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As Herman raced from the precinct to the hospital, Seraphina was still unconscious.
Leandro sat solemnly by her bedside, his eyes dark and stormy beneath their calm
surface.
Bursting into the hospital room, Herman glanced at Seraphina’s prone form and asked
urgently, “What did the doctors say? Is she out of danger?”
Leandro simply nodded, then lifted his gaze to Herman. “What’s the situation on your
end?”
“The ringleader’s clammed up, but the other two gave in,” Herman murmured. “They
ratted out a thug we’re currently hunting down.”
Before Herman could continue, Keen burst through the door, looking rushed. “Mr.
Reynolds, someone tried to set fire in the alley behind Carney Artful Reverie.”
Leandro’s focus sharpened immediately.
“Luckily, it was caught early. The fire didn’t spread, and it’s been extinguished,” Keen
reported quietly. “No significant damage.”
“Did you catch the arsonist?” Herman interjected.
Keen nodded, “Got ’em—just a couple of punks.”
Herman, looking back at Seraphina, said slowly, “The timing of these incidents, both
linked to street thugs, suggests they might have been orchestrated by the same person.
Leandro, has Seraphina crossed anyone lately?”
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Leandro’s gaze lingered on Seraphina’s pale, still face, and he spoke quietly, “You might
not find who’s behind this. But I have my suspicions.”
Understanding the implication, Herman frowned. The real puppet masters were always
shrouded in mystery, beyond the reach of the law, like a crime syndicate they had busted
where the trail went cold at Naylor, the underboss.
A thought struck Herman. “You don’t think this has anything to do with the Martin family,
do you?”
Before Leandro could respond, Seraphina suddenly coughed violently.
Leandro was at her side in an instant, helping her sit up and gently patting her back.
Her eyes fluttered open after a few more coughs, and she looked around blearily before
settling on Leandro.
He held her close, whispering, “Don’t be scared. You are safe now.”
Those words seemed to trigger her memory. She winced in pain, then frantically touched
her face and body, taking deep breaths to reassure herself she was alive.
Finally, her gaze returned to Leandro. Her eyes began to well with tears. Then, abruptly,
she reached out and clung to Leandro’s neck.
Leandro wrapped his arms around her, continuing to comfort her. “You’re not getting rid of
me that easily. I haven’t given you permission to die—no one’s taking you from me.”
At that, Seraphina let out a soft laugh, burying herself deeper into his embrace and
inhaling his scent.
Seeing the intimate moment, Keen slipped out of the room, while Herman stood
dumbfounded at the foot of the bed.
After a while, Herman cleared his throat, “Are you coherent enough to give a statement
now?”
Leandro tensed slightly at the question.
“Who’s talking?” Seraphina feigned ignorance.
“I am,” Herman replied, “Can you recognize me ?”
Seraphina, now more lucid, pushed Leandro away slightly and looked towards Herman
standing at the end of the bed.
“Should I send him away?” Leandro asked softly.
“Please do,” agreed Seraphina.
Herman, perplexed, received a stern look from Leandro, who remained protective of
Seraphina.
Sighing, Seraphina finally addressed the matter at hand. “Alright, who tried to take me
out?”
“Just some street-level goons,” Herman admitted. “They took a million bucks to end your
life.”
“A million? That’s all my life is worth?” Seraphina scoffed. “They’re fools. I promised them
a billion and myself, and they still went after that measly million!”
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Herman was flabbergasted. “promised yourself… what do you mean?”
Leandro’s eyes were dark as the depths of the ocean yet still tightly holding Seraphina’s
hand.
“It means I would’ve done anything to survive,” Seraphina clarified.
Herman suddenly realized he might have stepped into a minefield with his question. He
lowered his head, cleared his throat, and ventured, “So, have you ticked off anyone lately?
Someone who’s out for your blood and also tried to destroy Carney Artful Reverie—”
Seraphina’s complexion changed in an instant, and then she turned to Leandro, “Carney
Artful Reverie?”
“It’s okay,” Leandro reassured, “the fire didn’t catch. No harm done.”
Hearing this, Seraphina exhaled a sigh of relief. After a brief pause, she let out a small, wry
chuckle, murmuring, “As if my life wasn’t enough, they had to go after Carney Artful
Reverie too…”
Leandro, catching the hint in her tone, knew she had an inkling of who it might be.
“So, you have an idea about who’s behind this?” Herman pressed eagerly.
Seraphina looked up, locking eyes with Leandro before slowly replying, “Someone who
despises me, and hates my father even more.”
In that lightning flash of a moment, Herman seemed to have a revelation, “Could it be—”
But before he could voice his suspicion, the hospital room door was knocked upon again.
All heads turned to see Andrea pushing the door open. And right behind Andrea, as if on
cue, walked in Simon.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the room shifted, thick with unspoken tension.
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