Chapter 34 A Very Risky Decision
Seraphina paced once, twice, and stopped by the window. From there, she could see the side of the estate. The driveway glimmered under the floodlights. Two guards talked near the main gate, their laughter loud enough to cover a heartbeat.
The car Julian usually took for business was already waiting. A sleek black sport car.
Her pulse drummed faster. She couldn’t take the front way; the guards there would alert him the second she moved. She thought fast. What could she do?
Just then, a knock sounded on her door. It was a small knock, yet it jolted her.
“Ma’am, are you in there?” It was Joye. Sera recomposed herself and sat on her large bed. “Come in, Joye.”
The maid-now her personal maid, came to sight, holding a tray of meal and water. She placed it on the table. “Miss Sera, how are you doing this afternoon?” She beamed at her.
Seraphina scanned Joye closely as a thought drove into her head just then.
“Not so fine. Bored still.”
Joye scratched the back of her head, hesitating. “Are you still grounded?”
Seraphina swallowed. “Well, yeah. But he said I could walk around the house today so I want you to take me to the service quarters. I would like to meet other maids that work in this house.”
Joye looked confused. “But…is there a reason he grounded you? I know he’s quite mean and all. But the guards literally threatened you to stay back yesterday. That didn’t look good to me. I’m sorry if I’m trespassing.”
Seraphina let out a soft chuckle. “You don’t have to be sorry. I’m glad you are concerned even. But at the same time, I don’t want to go deep into irrelevant matters. He’s just angry at me for something I didn’t mean to do. And according to him, it’s his way of punishing me.”
“Oh,” Joye muttered.
“Yeah. So, shall we?”
“What about your food, ma’am?”
“I will come back for it when I’m back touring the house.” Seraphina replied warmly, making sure there was no hint of desperation in her tone.
Joye, who was oblivious to her intentions, smiled then said, “Follow me then.”
Seraphina followed her- through a long hallway she hadn’t came across before that was situated downstairs. The house was very big.
She looked around. “So you people take another route out?”
“Yes, ma’am”
“I said you should call me Sera.”
“That would take some time to get used to.” Joye said timidly. Seraphina feigned indifference.
Joye led her to the paths the maids used, the side corridor that led to the service quarters, the door that opened directly toward the garage.
When Seraphina caught sight of the entrance that led outside, her instincts flared. “Joye,”
Joye, who was busy talking about how many helps work in the house, paused.
“Can you get me a glass of water? I will be waiting. Just suddenly got thirsty.”
Joye smiled. “I told you to eat first. Are you sure you are not hungry too? We can go back and…”
“Just water, please.” Sera interrupted her. She was already impatient.
“Okay…Sera.” Joye said, calling her name with so much shyness. Seraphina beamed warmly at her, hoping she wouldn’t be suspicious at all.
Immediately Joye left, she exhaled and whispered, “Okay, Sera… you’ve done harder things.”
She slipped off her slippers. Her steps were silent as she followed the rest of the narrow hallway leading to the servants’ entrance. The air grew cooler there, and the faint scent of detergent clung to the walls. She pressed herself against the plaster when a housemaid hurried past with folded linens. Her heart almost stopped until the woman turned the other way.
A faint buzz of voices came from outside — the guards changing shifts. Perfect.
Seraphina crouched near the small glass panel of the side door. Through it, she could see the garage stretching ahead, the black car gleaming under white lights. Julian wasn’t there yet, but Vincent was, phone in hand, pacing near the hood, talking to the phone.
She waited until he turned away, distracted by a call. Then she pushed the door open just enough to slip out.
The air outside felt sharper, damp with approaching rain. She could hear her own breathing, quick and uneven.
Step by step, she moved along the wall’s shadow toward the garage. A car engine somewhere roared to life, covering the faint creak of her movement. The door of the backseat was slightly ajar- maybe Vincent had checked something earlier and forgotten to close it properly.
Her fingers trembled as she reached for the handle. She had hoped she would slip in somehow, when the door eventually opens, but Vincent had made that easy without knowing.
Just then, a guard coughed nearby. Seraphina froze, her heart punching against her ribs. The man walked a few steps closer, muttering something about the weather, then turned away again. She let out a shaky breath she didn’t realize she was holding.
When the sound of his boots faded, she slipped into the car’s backseat and sank low, pulling a blanket from the seat down over her body. The smell of leather and cologne filled her nose. She could see the faint glow of the front panel, and in the distance, Vincent’s voice approaching again.
Her chest tightened. It was now or never.
The front doors opened almost at once — Vincent on the passenger side, Julian’s tall frame sliding behind the wheel. The car’s suspension dipped under his weight, and Seraphina swallowed hard, afraid even the sound of her heartbeat would betray her.
Vincent asked something about Balto, Seraphina listened carefully but Julian didn’t go into details so she lacked idea about what they were discussing. Just then, the car rolled forward, tires crunching against the gravel.
Seraphina kept still as the mansion grew smaller in the rear window. A faint tremor ran through her arms — half fear, half adrenaline.
She wished she hadn’t just implicated Joye, and again, she realized how stupid her decision was, yet, this was better than staying indoor all day. A little risk wouldn’t harm her or so she thought.
As much as she dreaded what would happen if Julian finds out, this was fun too. She loved the sudden surge of adrenaline that came with the risk.
She didn’t know where Julian was going, but wherever it was, she would find her answers there.
Only if she new what awaited her. She would have dreaded her decision.