Chapter 441
Chapter 441
On a mundane Tuesday, after dropping her son Valerio off at school, Seraphina lounged on the couch, idly scrolling through her phone until she landed on Leandro’s WhatsApp chat.
Their last exchange was still the video call they had on the day Seraphina bumped into Patrick at the airport.
The following day, the tabloids. were abuzz with her scandal with Patrick, and since then, that chat page had remained untouched.
Staring at Leandro’s name for a moment, Seraphina tapped on the payment feature and typed in an amount: $1,000. She sent the transfer, but the screen showed no change.
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Five minutes later, she picked up her phone again, the screen unaltered.
So, she initiated another transfer, sending another $1,000 his way.
Still, no response.
Almost mechanically, she hit the transfer button repeatedly, sending a string of identical amounts until a system alert popped up, notifying her that she’d exceeded the daily transaction limit.
Scrolling up, she counted twenty messages sent, with no reaction from Leandro.
Twenty minutes later, she sent a message – [I was testing my transfer limits. Now you can give my money back.”
Not long after, she received a notification from Keen-four transfers of $5,000 each, precisely the sum she’d sent to Leandro.
Quickly switching back to Leandro’s chat, it remained as static as before.
Playing hard to get, huh? Biting her lip in frustration, Seraphina was ready to drop the issue.
Just then, Manley called from next door, inviting her to come over for a taste of the season’s first persimmons. She hollered back an affirmative, put her phone down, and prepared to head out. But as she opened her door, she unexpectedly collided with a familiar embrace.
Looking up sharply, she locked eyes with Leandro’s unfathomable gaze.
He showed up? With a mocking sneer, she quipped, “Well, well, Mr. Reynolds, this is a rare honor. What brings you by at this hour?”
Leandro, unfazed by her challenging stare, simply asked, “Where are you off to?”
“What’s it to you?” Seraphina retorted, pushing against him.
He was immovable, almost like a solid barrier in her doorway.
She pushed harder, to no avail, her irritation mounting until she made one last, desperate shove.
Instead of moving him, her hand slipped, and she tumbled into his arms, which closed snugly around her.
“Let me go!” she demanded, struggling to break free.
Leandro, however, stepped forward into the apartment and shut the door with a decisive “thud.”
Outside, the bodyguards tactfully averted their eyes.
Manley, standing on his doorstep, hesitated about calling Leandro over for persimmons, but then his wife emerged, gave him a sharp pinch, and chided him for his nosiness. Then, she dragged him back inside.
In Seraphina’s house, she resisted Leandro’s hold with persistent defiance, even as her wrists were secured behind her back. She glared up at him, chin tilted in challenge.
“You seem to have quite the grudge, huh?” Leandro commented coolly.
“As if my life or death has anything to do with you…” Seraphina replied. “And as for my grudge, Mr. Reynolds, that’s none of your business. Now let me go!” Instead of complying, he pulled her closer into his embrace.
Seraphina aimed a kick at his shins, but he anticipated it, capturing her knee and hoisting her leg over his. This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
In the next moment, he maintained their awkward tangle and tossed her onto the bed.
“Hey-” she snapped, still glaring daggers at him.
Leandro, unfazed by her glare, slowly began to loosen his tie.
Seraphina’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?”
He answered with action, using his tie to bind her hands behind her back.
“Leandro, this is domestic violence!” Seraphina exclaimed. “It’s illegal! You really think I won’t have you thrown in jail?”
Once he had secured her hands, he flipped her over, easily pinning her flailing legs, and then cupped her face in his hand.
“Pull up that news about you and Patrick, and I doubt any judge would blame me,” Leandro said sternly.
“Asshole!” she spat out.
Leandro leaned in and silenced her with a kiss. Seraphina tried to bite him, but he dodged and their lips met again.
Their struggle continued until Seraphina’s strength waned and she sensed the undeniable aggression in Leandro’s touch.
She knew, with a sinking feeling, that there would be no easy way out for her today.
When she finally caught a moment to breathe, she seized the chance to speak her mind, “Getting worked up over some silly gossip? You’re the one who
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should be reflecting!”
Leandro finally eased his grip on her, taking her chin in his hand as he spoke, “I think I might have been too generous with my time and attention, which had given you so much passion to lavish on some other guy… Yeah, I really should take a moment to reflect on that-”
His voice trailed off as he flipped Seraphina around once more, leaning down to press kisses along her shoulder and neck.
Seraphina let out a startled cry, then, remembering the soundproofing of the room, she dared not make another sound…
In the relentless tangle of limbs and wills, Seraphina couldn’t pinpoint when her hands had been freed. She only knew that what started as a contest of strength between them had spiraled into a heady and chaotic whirl. In the end, she lay exhausted in Leandro’s arms, trying to scratch and bite him, but without any real threat left in her.
“Jerk! Jerk! Jerk!” Though her body was spent, Seraphina’s mouth was still very much alive, hurling accusations, “You heartless capitalist! Domestic tyrant without a conscience! Bullying women, is that supposed to be impressive?”
Hearing her, Leandro slowly rolled over, pinning her beneath him again.
“It seems you’ve still got plenty of energy,” Leandro noted.
Seraphina’s body tensed up with a shiver.