Chapter 25 Trending Genius
Seraphina had barely slept all night. She had lost count of how many hours she’d spent pacing the same circle across her room, her mind buzzing with what-ifs.
Her phone was still with Julian, and that meant no messages from Sheila. No updates. No news about Phoenix. But she believed that if she or Maris called, they wouldn’t be that daft to keep talking if her voice wasn’t the one that came up on air.
Every tick of the clock was like a jab in her chest.
A soft knock came on the door, breaking the suffocating silence in the vast room.
Joye walked in, holding a tray. “Lunch, ma’am.”
She placed the food carefully on the table and turned to leave, but paused, eyes narrowing at Seraphina.
“Are you… all right? You don’t look too good.”
Seraphina’s gaze lifted to her. “Do we still have security around?”
Joye blinked. “Yes, ma’am. Two on every floor.”
Seraphina frowned. “I thought Julian fired them?”
“Oh, he did. I wondered why.” Joye said quickly, then added, “but he hired new ones this morning. Mr. Vincent handled it.”
Seraphina’s eyes widened. “It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours yet.”
Joye gave a small, hesitant smile. “They move fast around here.”
Seraphina exhaled heavily and leaned back in the chair. “Can you stay? Just for a bit? I’m grounded and if I stay quiet any longer, I might lose my mind.”
Joye hesitated, a look of confusion crossing her face for a fleeting moment, then she nodded. “Of course, ma’am. I’m at your service.”
“Stop calling me ma’am,” Seraphina said, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly. “How old are you anyway?”
“Twenty-five,” Joye answered shyly.
Seraphina’s brows lifted in total surprise. “No way? You look twenty. We’re agemates.”
Joye kept her eyes low as she said, “You are twenty-five?”
Seraphina shrugged, “Well, twenty-six in a month.”
Joye smiled. “It doesn’t matter. And it doesn’t change the fact that you are my ma’am.”
Seraphina almost rolled her eyes at that but she was too stressed internally to do so.
“Where are you from?”
Joye looked up briefly, then away again. “From Prague. My parents moved away from there when I was little. They passed away years ago.”
Seraphina’s voice softened, suddenly feeling low because she could resonate. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Joye said quickly, though her smile was fragile.
“Are you an only child?” The question erased the smile on her face.
“I had a brother once… but I haven’t seen him for almost five years. I’d rather not talk about it.” She chuckled nervously.
Seraphina nodded gently. “I understand.”
For a moment, silence filled the room—two women who had lost too much, sitting in a house that didn’t feel like theirs.
“Are you in a relationship?” Seraphina asked, half-smiling.
Joye’s cheeks flushed instantly. “No, not really. But… I like someone.”
“Oh?” Seraphina smiled teasingly. “A secret crush?”
Joye’s blush deepened. “Maybe.”
They both laughed quietly. It was the first warmth Seraphina had felt all day.
“I’m sorry for asking too many questions,” Seraphina said finally. “I’m just bored, and you’re good company.”
“I don’t mind,” Joye replied softly.
But then Joye’s tone changed into a curious one. “Can I ask you something, Miss Seraphina?”
Seraphina leaned back, amused that she was getting comfortable. “Shoot.” She started to eat her meal.
Joye bit her lower lip- as if contemplating, then she started. “I was surprised when you suddenly showed up as Mr. Thorne’s fiancée. I’ve never seen any woman here before… except his secretary.”
Seraphina stilled. “Joanne?”
Joye nodded quickly. “Yes. Don’t know if I can trust you with this, but I never really liked her.”
Seraphina wanted to say she felt same way when she met her, but instead, she wanted to hear more. “Why?”
Joye squinted a eye, gathering her thoughts. “She’s too bossy, mean, sassy…She stayed here sometimes, so I assumed she was going to be the one. But maybe I misunderstood—maybe it was just for work. Sometimes, I forgot she wasn’t the house owner when she’s here. She’s just…a lot.”
Seraphina could see the bother in Joye’s eyes as she confided in her, but hearing that Joanne stays over sometimes caused something uneasy to stir in her chest.
She didn’t like the sound of that.
After a long pause, she finally said, “Julian and I didn’t just meet. We have history… years ago.”
Joye blinked, surprise showing in her expression. “Oh. That explains the sudden engagement.” She smiled warmly. “I’m happy for him, then. He must be lucky to be getting married to someone like you.”
Seraphina forced a faint smile, then stood. “Excuse me a second.”
She went into the restroom, splashed water on her face, and stared at herself in the mirror. Her reflection looked tired—haunted.
Her mind circled around Julian and Damien. What did they talk about yesterday? She wished Julian could be normal and not shut her out when she needed to talk the most.
She sighed, remembering how normal everything had been before she caught Damien and Talia.
When she returned to her room, Joye was sitting on the couch beside her bed, her eyes glued to her phone screen, smiling in amusement.
“What could possibly be making you smile like that?” Seraphina asked with a faint grin.
Joye giggled. “A little kid is trending online. He’s gone viral for his amazing memory. It’s crazy—he’s reading a whole book off-head!”
Seraphina smiled at first- until she digested the words properly. She walked closer and saw the screen.
She gulped uncontrollably.
The boy in the video—his mouth moving sharply amidst his classmates, his bright gray eyes, the little tilt of his head- was her son. Phoenix.
For a second, she couldn’t breathe. The world around her blurred. Her knees almost gave way.
“Miss Seraphina?” Joye frowned, confused by the sudden change in her demeanor.
Seraphina’s voice came out cracked. “Where did you see that?”
“It’s everywhere,” Joye said, scrolling down. Seraphina couldn’t look away. The video had over fifty thousand likes, a thousand plus comments…
Her pulse skyrocketed. She snatched the phone from Joye’s hand and read the caption under the video—
‘Boy with photographic memory shocks his teacher!’
The comments were pouring in too fast to read.
Her throat closed up.
Without thinking, she bolted for the door.
“Ma’am! What’s wrong?” Joye called after her, startled.
But Seraphina didn’t stop. She reached the entrance, heart pounding hard enough to hurt, then grabbed the handle—only for two unfamiliar hefty guards to block her path.
“Sorry. Boss’s orders. No one leaves without his permission.”
Seraphina’s eyes flashed. “Move.”
One of the guards looked uncomfortable. “We can’t, ma’am”
Her chest rose and fell sharply. “Your boss…” she said coldly, “can go to hell.”