Tangled in His Obsession (Seraphina)

For Seraphina, life had been throwing her one curveball after another. Despite her years of resilience, recent times had bred a certain complacency, softening her psychological defenses. When the latest wave of challenges hit, she found herself momentarily lost and weary.

She had barely settled back into her bedroom when the gentle reassurance of Leandro lulled her into sleep. That afternoon, Valereturned from school and tiptoed around, careful not to disturb her, allowing her to sleep until evening.

When Seraphina's eyes fluttered open again, it was already between eight and nine at night. Her gaze instantly met a pair of bright, dark eyes watching her quietly, just inches from her face.

At first, she was disoriented, but as consciousness returned, she reached out and embraced the little observer, wrapping him tightly in her arms.

Valegiggled, "Mom, you're finally awake!" Holding his warm, soft body, Seraphina hummed in affirmation before asking, "Would you have stayed here watching overif I hadn't woken up?" "I missed you," Valeconfessed. "lI want to sleep with you tonight." After a tender kiss on his forehead, Seraphina agreed, "Alright." Valerio, already washed up for the night, had cto bid goodnight but found himself invited to share the bed.

He couldn't contain his joy, quickly burrowing into the covers and back into Seraphina's embrace.

While she had been in the hospital for a few days, Valehad accumulated a bunch of stories to share, and they chatted cozily until his yawns bectoo frequent to ignore. Seraphina hushed him to sleep with a soft voice.

Valehad always been a prompt and obedient sleeper, drifting off quickly.

Once he was deeply asleep, Seraphina watched him for a long time, unable to resist leaning in for another kiss before carefully getting out of bed.

At this hour, Leandro was not in the bedroom but likely in his study. Wrapping herself in a robe, Seraphina approached the study door, and sure enough, she could hear his voice.

Leandro was on the phone with Keen, who reported Garrison's activities for the afternoon, emphasizing an incident that occurred after dinner with friends— "There was a car in the parking lot, the driver must've been drunk, swerving all over. It nearly hit Garrison, scared him pale. Since then, until he returned to his hotel, Garrison's been on edge, he seemed very anxious—" Leandro responded calmly, "Guilt breeds fear of retribution." "He holed up in his room as soon as he got back to the hotel and hasn't shown his face—wait, | see him now! He's checking out with his luggage!" Leandro pondered for a moment before instructing, "Stop him." Keen hesitated, unsure, "Just like that? He's very cautious; it won't be easy." "He's afraid of accidents, isn't he?" Leandro's tone remained even.

Understanding dawned on Keen, who promptly replied, "I'll take care of it." After ending the call, Leandro looked up at the door, "Aren't you coming in?" The study door opened to reveal Seraphina leaning against the frame, arching an eyebrow at him, "Leandro, what mischief are you up to now?" Leandro leaned back in his chair, meeting her gaze with composure, "The kind you're quite familiar with, isn't it?" At that, Seraphina swiftly walked over, perched on his lap, and playfully tugged at his collar, feigning annoyance, "Nonsense! I'm the epitof innocence and kindness, unlike you, utterly incorrigible!" "Hmm," Leandro looked up at her, "So, do you like it or not?" Seraphina bit her lip, attempting to resist, but couldn't help bursting into laughter.

That night, Garrison experienced a minor car accident while rushing to the airport.

The accident was trivial, the car was scratched slightly, but it sent Garrison into such a panic that he bolted from the vehicle, looking to escape. He had only made it a few steps when a car pulled up abruptly in front of him, nearly causing him to topple over.

Keen leaned out from the driver's seat, "Dr. Garrison? Remember me? I'm Mr. Reynolds’ executive assistant.

Please, get in." Garrison, without a second thought, scrambled into the car.

As they drove away from the scene, Garrison turned to Keen, "Why are you here?" Keen paused before admitting, "To tell you the truth, Mr. Reynolds feared for your safety and askedto keep an eye on you." Garrison broke out in a cold sweat, "What do you mean? How would he know I'm in danger?" "Dr. Garrison, did you really think Mr. Reynolds invited you to Sunburst City just for a health check-up?" Keen questioned. "I think you understand now." Garrison's face went ashen.

Late into the night, inside an executive suite of a Reynolds Group luxury hotel.

Garrison, tie and collar undone, slumped on the couch, his visage the epitof exhaustion. With a hand propping his forehead, his pallor was unmistakable.

He appeared to be resting, but Keen could tell by his complexion that sleep was not within Garrison's grasp. As Keen poured a glass of wine for him, the room's doorbell rang unexpectedly, causing Garrison to stiffen and open his eyes nervously.

"You don’t need to worry," Keen assured. "It's likely Mr. Reynolds." The door opened, and indeed, the man who entered was Leandro.

Garrison lifted his hand to remove his glasses, revealing a pair of eyes slightly distorted by severe myopia, fixated intently on Leandro.

Leandro settled himself into the couch across from Garrison, no longer the composed and serene figure of the daytime. He leaned back into the cushions, his gaze cold and piercing as it landed on Garrison, an oppressive aura seemingly filling the space.

Finally, Garrison couldn't bear the intensity of the stare and averted his eyes, breaking the visual confrontation.

"I hear Dr. Garrison was planning to leave the day after tomorrow," Leandro began slowly. "What brought about this sudden change of plans?" Garrison clenched his jaw, and after a brief pause, he let out a cold chuckle. "Family matters have cup, and | need to get back earlier. Surely, | don't owe Mr. Reynolds an explanation for that?" Leandro listened, then nodded slightly, his voice still calm. "If that's the case, we have no reason to detain Dr.

Garrison. If you wish to leave, feel free." At his words, Garrison abruptly stood up, grabbed his suitcase, and strode towards the door.

No one stopped him. He walked straight out the door, but the moment he crossed the threshold, his step faltered ever so slightly.

Before him lay a quiet and deserted corridor, eerily silent in the dead of night, so empty it seemed to lead into uncertainty.

Behind him was the room where Leandro sat, brightly lit, with bodyguards standing at the ready.

Garrison stood there for what felt like an eternity before slowly turning back to face Leandro. "What do you really want?" Leandro, with his back to Garrison, remained seated on the couch. Without turning around, he answered flatly, "It's quite simple. | need to know how Carney really died."