Chapter 76: Chapter 76 – you promised to stay the night
Their relationship was not sothing either Seraphine or Corvine ever liked to dissect out loud, especially not in front of other people, because there were too many layers to it and too many things that did not fit neatly into a box anyone could label.
It was complicated in the quietest way, built on loyalty, familiarity, and shared history rather than romance, and yet in this mont, standing there with Ery hovering uncertainly outside the car, they both understood that clarity was necessary.
They needed sothing from Ery, and it was painfully obvious that the girl had a crush on Corvine.
Seraphine did not need supernatural instincts to see it because the signs were embarrassingly clear. No woman accepted a dinner invitation on the very first day without so level of interest, especially not one who had already been disappointed when he arrived late.
"Get in," Seraphine said gently, her tone calm and reassuring, the authority in her voice softened by kindness, as Corvine added, "And do not worry about heading back tonight. You can stay at my place. It is already late, and dinner will be ruined if we keep standing here."
Ery hesitated, her fingers tightening around the strap of her purse as though she were weighing sothing heavier than a simple invitation. The reluctance in her eyes was unmistakable, but it changed the mont Corvine stepped out of the car.
He walked around to her side without rushing, opened the door for her, and offered that small, almost disarming smile. The gesture was simple, but the effect was imdiate.
Ery slid into the back seat. The drive to the mansion felt longer than usual, not because of distance but because of silence. Each of them retreated into their own thoughts, the hum of the engine filling the space where conversation should have been.
Streetlights passed in slow intervals, casting fleeting shadows across their faces. Seraphine stared out the window, her reflection faint against the glass, her mind busy piecing together the fragnts of information about Zane.
Corvine kept both hands on the steering wheel, but his jaw tightened occasionally, as if he were already bracing himself for whatever truth Ery might reveal.
Ery, seated in the back, seed small despite her height, her gaze fixed downward, her shoulders slightly hunched as though she carried sothing invisible and heavy.
When they finally arrived at the mansion, the lights inside were dim. Corvine’s parents had already eaten and retired for the night, leaving the enormous house unusually quiet, almost echoing in its stillness.
It was just the three of them now.
Dinner was laid out neatly, the food still warm enough to be inviting, and to Seraphine’s surprise, Ery did not hold back once she began eating. She had the kind of appetite that ca from genuine hunger rather than politeness, and Corvine could not help but find it slightly amusing.
"I owe you an apology," he said lightly, leaning back in his chair as he watched her. "Keeping you waiting that long clearly left you starving."
Ery imdiately lowered her head, embarrassnt coloring her cheeks. "Life in the city is not easy," she admitted quietly. "I am trying to save as much as I can, so most days I eat once, maybe twice if I am lucky."
Seraphine’s fork paused halfway to her mouth. That did not sit right with her. Most pack mbers who relocated to the city managed fairly well, especially those with technical skills.
"What do you do with your inco?" Seraphine asked carefully, her tone neutral but curious.
The reaction was imdiate and unexpected. Ery’s cutlery slipped from her fingers, clattering softly against the plate, and when she looked up again, her eyes were already glossed with unshed tears.
"You would not understand," she said faintly.
Seraphine’s expression softened at once. She leaned forward slightly, her voice lowering into sothing warm and steady.
"Ery, I may not be Luna of the Centenary pack anymore, but that does not an I stopped being soone who protects her own. I can still help you. Even if all you need is comfort, I can give you that."
Ery searched her face as if trying to asure the sincerity in her words. Then her gaze drifted to Corvine, silently asking for reassurance.
For reasons he did not fully analyze, Corvine nodded. "She ans it," he said firmly. "Sera is one of the strongest and most capable won I know. You have heard about our company’s growth and the stock surge recently, right? She is the mind behind it."
Ery gave a weak chuckle, shaking her head slightly. "Stocks are not what I need," she murmured. "What I need is a cyber genius."
Both Seraphine and Corvine stilled at that.
"A cyber genius?" Corvine repeated, confusion knitting his brows together. "Why would you need that?"
Ery reached for a glass of water as though her throat had suddenly gone dry. She drank it in one long swallow, like she was trying to gather strength from sothing as simple as liquid.
"My ex-boyfriend, Zane, he..."
Her voice faltered.
Seraphine and Corvine leaned in unconsciously, their attention sharpened to a blade’s edge, but no further words ca. It was as though Ery had slamd an invisible door shut on her own confession.
"Ery," Seraphine said softly, her voice gentle. "If you trust , I can help you. Whatever it is, we can deal with it."
Ery swallowed hard, her fingers gripping the edge of the table. Instead of continuing, her gaze drifted around the mansion, taking in the high ceilings, the elegant décor, the quiet wealth that surrounded her.
"It is a beautiful house," she said suddenly, almost as if she were trying to redirect the conversation away from herself.
Seraphine felt irritation flicker beneath her calm exterior. She did not like evasion, especially when fear was clearly involved.
Corvine was losing patience as well, and just as he opened his mouth to press her further, Ery’s composure shattered.
"Zane is a cyber terrorist," she burst out, her voice trembling despite the force behind it. "He preys on won, hacks them, manipulates them, drains them of everything."
The words hung in the air like sothing poisonous.
Seraphine frowned slightly, trying to process the logic of it. "You are going to have to explain that properly," she said, her tone firm but not harsh. "You might be overwheld, but I need details. What exactly did he do to you?"
What she had not expected was the way Ery’s eyes filled instantly, tears pooling so quickly it was as if they had been waiting behind a fragile barrier all along.
At that exact mont, Ery’s phone buzzed sharply against the table.
The sound cut through the tension like a blade.
She glanced at the screen, and whatever she read drained the remaining color from her face. Her chair scraped loudly against the floor as she stood up so abruptly that both Seraphine and Corvine flinched.
"I have to go," she said breathlessly. "I am sorry, but I really have to go right now."
Seraphine’s instincts flared imdiately, sharp and alert, every nerve in her body whispering that sothing was wrong. She could almost feel the danger pressing at the edges of the room, invisible but present.
Before she could speak again, Ery was already halfway to the door.
Corvine rose from his seat quickly, his voice tightening with concern. "Ery, you promised to stay the night."
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