Chapter 5

That afternoon, the first thing I did after waking up was send a message to the Blackwood family's staff.

[Well done. Payment will be transferred tonight.]

Yes, I had orchestrated this whole incident.

Otherwise, how could I smoothly advance my next plan?

I gathered my thoughts, then, in a wheelchair, knocked on the CEO's office door.

Once inside, I said nothing, simply watching Seraphina.

The warm, red sunlight streamed onto me, giving me a fragile, almost broken appearance.

Seraphina watched the scene before her, an unfamiliar feeling stirring within her.

After a long silence, seeing that I still had no intention of speaking, she had to initiate the conversation.

“What Damon did today was wrong. I apologize on his behalf. He’s not usually like this. He’s probably still resentful about past events and displaced that anger onto you. In a way, it’s my fault. Although Damon can be impulsive and heavy-handed, he doesn’t have a malicious heart. I hope you won’t hold it against him.”

“Of course, mistakes require compensation. I’ll cover all your medical expenses, and during this time, you’ll be on paid leave. I’ll also give you a ten percent raise. Let’s consider this matter closed.”

Closed? “Doesn't have a malicious heart”?

I scoffed inwardly, finding it utterly ironic.

Damon Blackwood, with his “unmalicious heart,” had beaten me half to death in public.

No wonder he, with his truly malicious heart, had done such things to my sister.

Damon Blackwood was clearly born evil, an unreasonable madman.

Yet, in Seraphina’s words, his evil was softened to mere “impulsiveness.”

It was as if my sister’s death had nothing to do with Damon Blackwood.

That was my sister, with whom I had grown up, who would rather beg to let me survive when we were starving.

My sister, who went to sing in bars so I could attend college.

Though we were poor, wherever Skylar was, I felt boundless warmth.

But now, all of it had been destroyed by that madman, Damon Blackwood!

Before, I thought these acts were solely Damon’s, and Seraphina might have been unaware.

But now, it seemed Seraphina had probably been cleaning up his messes all along.

With that realization, my hatred intensified. It looked like the plan needed some minor adjustments.

I lowered my head, appearing somewhat disheveled, and my voice, slightly choked, reached Seraphina’s ears.

“Thank you for your consideration, Ms. Thorne. Of course, I won’t blame Mr. Blackwood, nor will I blame you.”

“I just hope, Ms. Thorne, that you won’t fire me because of this incident and will allow me to continue working steadily at the company.”

Hearing my dedication to this job, Seraphina asked, a hint of confusion in her voice:

“With your work ability and education, finding a similar job shouldn't be difficult, should it? Why are you so determined to stay here?”

I looked up, my gaze deep as it met Seraphina’s, then lowered my eyes.

“Because it’s important.”

After a moment of silence, I continued.

“I grew up with my sister. She raised me through unimaginable hardships. But a year ago, my sister passed away. Her dying wish was for me to one day work for Thorne Enterprises, to live a good life, but I hadn’t been able to fulfill it.”

“Now that I’ve finally achieved it, how can I easily give up? Besides… to put me through school, our family accumulated a lot of debt. I can’t afford to lose this job.”

Seraphina pursed her lips, a flicker of apology crossing her face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize there was such a story behind it. Please stay here, compose yourself, and rest a bit before you leave.”

I nodded slightly and soon fell asleep in the wheelchair.

Seraphina had met many handsome men; her cool demeanor showed little change.

But upon seeing my fragile face, marked with bandages, her expression softened slightly.

She picked up a blanket nearby and covered me. Just as she was about to leave, I grabbed her hand.

I clutched Seraphina’s hand tightly, as if I had recovered a lost treasure.

“Skylar, don’t leave me…”

“I miss you so much…”

Seraphina saw the glistening tears in my eyes. Her gaze flickered, then she awkwardly patted my head with her other hand.

Once my expression had calmed, she slowly withdrew her hand.

A week later, Seraphina was invited to a corporate gala, and I, as her assistant, accompanied her.

When Damon Blackwood saw me standing behind Seraphina, his expression twisted.

However, Seraphina had recently warned him, so he could only feign indifference.

He wrapped his arm around Seraphina’s waist, attempting to assert his claim, but after a few drinks, he became lightheaded.

Left with no choice, he excused himself to Seraphina and went to a guest room to rest.

Seeing my objective accomplished, I smoothly walked over to Seraphina’s side.

Even though Seraphina was the CEO of Thorne Enterprises, many people still disliked her.

Before long, Seraphina’s mind became hazy from the endless toasts.

I helped her sit down. Out of sight of the others, I sprinkled some white powder from my sleeve into a glass of water.

Seraphina took a sip, then abruptly pushed my hand away.

I lost my grip, and the water spilled all over Seraphina.

My eyes flickered for a moment, then I immediately grabbed some napkins from the table and began to wipe her clothes.

Just as I feigned shock and was about to pull my hand away, Seraphina, her thoughts momentarily clearer, pushed me away.

“Get away from me!”

Seeing her clothes cling slightly to her from the water, I felt a bashful flush creep up my face.

I cleared my throat, then took off my suit jacket and draped it over Seraphina. I lowered my head, stepped back, and said with regret:

“I’m so sorry, Ms. Thorne. I didn’t mean to… I’ll go get you some clean clothes.”

Seraphina clutched the jacket tighter, her blush deepening.

Her eyes, heavy-lidded, glanced at the drinks on the table and the crowd drinking in the main hall.

She was about to say something when her expression clouded over again.

She bit her tongue hard, trying to maintain her clarity.

“Asher, take me to the hospital.”

Even though I heard her, I pretended not to.

So, I leaned in curiously and asked:

“Ms. Thorne, what did you say?”

“To… the hospital…”

I admit, I harbored a desire for revenge.

But seeing Seraphina, disoriented, starting to pull off her clothes, I suddenly remembered what Skylar had once told me.

“Our Asher is going to be a bright, gentle, and protective young man, you hear?”

My hands, hanging at my sides, immediately clenched.

After a moment of internal struggle, I cursed under my breath, then wrapped Seraphina tightly in my jacket.

I picked her up and headed towards the back exit where the car was parked.

Forget it. There were plenty of other ways to seek my revenge; I didn't need to resort to such sordid methods against a woman.

By the time I finally managed to carry the wildly struggling Seraphina to the back exit, I suddenly remembered I had sent the driver away.

I let out a soft, exasperated sigh.

I held Seraphina with one arm and pulled out my phone with the other, intending to call the driver.

But the moment I pulled out my phone, Seraphina slapped it out of my hand.

Her eyes hazy, Seraphina looked at me, then directly leaned in to kiss me.

I stumbled, falling backward into a nearby planter.

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