The two of them sitting in a street stall in formal wear created a strange disconnect, but they didn’t care about their image and were happily grilling skewers.
Keith Hughes was a very talkative person, and during their short time together, he always managed to make Seraphina Sinclair laugh continuously.
Seraphina Sinclair couldn’t remember how long it had been since she last laughed so heartily. When she got home, she found that the emptiness post-laughter was overwhelming.
She didn’t know why, but even though her recent life had been fulfilling, it still didn’t feel like what she wanted.
The weather on Diamond Island was always great, making rainy days a rare occurrence.
Seraphina Sinclair sat by the window, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain, her thoughts tangled and chaotic like the countless rain droplets.
Jude Sinclair entered her room with short strides, holding a bag of chocolate-flavored chips, and eagerly invited, "Mommy, this brand has a new flavor. Come and try it."
"Okay." Seraphina forced a smile and obligingly took a bite.
"By the way, Mommy, Fiona is here," Jude said slowly, munching on chips.
Hearing Fiona Dunn’s name, Seraphina couldn’t help but develop a headache. She frowned, "Why is she here?"
"I don’t know," Jude replied honestly.
Seraphina had no choice but to get up and go downstairs. Sure enough, before she even showed up, she could hear Fiona’s loud voice.
"Didn’t I tell you last time I don’t drink coffee? Are you brainless or what?" Fiona gulped down pure black coffee, and her face crumpled, immediately lashing out at the maid.
"Miss Dunn not staying home to unwrap gifts but coming to my place for coffee, how interesting," Seraphina yawned slightly, finding conversations with Fiona boring, yet this girl seemed born to be at odds with her, seeking trouble daily.
Thinking of this, Seraphina smirked, "Why don’t you bother Joel if you’re so idle?"
Mentioning Joel White, Fiona’s face turned red, and she stammered, "What does it matter to you who I see?"
Seeing her reaction, Seraphina understood and put on a surprised expression, "Oh, could it be Joel is too busy to see you? Poor thing, such a beautiful girl and yet Joel doesn’t appreciate her, still thinking only about work."
"Joel isn’t like that. He just prioritizes work. When he’s free, he’ll surely come to me. Stop trying to drive a wedge between us," Fiona pointed at Seraphina’s nose and loudly retorted.
Seraphina nodded, "You’re right, but it seems your Joel never runs out of work, or you wouldn’t be coming to me every day looking for issues."
Fiona’s face reddened even more at her comment, "I come to you because I see you as worthy, don’t misinterpret that."
"Is it because you have no friends to keep you company?" Seraphina pointed out bluntly.
Seeing Fiona’s face turn an even deeper shade of red, almost as if it would bleed, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
This was why she never took issue with Fiona—because Fiona wasn’t inherently bad. She was just a lonely child afraid of solitude. Due to her status, the friends around her either sought her out for or because of benefits, only with Seraphina could she truly be herself.
In truth, this girl was also quite pitiable. Her parents left her home alone for work ever since she was young, lacking both a sense of security and parental love. She always tried every means to gain attention, not out of malice, but simply in hopes that others would pay a little more attention to her.
Seraphina understood, so she never took Fiona’s tantrums seriously.
"Why did you leave the party early yesterday, ruining my plan to prank you?" Fiona diverted the conversation away from Seraphina’s words.
"Knowing you wanted to prank me, wouldn’t it be stupid of me to stay?" Seraphina sighed internally, wondering which of Fiona’s brain wires went awry. What kind of question was this?
However, Fiona wasn’t angry; instead, she chuckled mischievously, her eyes showing a hint of pride, "I saw you being kissed by a guy yesterday. Seraphina, you are tainted, you’re not pure anymore. I’m telling Joel to not like you anymore."
"How did you know?" Seraphina was taken aback. How did Fiona see it when the lights were clearly off yesterday?
"Isn’t it obvious? There were cameras at my birthday party. What’s so strange about seeing it?" Fiona looked at Seraphina as if she were an idiot, waving a USB stick with the video copy in front of her, "Seraphina, are you scared now? Afraid people will know the truth about how unsophisticated you really are?"
What’s all this jabbering about?
Seraphina frowned, "Delete the video."
Although the video held no deterrent force for her, she knew the man last night was undoubtedly Desmond Fairchild. Although she hadn’t seen his face, the familiar scent and movements confirmed his identity.
She didn’t care about a mere kiss, but she didn’t want to relive it either.
Seeing Seraphina’s expression turn sour, Fiona became even more smug, "As if I’d delete it just because you said so. No way! This is my leverage against you. Let’s see if you dare to take Joel from me again." Googlᴇ search novel~fire~net
"So if I don’t contest Joel, you’ll delete the video?" Seraphina suddenly calmed down and spoke to Fiona sincerely.
Faced with the sudden serious Seraphina, Fiona nodded quietly, "Mhm, as long as you sign this guarantee, I’ll give you the USB and delete the video at home. How about that?"
"Alright." Without hesitation, Seraphina agreed.
Her straightforward agreement caught Fiona off guard. It was a while before she took out a crumpled piece of paper and said foolishly, "Then, sign it here."
Glancing over the contents, Seraphina elegantly signed her name at the bottom.
"Alright then, since you agreed so readily, I’ll give you this USB now. I’ll delete the original at home," said Fiona, joyfully holding the signed guarantee, "Finally, no one will take my husband from me."
Little did she know, such a document held no legal power. Even if Seraphina signed it, Fiona couldn’t do anything against her.
Of course, Seraphina only held familial affection for Joel, and he felt the same towards her. Only someone as simple-minded as Fiona would think Joel had romantic feelings for Seraphina.
Having received the USB, Seraphina scrutinized Fiona, her gaze slightly skeptical, "Will you really delete it? Who knows if you’ll use it against me later?"
The accusation made Fiona quite unhappy, and she loudly retorted, "What sort of person do you take me for? I keep my promises. I said I’d delete it, so I will. Why doubt me?"