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

understanding. "So it isn’t just for entertainment," he said slowly, beginning to see the

replied, meeting his gaze evenly, "but critically designed entertainment. Something immersive without

serious resources. Software development at that level, neurological research integration, user interface engineering, biometric calibration if

a first date already felt like stepping further than she normally would. "Don’t worry," she said calmly. "Everything will be ready before we make

the trading capital she had been quietly growing, or the network of

house, the sky had begun deepening into evening hues, and the shift from public space to private ground carried its own weight. Leon stepped out first again, circling around to open her door with that

scent of dinner lingered faintly in the air, grounding the moment. Seraphine asked Corvine who was already there to welcome

he joins us for dinner?" she asked casually, Corvine

and immediate. He wanted to say no, but how could he deny her something so simple in her own

evenly after a brief pause. "This is your

who was almost at the car.

accepted without hesitation, slipping into conversation at the table with surprising

openly, and listened attentively as Seraphine described the children at the

in the room slowly dissipated,

be starting part-time work with Leon at the

words were simple, but

hours are we looking at?" Corvine asked, keeping his tone neutral even though

"There are other things I need to focus on too, so three hours

way she said our.

Why couldn’t it be hers alone?