CHAPTER 127: CHAPTER 127: ONE DAY I’LL TAKE YOU AWAY FROM THE HIBISCUS GARDEN

"You have no say in this." Ethan Sterling’s grip tightened, "Hibiscus Garden is mine, you are mine too. Whether I stay or leave, it’s my own decision."

He returned to the old manor, but couldn’t sleep at all.

He could only fall asleep when Seraphina was by his side.

Seraphina said nothing, but Ethan leaned closer, his warm breath sprayed onto Seraphina’s neck, followed by his warm lips pressing onto it.

He slowly covered Seraphina with his body, and in the midst of turning, he touched Seraphina’s calf. Her breathing hitched but she didn’t make a sound.

She was long accustomed to various kinds of physical pain.

However, Ethan noticed Seraphina’s fleeting change and slowly placed his palm over her calf, "Does it hurt?"

Seraphina nodded in the dark.

There was no point in denying it.

"I’ll take you to the old manor for a medicinal bath," Ethan offered.

"Thank you, but I just want to sleep right now."

Her leg was injured by Ethan; she didn’t need the devil’s charity.

Seraphina closed her eyes, but she felt his hand on her calf slowly moving. His palm was warm, perfectly soothing her pain.

Indeed, it seemed to hurt less.

Seraphina lay still, not saying a word.

"Seraphina." Ethan massaged her leg, his body slowly pressing closer to hers, his heated breath whispering in her ear, "Stay by my side."

Seraphina was held tightly in Ethan’s embrace. After hearing this, she slowly opened her eyes.

"I don’t like people leaving me."

Ethan’s voice was hoarse, like the trembling of a cello.

Upon hearing those words, Seraphina blinked as Ethan held her tight. Staring at the pitch-black bedroom, she spoke expressionlessly, "How could the renowned Young Master Sterling say such unrealistic things? There’s no one in the world that would always stay with someone."

"You can’t leave until I stop liking you."

Ethan said.

"And when will you stop liking me?" Seraphina asked without a hint of ambiguity.

Hearing this, Ethan curved his lips into a self-deprecating smile, "I don’t know."

He had never truly liked anyone before, nor had he wanted to keep someone by his side; how would he know when he could let her go?

Ethan held Seraphina close and patiently massaged her leg, unlike his overly possessive daytime demeanor.

Being gently rubbed on her injury like this, Seraphina gradually grew drowsy, her consciousness beginning to drift.

Just before she fell asleep, she heard the man whispering in her ear, "So strange, it seems that whatever I do, it reminds me of you."

"Little Rose, you seem to have taken root in my heart."

Seraphina’s consciousness faded away. She wasn’t sure whether she heard those words in a dream or if Ethan actually said them. She responded in a daze, and a lingering kiss fell onto her lips, and finally, she lost consciousness, completely asleep.

Habits are truly frightening.

From initially waking when held, to now being able to sleep when held.

Her calf had looked bruised and purple, yet after a night’s sleep, it returned to a fair complexion.

No matter how she touched it, she couldn’t feel any pain anymore; it seemed to be completely healed.

Seraphina sat by the bed, looking at her calf as Granny Coleman pushed the door open, her face full of smiles, "It’s good that Miss and Young Master Sterling have reconciled. I lost sleep the whole night over your matter with Young Master Sterling."

"How did Granny Coleman know we reconciled?"

Seraphina looked at Granny Coleman puzzled. Ethan came very late last night, and when she woke up, Ethan had already left.

How did Granny Coleman know?

Of course, in Ethan and Granny Coleman’s eyes, they had reconciled, but in Seraphina’s view, she had never been truly fine with Ethan.

"Young Master Sterling asked me to apply medicine for Miss."

Granny Coleman held a jar of ointment, squatted down in front of Seraphina, and applied medicine for her. "Last night when I couldn’t sleep, I heard Young Master’s car come back. This morning, I asked Special Assistant Ayers and found out that Young Master had sat in the old manor with the medicine until midnight, and finally came to Hibiscus Garden."

Seraphina lowered her head to look at her calf; no wonder it healed overnight.

"I’ve never seen Young Master Sterling care so much for a girl other than Madam and Miss Collins before." Granny Coleman commented while applying medicine for Seraphina.

"Granny Coleman, do I need to thank him?"

Seraphina said expressionlessly.

Granny Coleman’s hand paused while applying the medicine, and she looked at Seraphina, seeing her clear eyes devoid of emotion, only filled with reason and coldness.

This time indeed...

Granny Coleman found herself at a loss for words, but after a moment of silence, she couldn’t help but speak, "Miss, this time Young Master Sterling indeed... But in Z nation, Young Master Sterling is someone even the President dares not to provoke. You can only live well if you stay with him, and you should bear with his temper."

"I, Seraphina Redgrave, can live well on my own."

Seraphina sat still, looking at Granny Coleman’s eyes and spoke slowly, "Granny Coleman, one day I’ll take you away from Hibiscus Garden, free from anyone’s control, without having to see anyone’s face, living the life you want. Do you believe me?"

Granny Coleman looked up at Seraphina. Despite her being slim and pure, her eyes were full of certainty and perseverance, impossible not to believe.

Granny Coleman, captivated by those eyes, instinctively replied, "I believe."

Seraphina removed Granny Coleman’s hand from applying medicine, stood up, "I’m off to class."

The news that Seraphina would continue studying at Sovereign College spread throughout the school, nearly reaching the point where everyone knew.

"Sylvia, look at this!"

Seraphina was sitting in the art school’s classroom, reading , when Ronan Yates came running with two boxes filled with who knows what.

Seraphina was reading, glanced nonchalantly, then lowered her head again.

Ronan was awkwardly standing there, but still opened the boxes, "All love letters! Those guys thought we were friends because I helped during your big speech, so they gave all the love letters to me. How childish, still writing letters at this age."

Seraphina looked up at Ronan helplessly and spoke, "You better call me Seraphina."

Ronan knew her real name.

Calling her Sylvia Shaw felt strange.

"Alright! Seraphina!"

Ronan didn’t hesitate at all.

The other day, he heard Mia call her Seraphina, though he wasn’t sure whether Sylvia Shaw or Seraphina Redgrave was her real name, but as a follower, he knew when to keep quiet.

Seraphina ignored him, focusing her gaze back on her textbook.

"There are six more boxes of gifts on the way."

Ronan casually took a seat on the floor, "Seraphina, you’re now a legend at our school. Those random titles like campus belle, garden belle, none of them fit you anymore. You’re the goddess of Sovereign College!"

Ronan was thrilled; he thought Seraphina had left, but unexpectedly she returned in a few days, even pursuing a minor in The Law School.

This meant he could continue being Seraphina’s follower!

"You’re annoying." Seraphina frowned at him, "Take these two boxes of letters and disappear, now."