Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever

Chapter 136 – Are you alone?

All Seraphine had wanted, was a simple, quiet reward after everything she had been juggling lately, because her mind had been running nonstop between responsibilities, plans, and the endless details tied to building out the cyber division she was preparing to launch.

All she craved in that moment was the comfort of going home, kicking off her shoes, and letting the weight of everything slide off her shoulders while she rested before throwing herself right back into the storm of her routine.

What she had not prepared for, was running into Leon right there, completely out of place in the version of the evening she had imagined for herself, and what made it worse was the fact that he was not alone, which immediately twisted the situation into something far more complicated than she had the energy to deal with.

The confusion that flashed across Leon’s face the second he saw her was impossible to miss, his brows drawing together as though her presence disrupted something he thought he already understood.

"Sera, what are you doing here?"

For a brief second, Seraphine found herself unable to respond, her thoughts tangling awkwardly because the last conversation they had shared still lingered in the air between them, especially the part where he had asked her out to dinner, and she had turned him down.

Now here she was, standing in front of him in a setting that made everything look questionable whether she liked it or not.

"Business," she finally said, forcing a smile which did not quite reach her eyes.

The middle-aged woman standing beside Leon turned her attention to Seraphine with an immediate warmth that felt almost intrusive in its curiosity, her lips curving into a pleased smile as she looked her over.

"She’s very pretty, now tell me, who is she?"

tiny pause said more than anything he could have admitted out loud, but then he spoke anyway, his voice steady

"She’s my girlfriend."

is my aunt, Phoebe. She came to visit yesterday, and that’s why I wanted

taking in every detail of her appearance in a way that felt too observant, as though he was trying to piece together something that didn’t quite make sense

asked, the question carrying more

things further, Augustine’s voice cut in

I hear you say that she is

settling into her posture because the last thing she

tone carrying a subtle claim that made the air feel tense.

a way that revealed more than he probably intended, because this situation was not something he had expected, especially not after Seraphine had made it

I know a lot of people," he said, choosing his words carefully, "but I never knew Sera was one who was in a

through his eyes as his thoughts began to connect dots that he wasn’t entirely sure he liked, and without wasting another

wait for me at the table?

and guided her a few

his gaze locked onto hers. "Did you come

no simple way to explain her connection to Augustine without dragging in things that were never meant to be exposed, things tied

number, setting it to silence before bringing it down again, using the small action to steady

how my company is about to take off," she said, keeping her tone as even