Chapter 293: The Belated Gift

Seraphine smoothed her hair back and settled against the cushions, unhurried.

"Here's what I want," she said. "Make your mistress and her children live through everything my mother went through. Then take them all with you when you go. Do that, and I'll come identify the bodies."

She wanted Bruce's family dead? And she expected him to do it with his own hands? Had she lost her mind?

Richard's whole body flinched. The pain on his face was almost too raw to look at.

"Seraphine — Bruce and the others are my children."

"And I'm not?" The words came out clean and cold. "When your mistress was humiliating me and my mother, did you lose any sleep over that? And while we're at it — do you really think, if your other kids find out I'm still alive, they'll just leave me alone?"

"No."

The word landed before Richard could even open his mouth. Madison said it quietly, without hesitation.

She let out a slow breath, then turned her gaze to Richard.

"Mr. Romanov, I should have mentioned this earlier. Bruce already found Seraphine. Over the past week, he sent more than a dozen men to have her killed. If I hadn't arranged protection for her, and her boyfriend hadn't done the same —"

She paused.

"Seraphine would be dead right now."

"So in a way, when Seraphine asks you to deal with Bruce, it isn't about revenge. It's survival."

"Mr. Romanov — staying alive is human nature."

Richard's fingertips trembled. He sat with that for a long moment, eyes shut, like a man finally accepting a sentence he'd known was coming.

"Seraphine." His voice had gone quiet. "I understand. I'll take care of everyone who ever hurt you — including myself. When it's all over, I hope you finally get some peace."

He pushed himself to his feet and walked out without looking back.

"Seraphine — what did he mean by that?"

Madison watched the direction he'd gone, a crease forming between her brows. Something about it made her uneasy.

"Is he actually going to kill someone for you? And when he said everyone who hurt you — does that include your ex-husband?"

"I have no idea."

Seraphine shrugged and leaned back into the sofa. She looked tired.

"Honestly, asking him to go after Bruce — I was just pushing his buttons. I don't want anything to do with him anymore. If that little speech sends him back to Thalassia and I never have to look at him again, I'll consider it a gift from God."

Since Seraphine clearly had no feelings left for Richard either way, Madison let it go. She steered the conversation somewhere easier — jewelry.

Seraphine's showcase was already in the venue-selection phase.

Madison had a request: she wanted Seraphine to design a custom piece for her before the showcase opened, so she could walk in wearing Seraphine's work. After everything they'd been through together, Seraphine had long since started thinking of Madison as a real friend. She agreed without a second thought.

After that, Seraphine's days got even fuller. She spent most of her time in the studio.

Charles brought Sean by more than once during that stretch. Seraphine didn't let either of them through the door.

---

The showcase came together faster than expected.

On the morning it opened, Seraphine and Jason arrived early. Between the two of them, every detail rolled out smoothly, exactly as planned.

Then Charles and Sean walked in.

"Seraphine. It's been a while."

The room had been humming along, and everyone around them seemed to sense the shift. Charles and Sean had clearly put effort into their appearance — tailored suits, hair combed neatly into place. But their sharp faces and pale lips gave them away. The past few weeks had not been kind to either of them.

Seraphine watched them cross the room toward her and let out a long breath. Whatever warmth had been on her face a moment ago was gone.

People nearby started reaching for their phones. A few of the bolder ones opened live streams.

"Maybe it's time to just clear the air. Right here, right now."

Jason had been watching the room. He pressed two fingers to the bridge of his nose and spoke low, just for her.

"The fact that you're Mica is already out there. You're not exactly anonymous anymore. If you keep avoiding Charles without ever saying anything directly, people are going to think you still have feelings for him."

He wasn't wrong. At some point, she needed to face this publicly and put it to rest.

Seraphine's gaze shifted. After a beat, she gave a small nod to herself and let them come — didn't signal the staff, didn't move to block them. She let Charles and Sean walk all the way up to her.

"Mom." Sean tilted his head up to look at her. His voice was earnest. "I went through every piece in the showcase. All of it is beautiful. You're so talented — I really mean that."

He reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out a bracelet. He held it out, watching her face with cautious hope.

"I made this myself. I wanted to give it to you. Please take it."

Seraphine looked down at it, and a memory surfaced before she could stop it.

Her birthday. Sean had spent weeks making something by hand, and she'd assumed — of course she'd assumed — it was for her.

But when the day came, Charles and Sean were with Vivian. And whatever Sean had been working on for all that time showed up around Vivian's wrist.

When Sean came home that night, Seraphine had gone to him and asked for an explanation.

"Why are you being so petty? Vivian is sick. She needed it more than you."

"You're not half the woman Vivian is, and you're always trying to compete with her. I hate that about you."

That was what he'd said.

Back then, she'd wanted Sean to see her. He never had. Now she wanted nothing from him — and here he was, standing in front of her with a handmade bracelet and hopeful eyes.

Seraphine closed her eyes for a moment. A quiet, bone-deep irritation moved through her.

"Seraphine! I'm late — did you miss me?"

The voice cut through everything — bright, clear, completely unguarded, like cold water on a hot afternoon. A child's voice.

She looked up.

Andy was running toward her, hand in hand with Sawyer. Aurora was just behind him, and Madison and Nicole were right alongside them, all of them making their way across the room to her.