Sebastian Laurent did not scroll.
He reviewed.
There was a difference.
His office overlooked the glittering skyline of Avelon City, floor-to-ceiling glass framing a world he largely controlled. Markets shifted when he approved investments. Companies rose when he acquired them.
People performed when they wanted his attention.
He rarely gave it.
Yet his phone was in his hand.
Paused on her video.
Morning light poured across her skin as she spoke about beginning again. No theatrics. No exaggerated charm. Just quiet conviction.
He replayed it.
Once.
Then again.
Authenticity was difficult to manufacture. He knew that better than most. His entire world was built on polished presentations and controlled narratives.
But she had left in the pauses. The small breaths between sentences. The vulnerability.
And it worked.
Engagement numbers climbed steadily beneath the post. Not viral chaos — sustained traction.
Strategic growth.
Interesting.
His jaw tightened slightly.
He hadn't meant to message her the other night. He didn't message strangers. He didn't involve himself in people who lived on screens.
Yet when she had nearly deleted the mistake in her previous video…
He had recognised something.
Restraint.
And courage.
His assistant's voice filtered faintly through the intercom about an upcoming investor dinner. He ignored it.
Instead, he tapped her profile again.
Seraphina Vale.
Relocated recently. Content shift. Engagement spike in the past seventy-two hours.
She was rebuilding.
Deliberately.
His thumb hovered over the message thread.
He did not type.
Not yet.
Sebastian Laurent never acted without intention.
But he was already calculating the next move.
And this time…
It wasn't business.