Lucien’s POV
That silenced them.
Even Asher, who had looked like he was about to interrupt again, went quiet.
I had heard enough.
I stepped forward, my shoes clicking sharply against the pavent, finally drawing their attention.
Seraphina’s eyes t mine, and for the first ti since I’d seen her, sothing flickered in her expression. A subtle shift. Maybe it was a relief... or just the shock of seeing soone actually show up.
lissa’s grip loosened imdiately, and Seraphina pulled her hand away without another word.
"Asher," I said, cold and clear. "You brought your little family drama into my house and manhandled soone under my roof. I let it go out of respect."
He didn’t respond. He knew better.
"But now I find your sister harassed outside a police station after she’s already given her statent? I don’t take kindly to repeated disrespect."
"Lucien," he muttered, and went quiet as if he didn’t know what to say.
"I’m not here to talk to you," I said flatly. My eyes went back to Seraphina. "Let’s go."
She didn’t move imdiately. She looked between lissa, Asher, and , as if weighing what awaited her in each direction.
Then, without a word, she walked toward . Not out of dependence, not like she needed saving.
But she chose .
And as she passed , I caught one more flicker of that look—the one she hadn’t shown anyone else that night.
Pain, but there was... defiance beneath it.
Seraphina climbed into the car without a word. The door was already unlocked, and she slipped into the back seat like she couldn’t get away fast enough from them.
She found the water bottle I’d left there, twisted the cap off, and drank every last drop in one breath. Then, finally, her eyes lifted to et mine as I settled into the driver’s seat.
"Why are you here, mister?" she asked, her voice steady but distant as I started the engine.
"I’m responsible for you," I said simply, focusing on the road ahead. "So I ca to take you back ho."
She gave a tired laugh, dry, without a trace of humor. "I appreciate your kind gesture, Mister..." she paused, as if trying to rember or intentionally leaving my na off. "But I don’t need anyone to be responsible for ."
"I don’t care whether you need it or not," I said coldly. "Your brother asked to look after you. So I will."
Seraphina didn’t respond. She just turned her head and stared out the window, like she couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore.
"Just because you know my brother doesn’t an I can trust you," she muttered. "Anyone connected to the Lancaster family is not my friend."
I didn’t reply. I wasn’t sure what was going on with her in the Lancaster family, but I could tell that she was nothing but an outcast there, and no one cared about her.
"Send to the Lancaster mansion," she said out of nowhere, making slam the brakes hard enough for the tires to screech.
"Are you out of your mind?" I almost spat, but I stopped myself, forcing a breath to steady my voice. "You’re walking straight into the lion’s den after what happened."
"I’ve lived in that lion’s den for years," she shot back, her tone sharp but steady. "And no one knows it better than I do."
She turned to face . "I’m saying this again—I’m grateful to you. But I can’t trust anyone in this world... not even you, my savior."
"Fine, I would do that for you."
I was already furious at her for even thinking about going back there. But if she had made up her mind, then who was I to stop her?
No matter how much I hated the idea, I wasn’t the one living her reality.
"I’d really appreciate that," She said in a low voice, more to herself than to .
******
Seraphina’s POV
My heart was racing the mont I stepped out of the police station.
Every step felt heavy, and I wanted to run—just run and never look back. But my mind was hazy, and I didn’t know where to go.
And then, like before, that man appeared—calm, composed, and strangely there for .
He took away from the ones who were ready to pounce on at any mont. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t demand answers. He just... showed up and helped escape the suffocation of being there.
But no matter how much he helped , I knew that I couldn’t trust anyone right now!
Lucien De Rossi might have been kind to , but he knew Adrian. And the Adrian I knew in this life wasn’t the sa man who once loved and doted on !
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