Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 67 – I have news

Seraphine had been carrying the idea quietly for months, maybe even years if she was honest with herself, nurturing it in the private corners of her mind like something fragile that could not survive careless exposure.

She had not shared it with anyone, not even with Corvine, who had become her right hand in almost everything else.

Some dreams felt safer when they remained unspoken, protected from doubt, ridicule, and from the narrowing expressions people wore when they did not understand vision.

And yet, sitting in Leon’s car with the late afternoon light filtering in through the windshield, she found herself saying it before she could second-guess the impulse.

"Eclipse Entertainment is the brand name," she began, her voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of excitement she rarely allowed to surface. "But I’m going to start with Phantom Games."

Leon glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the road, clearly processing the words. "You?" he asked, a faint crease forming between his brows. "You want to start a gaming company?"

It was not mockery exactly, but surprise, the kind shaped by assumption. Gaming was loud and competitive and historically male-dominated, a world of consoles and tournaments and obsessive players glued to screens for hours.

It did not immediately align with the composed, strategic woman sitting beside him.

Seraphine noticed the tone, and instead of bristling, she leaned into explanation. "I’m imagining a future where games are used not just for leisure, but for recalibrating," she said, her gaze drifting slightly as if she could already see it unfolding. "How would you feel playing a game that actually relaxes your nervous system instead of overstimulating it?"

That made him look at her again, this time with curiosity instead of disbelief.

As she narrowed it down, her words became more precise, more intentional.

"Entertainment, at its core, is about escape and relaxation," she continued, her hands moving subtly as she spoke. "But what if we built triggers into the design, subtle cues that regulate breathing patterns, stabilize heart rate, guide cognitive resets without the player even realizing it consciously.

devours people’s time and leaves them drained. I don’t want addiction. Fifteen to thirty minutes per session is enough for structured engagement,

entertainment," he said slowly, beginning to see

is," she replied, meeting his gaze evenly, "but critically designed entertainment. Something immersive without being destructive.

Software development at that level, neurological research integration, user interface engineering, biometric calibration

this much on a first date already felt like stepping further than she normally would. "Don’t worry,"

had been quietly growing, or the network of developers she had already begun consulting under nondisclosure

from public space to private ground carried its own weight. Leon stepped out first again, circling around to open her door with that

lingered faintly in the air, grounding the moment. Seraphine asked Corvine who was already

if he joins us for dinner?"

to say no, but how could he deny her something so simple in her own

he replied evenly after a brief

Leon who was almost at the car. "Why not join us fer

slipping into conversation at

freely, laughed openly, and listened attentively as Seraphine described the children at the rehabilitation park, her voice

that had initially hovered in the room

part-time work with Leon at the hospital

simple, but they changed

Corvine asked, keeping his tone neutral even though something inside him tightened at

focus on too, so three hours max. And we’re starting our company too,

froze slightly at the way she

smile faltered almost imperceptibly. Why couldn’t it be hers