Tangled in His Obsession (Seraphina)

"Putting on an act just for me?" Seraphina chuckled, intrigued by the thought. "What's the endgame here?" "It might not be about what he wants," Leandro mused, "but rather what the people behind him are after." Seraphina paused, considering his words. The idea wasn't new to her. After all, when Bowen had mentioned Simon earlier, he had seemed genuinely agitated. And if Simon was indeed trying to use the situation to strengthen his ties with Seraphina, then it was— "Such tactics are definitely my style," Seraphina admitted with a smirk. "No wonder he said | remind him of himself." Simon's ploy, if it were true, to draw her back to her biological father's side by exploiting her desire to outdo and suppress Bowen, was indeed clever.

After a moment's thought, Seraphina burst into laughter. "Bowen's probably fuming right now. Oh, this is too good!" Leandro gave her a sidelong glance before adding, "That's not all. He's had a few other setbacks recently." Seraphina leaned closer, her curiosity piqued. "Like what?" "Word is that the Martin Group's board has been shooting down his proposals left and right, all spearheaded by Simon. With the chairman against him, the others hardly dare to speak up." "So, he's being targeted?" she probed.

Leandro's lips curled into a sly smile. "Simon only brought him into the Martin Group because they shared a common enemy—the Reynolds Group. But now, with you in the picture, Simon seems to have either put that vendetta on hold or pushed it down the priority list. And Bowen, who despises the Reynolds Group more than anyone, isn't going to let him run rampant and gain more power." Seraphina bit her lip in thought.

Bowen had once used the Martin Group as a weapon against the Reynolds Group, infuriating Leandro who retaliated fiercely against the Martin Group. The result was Simon knocking on their door for peace talks. With Simon's pride, swallowing such a defeat was unthinkable.

Even though Simon had sued for peace, both openly and behind the scenes, the Reynolds Group remained the Martin Group's most formidable adversary.

Now, with the Reynolds Group, under Ferne's leadership, collaborating with the Martin Group, it would be all too easy for the Martin Group to set traps and ensnare the Reynolds Group. Yet, if Simon was truly stepping back from his feud with the Martin Group Seraphina looked up at Leandro. "Do | really hold such an important place in his heart?" Leandro met her gaze, replying softly, "What do you think?" A hint of a smile played on Seraphina's lips.

In truth, it wasn't about her significance to Simon; it was about Adelina. Simon believed Adelina had betrayed him, which is why Carney deserved death in his eyes. Seraphina should have met the same fate, but because she resembled Adelina, she was granted a "pardon." However, as she continued to provoke him with the mention of Carney, Simon, in his fury, could easily have gotten rid of her.

Now that her identity as Simon's daughter was confirmed, everything had changed for him.

Adelina's supposed betrayal was what pained him the most. Rebuilding a relationship with Seraphina was his way of holding onto the remnants of Adelina in this world.

Only when Seraphina truly became his daughter could the love between him and Adelina be considered complete. But this so-called perfect love was soaked in blood.

"I'm flattered by my influence," Seraphina mused. "Given that, maybe | should put it to good use, huh?" Leandro saw the lively spark in her eyes, but noted the lack of real turmoil within. He simply drew her closer in silence.

After resting in his embrace for a while, Seraphina suddenly looked up at him. "Have you bugged their boardroom ? How else would you know so much about the Martin Group's decisions?" Leandro, of course, didn't answer such an obvious question. After some playful pestering from Seraphina, he finally spoke, "Someday, whatever you set your mind to do, I'll be your unwavering support." Hearing this, Seraphina paused, then let out a small huff, "Did | ever ask for that?" "If you ask, it's yours," Leandro replied. "And even if you don't, it's still yours." Caught off guard, Seraphina fell silent, then nestled closer to Leandro after a moment's peace.

Two days later was New Year's Eve, and the Reynolds family's annual reunion dinner was held as usual at Reynolds Manor. To an outsider, everything seemed as lively and joyful as ever, with generations gathered in celebration. But those present knew that amidst the festivity, there was an undercurrent of change.

In past years, the night would be spent waiting eagerly for the clock to strike midnight, but this year, the party began to disperse well before eleven.

Conway had likely anticipated this shift and seemed unperturbed, watching with glee as Leandro, Seraphina, and their son Valerio set off fireworks in the garden.

Thus, despite the subdued atmosphere, the evening concluded with a sense of contentment and closure.

Seraphina had been running herself ragged for days on end, and with the arrival of the New Year, she was finally granted a two-day reprieve. As she planned to indulge in a much-needed sleep-in, she was jarred awake on New Year's morning by an unexpected visitor.

As Seraphina was snuggled up in her bed, the servant knocked on her door, "Sera, we have company. Your grandpa wants you downstairs, stat." Groggy from sleep, Seraphina didn't budge, grumbling under her breath, "Who is it, at this ungodly hour?" "Just get yourself up and come down, will you?" the servant didn't linger, calling out a few more times before she hurried back downstairs.

With great effort, Seraphina peeled herself out of the warm embrace of her blankets, quickly tidied herself up, and stomped downstairs, bracing to confront the early bird who dared disturb her slumber.

To her surprise, the visitors were none other than Simon and Andrea.

Simon was chatting away with Conway, sharing stories that clearly revolved around Seraphina's childhood escapades.

Andrea sat demurely to the side, locking eyes with Seraphina as she descended the staircase.

"Finally decided to join the living?" Conway raised an eyebrow at her, "Starting the year off lazy, are we? That's not a good omen." Seraphina didn't respond, instead, she took a seat next to Andrea, asking, "Why didn't you give me a heads up about coming over?" "It was a last-minute decision when Dad was heading out," Andrea replied. "lI wasn't exactly prepped for it either." Only then did Seraphina turn to look at Simon.

Simon grinned,We were just reminiscing about your childhood shenanigans. It seems I've missed out on a lot of your growing up, so | thought I'd drop by and hear some tales from Conway here." Seraphina shifted her gaze away, slightly embarrassed.

As she did, her eyes caught sight of Leandro and Valerio returning from their early morning errand. Valerio was clutching his favorite toy, eager to show it to Seraphina, but hesitated upon seeing the somewhat unfamiliar face of Simon.

Simon approached and gently tousled Valerio's hair, "Remember me?" Valerio had met him once before while playing with Andrea and managed a shy, "Happy New Year, Mr. Martin." Simon's face lit up with a smile, "Happy New Year to you too, Valerio. But you've got it wrong, you should call me Grandpa Simon."