Chapter 36 Banters And Control
The bitter echo of Balto’s laughter- things he said in there, were still in Seraphina’s mind. When the gates of his underground compound creaked open, Julian strode out first, his steps cold, rigid, and silent as stone. Seraphina followed a few steps behind, her pulse pounding like a trapped bird’s. The moment the night swallowed them, her voice broke the quiet.
“What are you going to do to me now?” she asked, her words trembling. “Give me to that man?”
Julian didn’t answer. His shoulders were tight, but he kept on walking. Every muscle in his back spoke of suppressed fury.
They walked several more feet before he noticed that her footsteps were gone. He stopped and turned fast. Seraphina stood still behind him, arms crossed, her defiance sparking through the fear still etched on her face.
“I’m not following you anywhere,” she declared, her voice shaking but fierce. “I know you’ll just lock me inside again—and maybe this time, you’ll do worse than taking my phone.”
Julian was beyond angry. “Let’s go,” he said flatly. His tone carried no warmth, no negotiation.
When she didn’t move, he let out a slow exhale. Then, without another word, he strode toward her.
“What? You will ah—”
Her protest was cut short as he lifted her effortlessly and slung her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing. Seraphina gasped, kicking and hitting at his back, but he didn’t even flinch.
“Put me down!” she hissed, pounding her fists against him.
He said nothing. His silence stung worse than shouting would have.
When they reached the car, Vincent looked up from the driver’s seat, eyebrows shooting up. “Uh—how did she get here?”
Julian’s reply was a clipped growl. “Just drive.”
Seraphina folded her arms as she sat in the back seat, glaring daggers at Julian’s reflection in the mirror. “You better not ground me again. You can’t just keep treating me like—like a prisoner.”
Julian’s knuckles tightened on his knee. His patience snapped. He turned halfway toward her, his eyes reflecting his surpressed anger. “You have no idea how hard I’m trying not to be angry at you right now.”
That shut her up. The rest of the ride was silence, heavy and uneasy.
When they arrived at Julian’s penthouse, the guards outside straightened immediately. Vincent parked smoothly, and when Seraphina refused to open her side of the car door, Julian opened it for her..
She didn’t move. She stayed rooted there, staring ahead, jaw set like a child refusing punishment.
Julian let out a quiet sigh- the kind that came right before a storm, and then, without hesitation, he leaned down and picked her up again.
“Julian!” she yelped, her voice echoing through the grand entryway. “Put me down, this is embarrassing!”
The guards at the entrance tried not to stare, but their glances flickered. Julian ignored them all, his steps grounder and fast.
“Julian Thorne!” she said again, slapping at his shoulder. “You just embarrassed me in front of them!”
He didn’t even blink.
It was only when she noticed the direction they were heading that her anger started to melt into unease. This wasn’t the route to her room.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, breathless.
No answer.
Her heartbeat rose. “Julian, I’m serious. What are you planning—punish me? Lock me in a basement? Cut off my hand?”
Still nothing. Only the echo of their footsteps down a quieter, unfamiliar hallway.
Finally, Julian stopped before a door she’d never seen before and opened it.
Inside, a young male aide- no more than nineteen- was sitting beside a small bed, reading aloud from a children’s storybook.
Seraphina frowned, confusion twisting across her features.
The aide stopped reading immediately when Julian entered. “Sir.”
Julian nodded once. “You can go.”
The aide rose, bowed slightly, and moved past them toward the door. As he did, Seraphina finally saw who sat on the bed, who the older boy was reading to. A little boy holding a toy plane in his hands.
She stilled.
Phoenix.
For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. The sound that came from her chest was half-sob, half-laughter. “Phoenix?” she whispered.
When he saw her, his eyes lit up. “Mummy!”
He bolted forward, and she dropped to her knees instinctively, catching him in her arms. Her lips trembled as she kissed his hair, his cheeks, his forehead again and again.
“Oh my God… my baby… my baby…” Her voice broke as she held him tight, her fingers trembling against his back.
Julian stood a few steps behind, watching them in both awe and disbelief. He was related to these people. His chest tightened.
Phoenix pulled back, his tiny hands gripping Seraphina’s cheeks. “Mummy, are we staying here now? I like this place. He bought me this plane and said he will take me to a big school.”
Seraphina blinked through her tears. “What… what did you just say?”
Before she could ask more, Julian crouched beside them, his expression calm again. “Aiden will come back to finish your story soon,” he told Phoenix quietly. “But your mum is coming, okay? She needs to attend to something.”
Seraphina was still dazed. She could hardly process Julian words. Yet, she didn’t want to be asking sensitive questions in her kid’s presence.
Phoenix turned his bright eyes toward Seraphina again, voice full of innocent curiosity. “Mum, is this my daddy?”
Seraphina froze. The question was very unexpected.
Julian’s breath hitched almost imperceptibly.
Then Seraphina spoke, “No, Phoenix. He’s not your father.”
Julian’s face hardened. Without a word, he rose and took Seraphina’s arm, pulling her gently but firmly from the room.
“I want to stay with my son,” she whispered, startled as he guided her into another chamber just a few steps away.
The space was massive, masculine, decorated with dark aesthetics. She didn’t need to ask to know this was his room.
“Explain,” she demanded, turning to face him, her chest still heaving. “How did my son get here? What have you done? Where is his nanny?”
He didn’t answer her question. Instead, his tone turned low with warning. “You’ve proven you can’t be trusted to stay where you’re told.”
Her brows drew together. “What?”
He looked straight at her, voice steady as ice. “From now on, you’ll live here. With me. You sleep in my room.”
Her eyes widened in disbelief, words catching in her throat. “You can’t be serious.”
Julian’s gaze didn’t waver. “I’m not asking for your opinion.”