Chapter 21 Driven By Curiosity
Seraphina woke up with a heavy head and the faint sound of her phone vibrating beside her pillow. She blinked a few times before grabbing it, and her screen lit up with notifications. Her stomach flipped when she saw the headline on nearly every blog page — “Julian Thorne, CEO of Zenith One, rumored to be away for years due to his bad mental health, engaged to Moreau’s lost daughter.”
Her breath stuttered. Their picture from last night’s proposal was everywhere. Julian kneeling, her face glowing under the lights, the diamond ring sparkling under the flash.
She scrolled down, her chest tightening with each comment she laid her eyes on.
“They look good together. Power couple vibes.”
“Is this even the real Moreau girl or some identity theft is going on? I heard the real one’s chubby and late!”
“Maybe this Seraphina should take over the Moreau dynasty. The other one isn’t responsible…should be a stripper instead.”
The last comment was a shade Zat her stepsister- Talia Moreau.
Her heartbeat raced. She tossed the phone on the bed and rubbed her face with both hands, trying to calm herself. Her eyes darted around the grand spacious room she had been hosted in for almost a week now. It was starting to feel familiar.
Her thoughts drifted to her father’s vault — the one thing that connected her to the Moreau legacy. What if Talia used the chaos to act faster, maybe even find another way to open it before her? The thought made her stomach twist.
She needed to stay ahead. And her only bet right now was Damien.
He had tried to tell her something before security dragged him away. Maybe it was about the vault. Maybe it was something else. Either way, she needed to know.
She had wanted to contact him the night before but was nervous- just incase Julian was tailing her phone. He could be so unpredictable so the idea of him tracking her phone was very posssible.
Pushing the fear aside, she reached for her phone again, opened her contact list, and searched for Damien’s name, but it didn’t surface. Her thumb froze midair. She blinked, checked again, and then again. Nothing.
A sharp breath escaped her lips. “Julian,” she muttered under her breath. He had deleted it. Of course, he had.
Anger burned inside her. Who did he think he was — controlling her, deleting her contacts like she was some property he owned?
She stormed out of her room, her feet loud against the luxurious tiled floor, and went straight to the main lounge where two of the guards stood by the hallway.
“Where’s Julian?” she asked sharply.
One of them straightened and said, “He went out early, ma’am.”
She almost laughed out loud- a bitter, mocking sound that crawled up her throat. “Of course he did,” she murmured. Always disappearing without informing her, always deciding things on his own terms.
She stepped outside, the cold morning air brushing against her skin. She paced the front yard for a few minutes, trying to calm her nerves. She finally went back inside to freshen up so she could feel better. After drying up, she noticed her phone blinking again.
Unknown number. Several missed calls.
Her heart skipped. She dialed back. The line connected.
“Finally,” came Damien’s voice.
Her pulse leapt to her throat.
“Please don’t cut the call, Sera. I tried with my main number, but it kept saying unavailable,” Damien said. “So I used another line.”
She swallowed, trying to sound unaffected. “Why are you calling me?” she asked in a cold tone.
“I’m not calling to cause trouble,” Damien said quickly. “There’s something I need to give you. You’ll need it sooner than you think.”
Seraphina stayed quiet for a moment, suspicion and curiosity fighting in her head. “Why would I trust you after everything you did?”
“You don’t have to trust me,” Damien said quietly. “But you’ll regret it if you don’t come. Clock my words.”
She exhaled, her mind running fast. If he had something to tell concerning Talia or her father, she couldn’t risk ignoring him. She could always manipulate him, get what she needed, and walk away.
“Fine,” she said. “Send me the address.”
He did.
Within minutes, she threw on casual clothes — a loose shirt, jeans, and sneakers. She didn’t even know who owns the cloth but they fitted. She then packed her hair into a low bun and glanced at herself once in the mirror. Her heart was racing. She didn’t want the guards to notice her leaving.
When she stepped out of her room, the hallway was empty. Perfect. She moved fast, keeping her steps light. Downstairs, she noticed the guard at the entrance was busy talking on the phone. That was her moment.
She slipped past, heart pounding hard against her ribs.
But just as she bared herself outside, a sleek luxurious black car suddenly pulled up in front of her. She stayed still, panic flashing in her eyes.
The driver’s door opened, and a tall man dressed completely in black stepped out. His hair was slicked back, his face sharp and expressionless. He looked Italian, she thought.
He walked toward her with calm confidence. “You must be Seraphina,” he said like he was sure. He probably was.
She didn’t answer, her guard was instantly up.
He gave a faint smile and extended his hand. “Vincent. Julian’s right-hand man. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Her heart thudded once, hard. If he was Julian’s right-hand man, that meant he was dangerous too. Probably the kind of man who could kill without blinking.
But she forced a polite smile. “Nice to meet you too.” She didn’t take his hand.
Vincent’s lips curled as he retreated his hand, while he studied her closely. “Sorry I couldn’t attend your engagement party yesterday. I just got back in the country.”
Seraphina eyed him suspiciously, but conscious enough to look calm.
Vincent looked around briefly. “Are you heading somewhere?”
She hesitated for half a second, then said, “Yes, I was... heading somewhere.”
“Why isn’t the driver with you?” Vincent asked, his tone casual but his eyes reading.
Her heart skipped again. “He’s waiting for me... a few blocks away,” she lied smoothly. “I told him I wanted to walk a bit. Needed some air.”
Vincent frowned, clearly unconvinced. “You could’ve told him to drive you there. I can take you if you’d like.”
She forced a small laugh. “It’s fine. I just wanted to exercise. I’ll be back soon.”
He studied her again for a few seconds before giving a short nod. “Alright then. I will be inside.” He squinted.
“Of course,” she said quickly.
Vincent turned and headed into the house. The moment he disappeared inside, she released the breath she’d been holding. Her palms were clammy.
Without wasting another second, she ran down the driveway and into the quiet street beyond the gates.
Her heart pounded with each step she took, fear and adrenaline pushing her forward. She didn’t know if what she was doing was brave or stupid—but one thing was certain.
She was going to find out exactly what Damien wanted to tell her.