Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 85 – You have until the end of this party to decide

Voren understood the consequences before Seraphine even finished forming her proposal in her mind, because investing in her business would not simply be a financial decision but a declaration of alignment, and aligning himself with her would fracture the already fragile line that held his friendship with Ravyn together, a risk he had no intention of taking lightly no matter how intrigued he was by her audacity.

Yet Seraphine stood there with that faint, knowing smile curving her lips, as though she had already calculated his hesitation and found it unimpressive.

"You should be honored that I’m reaching out to you to invest," she said smoothly, her voice calm but layered with confidence that bordered on arrogance. "Trust me, once the slots are closed, you’ll be the one begging me. And you know exactly what I’m capable of."

She swirled the wine in her glass slowly, watching the deep red liquid circle the crystal like a storm contained in something fragile, yet she did not lift it to her lips, as though she needed a clear head for what she was about to ignite.

Leon cleared his throat, the sound thin and nervous in the charged space between them. "Mr. Ashkael, please pardon her choice of words," he said quickly, attempting damage control before the tension snapped. "She’s politely asking you to invest. Sera, Mr. Ashkael holds more money and power than any of us here. You shouldn’t threaten him."

Seraphine turned her head toward Leon, and the smile she gave him was gentle, almost reassuring, yet it did nothing to soften the steel beneath it.

"I’m not threatening him," she replied evenly. "What I’m saying is the truth."

Then her attention shifted back to Voren, her gaze steady, unflinching. "You have until the end of this party to decide. But do I get the chance to sell my product?"

For a moment, Voren felt something close to paralysis, not because he doubted her ability but because he didn’t. After the stunt she had pulled with his server, the calculated precision and quiet brilliance of it, he knew better than to underestimate her. The problem was not her competence. The problem was Ravyn.

What would happen to his friendship if he publicly supported her?

aside for now,

at last, his tone controlled, though something darker lingered underneath. "But I hope

mind, that low, serious tone cautioning her about old men who disguised greed as mentorship and demanded favors in exchange for

of patients instead of standing here if I

kind of expression that carried an unspoken message, a silent warning wrapped in politeness, something that said you have been cautioned, and what

reached for a glass of wine from a passing waiter and lightly tapped it against the metal tray, the

announced, his voice commanding without needing

quickly, expensive suits and heavy watches shifting into place, the air thick with

together, and Voren released a

a very willful

lazily in the air, some of the billionaires already slightly intoxicated, their words slurring just

called out with a crooked grin, "has she paid

because she had no idea what they meant, but

her yourself,"

toward her before taking his seat beside Ravyn, who watched everything with faint

was immediate, and familiar mocking voices began to rise from different corners like wolves scenting something they believed was

Does she think this is

that voice

of the Voltage Pack, lounged with careless arrogance, two women draped beside him who were certainly not his Luna, and his smirk widened when he saw her eyes land on him. He had been one of Ravyn’s closest allies and had attended