"I will protect you forever, Seraphina."
The words looped in her mind, relentless, each repetition tightening the knot in Seraphina's stomach. She pressed her fingers to her temples, willing the headache to stay at bay. It didn't listen.
She hadn't gone back home after the meeting with Alexander, afraid to take the same routes that had led to her kidnapping in that previous life. She didn't think she would be travelling those paths for a long time—the memory of the private road, the wrought-iron gates swinging open without a sound, the gloved hand snatching her phone was too fresh, too visceral. Every shadow on the street felt like a threat waiting to repeat itself.
The office building was nearly deserted when she arrived. Most of the staff had left hours ago, chasing dinners and family gatherings. The security guard nodded as she passed, the only sound her heels clicking against the marble lobby floor in the quiet evening.
She took the private elevator to the executive floor. The lights were low, the space silent except for the faint hum of the HVAC. Her office door stood ajar—exactly as she'd left it.
Aurora was already there.
The younger woman sat at the conference table, laptop open, screen glowing with multiple tabs and documents. Folders labeled with Alexander Langford's name spread across the digital workspace. Everything Seraphina had asked for.
"I need you to do something for me," Seraphina had said earlier that evening, her voice low and controlled. "Everything you can find on Alexander Langford. Public records, private rumors, dark web mentions if you can access them. Boardroom whispers. Exes. Debts. Shell companies. Philanthropy. Scandals. I want the things he doesn't want found."
Aurora looked up when Seraphina entered, eyes wide with a mix of nerves and quiet determination. She stood quickly, hands smoothing the front of her blazer as if preparing for judgment.
"You're here," Aurora said, her voice soft but steady. "I've been digging since your call. It's a lot. He's… careful. Very careful."
Seraphina closed the door behind her, locked it, then crossed to the table. She took a seat, studying the younger woman.
"Tell me," she said simply.
Aurora exhaled, turning the laptop so Seraphina could see the screen clearly.
"Publicly, he's impeccable," Aurora began, scrolling through the first tab. "No criminal record. No known addictions. Philanthropy is real—hospitals, scholarships for underprivileged students, women's shelters, even a foundation for single mothers that's been running quietly for fifteen years. Board filings show he's ruthless but legal—acquisitions are aggressive, but never fraudulent. No major scandals in the last decade."
Seraphina's eyes narrowed. "And privately?"
Aurora opened a second folder—darker, messier, full of cached pages and encrypted forum threads, clearly assembled in a hurry.
"He's the son of a maid who had an affair with his father," Aurora said quietly. "She was an addict. Used him to get money and cocaine. He won a scholarship to boarding school. His mother died when he was fourteen. At seventeen, the Langfords—desperate for an heir—claimed him. Legitimized him. Trained him. Some say he was an illegitimate child of Gabriel Lightwood."
Seraphina's fingers tightened on the edge of the table.
Aurora scrolled further. "The Competitors fear him more than they hate him. There's a pattern: he doesn't destroy people unless they threaten his legacy. When he does, they disappear from public life. Quietly. Permanently."
Seraphina's pulse quickened.
Aurora looked up, cautious. "Sephy… this man doesn't do anything without a reason. If he's offering an alliance, it's because you give him something no one else can."
Seraphina met her half-sister's eyes. "Or because he knows more than he's saying."
Aurora swallowed. "What are you going to do?"
Seraphina didn't answer immediately.
Her phone buzzed on the desk. Encrypted notification.
Contract delivered. Read it tonight. No rush. — Alexander Langford.
She stared at the screen for a long moment, thumb hovering over the link.
Then she clicked.
The document opened—ten pages, clean, precise. No legalese traps. No hidden subclauses. Just the bones of the deal, laid bare.
She read slowly.
Seraphina stared at the document, the clauses staring back at her in stark black ink. The contract was brutally direct—ten pages of cold, precise terms—but Alexander had made his position crystal clear.
Mutual Obligations:
Both parties must publicly appear as a committed couple and perform any reasonable actions necessary to maintain that image (joint appearances, events, media, appropriate affection when required).
Party A provides Party B with $300 million in debt financing on favorable, convertible note terms (no equity in Hale Lumina).
Party B assists Party A in securing family inheritance and board shares through public support, negotiations, and required appearances.
The relationship remains strictly professional in private—no intimacy, no cohabitation unless both parties agree in person.
Party A provides ongoing support for Party B's needs (financial, security, legal, logistical).
Party B must agree with Party A on major decisions regarding the alliance, public image, or strategy (Party A has final authority in case of disagreement).
Additional Protective Obligations of Party A:
Party A provides lifelong physical and digital security for Party B (24/7 detail, encrypted communications, threat monitoring, immediate response to risks).
Party A has authority over Party B's safety protocols (routes, schedules, emergency plans) during verified threats, with Party B required to comply.
Party A ensures Party B's financial independence after the alliance ends (including Hale Lumina operations and personal assets), provided no breach by Party B.
Party A may temporarily restrict Party B's movement or contacts if necessary for safety, health, or reputation.
Consequences for Material Breach by Party A:
In the event Party A materially breaches any protective obligation (failure to provide security, financial support, or timely intervention in verified threats), Party B may terminate the agreement immediately without penalty. Upon such breach:
Party B retains the full $300 million financing.
Party A pays Party B an additional $5 billion in liquidated damages from Party A's personal holdings, payable within 30 days.
Party B may pursue further legal remedies for any resulting harm.
Seraphina's breath caught on that last line.
It was nuclear.
If he failed—if even one threat slipped through—she could walk away with everything she needed and take a devastating piece of his empire with her. Five billion dollars. It wouldn't make a dent in his fortune, but it was enough that she would live a comfortable life for multiple lifetimes.
She closed the laptop with a soft click.
Aurora watched her from across the table, eyes wide but silent.
Seraphina stood, walked to the window, and stared out at the city lights. The skyline glittered, indifferent and alive.
She had died once because she trusted the wrong people.
And now Alexander Langford was offering her a lifeline—with chains to bind her but very strong armor.
It was a devil's bargain, and Seraphina knew it the moment the realization settled in her chest like cold lead. It would save her life, too, wrapping her in the kind of armor no one in this city dared to test: Alexander Langford's name, his resources, his promise of protection that felt absolute, unbreakable, almost frightening in its certainty.
He would take care of her and shield her from threats, stand between her and the wolves that had already torn her apart once.
But he would also bind her.
Control her movements the instant he decided it was "necessary," restricting where she went, who she saw, how she lived, all under the guise of safety. Demand her agreement on every major decision that shaped their public story, their strategy, their future, with his final word carrying the weight of veto. Forbid her from falling in love, as though her heart were just another clause he could lock down, another risk he could manage.
Seraphina exhaled slowly, the breath shaky in the silence of her office.
It was a devil's bargain—safety in exchange for freedom, power in exchange for obedience.
She turned back to Aurora.
"Call the lawyers," she said. "Tomorrow morning, I want to see exactly what lies underneath this."