CHAPTER 58: WHAT? YOU WANT RANSOM?

Seraphina’s POV

"You still won’t be scared?" Lucien whispered, his breath brushing my skin.

But there was no threat in his touch, and I could feel that.

Just something that made my heart race and my knees feel a little too weak.

And yet, I couldn’t step back.

"L-Let me go back to my room," I said, trying to steady my voice. "I just came out for some fresh air and lied to Mr. Joseph to shake him off earlier."

I could barely meet his eyes as I said all those in a single breath.

If we stayed like this any longer, I didn’t know what’d happen.

Lucien didn’t move.

"What if I don’t want to?" he whispered, leaning even closer.

His voice... damn.

Why did he have to speak like that?

That’s unfair to my fragile soul!

It was again so low and deep, like his voice alone could suck you in and never let you out of his charms.

And why did my body react like this?

I hated it.

Wait... Did he talk to every woman like that? Did he whisper near their ear, pull them close like just like he did to me?

Was that how he charmed them?

Just thinking about it made my chest tighten and made my blood boil.

I pushed him hard.

And to my surprise, he stumbled back two or three steps. Either I used more strength than I thought... or he hadn’t expected me to do that.

He stared at me, his face unreadable.

"And... stop calling me baby girl!" I yelled. "If my son were still alive, he would’ve been taller than you!"

The words exploded from my mouth before I could even stop them.

My heart froze.

What did I just say?

Son?

What son?

I blinked. My lips parted, but nothing came out. My hands were cold as my heart was beating faster.

Why the hell did I say that?

Neither of my lives have I had a kid.

But lately... Some dreams had been troubling me.

There’s a man I couldn’t fully see, but he was tall, warm, always pulling me into his his warm embrace.

And then there was a baby boy. He was so tiny but his face was full of smiles as if he wanted to call me Mama.

We were happy in those dreams.

But that was just a dream. Why am I talking about it here?

It seemed I was really losing my mind.

"Sure thing," Lucien said, raising his hand and brushing his hair back like he didn’t have a care in the damn world. "If you want to raise me as a sugar mommy, I don’t mind being your kept man."

I stared at him.

Eww.

Had he finally lost his mind?

I opened my mouth, ready to tell him just how gross that sounded, when the doorbell suddenly rang.

"Let me get that," he said casually and walked away, leaving me standing there with my heart still banging against my ribs like a lunatic.

I sucked in a breath, trying to steady whatever the hell I was feeling.

But before I could figure it out, I heard a woman’s sweet, smooth, and way too enthusiastic voice.

"My man... you’re here!"

Every hair on my body stood up like a damn cat ready to hiss.

Lucien’s reply came a second later. He said flatly. "Sure. Welcome."

I peeked from behind the wall... And my heart dropped.

She was hugging him.

Hugging him.

The same man who just hugged me was hugging someone else? I could still feel the heat of his breath on my skin.

How could he?

How could he smile at her! How could he let her touch him like that?

I felt my mind twist.

I didn’t care what we were. I didn’t care if we were nothing.

But right now, I felt like I’d been played.

I felt like a damn obsessive maniac. Possessive over a man I’d only met a few times, and barely even knew.

What the hell was wrong with me?

"Oh... and you even have a little girl here," the woman said with a smile, her heels clicking as she started walking toward me.

Little girl?

Fuck off.

I turned without saying a word and walked inside. I didn’t want to see her face, didn’t want to breathe the same air as her.

I needed to leave right now!

Whatever the fuck they were doing, they could continue without me.

Let them hug, kiss, and roll around the floor for all I care.

I wasn’t going to stand there and burn my blood that was boiling in silence while he let some other woman wrap her arms around him.

But the truth is... I was jealous.

Yes.

You heard it right.

I was pathetically, stupidly, fucking jealous.

And it was eating me alive from the inside out.

Without saying a word, I walked past that woman as I inhaled deeply to leave all the feelings in the room.

I just wanted to leave.

But before I could take another step, Lucien grabbed my wrist firmly enough to stop me.

"Who allowed you to leave?" he asked coldly.

I didn’t turn around or look at him.

"And?" I said flatly. "Do you want ransom for kidnapping me or what?"

My voice was dry.

I didn’t even have the strength to argue anymore after feeling everything all at once.

He stood behind me and smiled.

"Did we just agree that you’d raise me up?" he asked, dead serious.

I blinked.

What the actual fuck?

How could someone be this shameless with a straight face?

Before I could say a word, that wretched woman’s voice interrupted us.

"What is going on here?" she asked annoyingly. "Who is she, really?"

I was ready to beat her up until she was quiet but Lucien was faster with his lips.

"This is my private matter," he said in a sharp tone. "So you better do what you came here for and leave."