Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 42 – 10 billion

A week ago, Seraphine had braced herself for Voren to confront her directly after his conversation with Desmond.

She had pictured it in vivid detail, the storm behind his gaze, the sharp cadence of his words, the kind of confrontation that left even the toughest people unsettled, but Voren had surprised her.

Not only had he refused to take the bait but had proven far more stubborn than she had anticipated. Ashkael Holdings itself had shown resilience she hadn’t fully expected, and the company’s foundations were too solid for a single server attack to topple.

Even with the chaos she had orchestrated, the stock dips were negligible. It was frustrating, and deflating, but she took cold satisfaction in knowing Ravyn would remain isolated.

Help would not come for him, not when Voren would be busy stabilizing his company affairs.

The next morning, Seraphine decided to grant herself a small reprieve. She called Corvine, her tone unusually warm, almost soft. "You’ve been good to me. Let me give you a treat."

Corvine’s polite smile masked a quiet ache. No matter how close they had grown, Seraphine’s eyes never lingered the way he longed for. To her, he was family, a reliable presence, a protector, but nothing more.

Still, he accepted, clinging to the hope that this outing might mark the beginning of something new. "I’m flattered," he said, keeping his voice steady, as Seraphine smiled confidently and subtle, led the way.

She moved with the quiet authority of someone accustomed to being obeyed without question, yet wrapped in warmth, rewarding loyalty without excess.

The drive to the restaurant was serene, the city blurring past in muted golds and grays. Only the rhythmic beeping of her phone punctuated the calm.

ID, she answered immediately,

needs your help. There’s been

mid-sentence, firm and unwavering. "Billion." The call filter gave her tone a masculine resonance, demanding respect, or fear,

"But... you said—"

deal is for others. Ashkael Holdings starts at ten

she had been waiting for and it finally came but still, the boss himself was still

greater the damage. The agent exhaled a long, frustrated sigh, conceding, "I will get back to

power Seraphine wielded. She had been with the company just over a

ranked number four, a

them, the faint clink of cutlery,

voice rang out above the ambient noise.

turned, nearly missing the boy with the woman, but the moment she saw him,

us to call you, but we didn’t

age might be more than she predicted. Her lips curved into a soft smile, her

just bumped into her," the woman said, Corvine frowned, his curiosity piqued. "Who

looked at Seraphine like she just saw her childhood fictional hero. "Her prescription worked, and even my son’s pediatrician wants to meet

was quiet, measured, unsurprised. He had assumed medicine was Seraphine’s expertise, but the past week had

a vacant chair. "Do you mind if

She found herself caught between the boy’s disarming innocence and the quiet intention she had carried with her all day, the simple act