mother had it so much worse than me. I woke up in time. I got out. She never did."

"She was killed by my father's mistress." A short, hollow laugh escaped her. "And the pathetic part? After my mother died, my father actually said he regretted everything. But he never punished that woman. Not once."

"For decades, he kept her around. Her and every child she gave him."

It was the first time Seraphine had ever said any of this out loud to him. Jason went still, something shifting behind his eyes. After a moment, he asked quietly:

"Seraphine... who is your father?"

"Richard Romanov."

The name landed without ceremony. Seraphine's gaze dimmed slightly, but she didn't hesitate — she gave him the short version. Her background. What Madison had said to Nicole. All of it.

"Richard's other children will never let me live in peace, once they find out I'm still alive. They'll come for me — that's not a question."

She paused, then added, almost too evenly:

"Jason, the Romanov Family isn't some ordinary family. If you don't want that kind of trouble in your life, you can walk away from me right now. I mean it. I won't hold it against you."

"What are you even saying right now?"

He flicked her on the forehead — not hard, just enough — and fixed her with a look that was equal parts exasperated and fond.

"I know your father hurt you. I know Charles hurt you. I know you've got every reason in the world not to trust a man's word. But I need you to hear this: I am not leaving. Not because things got complicated, not because some powerful family wants to make your life hell. I don't abandon people I care about."

"Yeah, the Romanov Family has serious reach internationally — I'm not going to pretend otherwise. But their footprint here is weak. As long as you stay stateside, I can protect you. That's not a line. That's a fact."

He shifted, looking at her directly now, steady and certain in a way that left no room for argument.

"And if you want to go after the Romanov Family? Give me a few years. Five, max. I'll build Ascend Global Group into something that outpaces every company they own."

"And then I'll make your father come to you. On his knees, if that's what it takes."

Seraphine was quiet for a moment.

That was... not a bad plan, actually.

Her lashes fluttered. She leaned back into him, pressing her face against his chest.

"Jason — thank you."

"We're together," he said simply, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Looking out for you isn't a favor. It's just what I do."

He held her a little longer after that, speaking softly until the tension finally left her shoulders — then steered her toward the table to eat.

---

"Mr. Stuart — are you alright?"

While Seraphine and Jason's bond was quietly deepening across town, Charles was just walking out of the police station.

Eli had been waiting at the curb with the car. The moment he spotted Charles and the bail attorney coming through the doors, he straightened up and moved to open the door — first for Charles, then for the attorney, Darren.

"Mr. Stuart, should I take you back to the Stuart Family estate, or to the office?"

"Darren." Charles glanced back at the attorney without breaking stride, sliding into the rear seat. "Grab a cab back to the office. There's something I need to go over with Eli. Alone."

He gave a brief, dismissive wave.

"Of course."

Darren's gaze moved between Charles and Eli once, twice — then he picked up his briefcase, turned around, and left without another word.

Eli pressed his lips together. After a beat, he closed Charles's door, walked around to the driver's side, and settled behind the wheel.

"What did you want to talk about, Mr. Stuart?"

His hands rested on the steering wheel, but he didn't start the engine. Instead, he watched Charles in the rearview mirror, jaw tight.

In the back seat, Charles had two fingers pressed to his temple, eyes closed, head leaned against the window.

"Eli." His voice was flat, measured. "I had a lot of time to think in there. The plan to have someone impersonate Mica — the only people who knew about it were me, Wendy, and you."

"So tell me something. How did Seraphine know? How did she not only find out, but have a counter-move ready before I'd even made mine?"

Eli's grip tightened on the wheel. His spine straightened almost involuntarily.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stuart." His voice was even. "I sold you out. After you told me the plan, I went behind your back and contacted Mr. Berkeley."

A beat of silence.

"Eli." Charles's tone didn't rise. He simply looked at the back of Eli's head, something unreadable and heavy in his eyes. "I've paid you well since you joined Stuart Group. Better than well, I'd imagine."

"Can you give me one reason why?"

Eli turned around slowly to face him.

"Because I have a conscience."

He held Charles's gaze without flinching.

"When I took this job, I did a full handoff with your previous assistant. I looked into everything — including what happened between you and Ms. Lavien. You're my employer, Mr. Stuart, and I want to be straightforward with you: you were not a good husband."

"Before she finally divorced you, Ms. Lavien was hurt by you more times than I could count. I felt for her. And my conscience wouldn't let me be the instrument of one more."