The next day felt normal but not in Seraphina's mind.
Seraphina sat in the library, a book open in front of her, her eyes moving across the page, but nothing stayed in. It was all stuck in her short-term memory, dissolving before it could take root.
"Focus!"
She tightened her grip on the pen in her hand, forcing herself to underline a sentence. Studying was what mattered. It had always been what mattered, Not the encounter with Damon yesterday, not the hottest dude on campus committing murder, not the Gun , and definitely not the body covered in blood.
She inhaled slowly and straightened in her seat.
This school wasn't something she could afford to lose.
She remembered the nights she stayed awake long after everyone else had gone to sleep, reading under dim candle light because electricity wasn't always guaranteed . She remembered the mornings she woke before sunrise to take on small jobs – cleaning, serving, delivering and anything that could bring in a little money for her university education.
It had never been enough, not for tuition, not for a future.
So she had studied harder. Pushed herself further and sat for the scholarship exam with nothing but determination and a quiet, desperate hope.
And somehow—she had made it. Sterling Heights University had become her one chance, her only chance to succeed.
Getting distracted by one night she wished she had never witnessed , was the last thing she needed.
Seraphina blinked, forcing herself back to the present. Her fingers paused on the page.
"You look like you're fighting the book."
The voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
Seraphina looked up.
Lucien Volkov stood beside her table, hands tucked casually into his pockets, like he had every right to be there. His presence was… effortless and calm.
Her chest tightened slightly, though she wasn't sure why. Or… maybe because he was the Girls' Men.
"I'm fine," she said, closing the book halfway.
Lucien's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer than necessary. "You don't look fine."
"I said I am."
Her tone came out sharper than she intended, and she quickly looked away, pretending to return to her book.
Lucien didn't leave, Instead, he pulled out the chair across from her and sat down without asking.
Seraphina's fingers tightened slightly around her pen.
"Why is he here"?
"I've seen you around, in Political theory class" he said, his voice calm, almost conversational. "Looks like you keep to yourself."
She didn't respond immediately.
"I like it that way," she finally said.
Lucien's lips curved faintly, like he found that amusing. "People who keep to themselves usually have something to hide."
Her heartbeat stuttered for a second, she covered it up with a small shrug. "Or maybe they just want peace."
Lucien leaned back slightly, studying her again.
"Maybe," he said quietly.
There was something in his tone she didn't understand. Something that made her uneasy.
Seraphina glanced around and all eyes were already on her and Lucien. She was talking with the school lover boy, so…why not?
She shifted in her seat. "Was there something you needed?"
Lucien didn't answer immediately. His eyes flickered over her face, like he was searching for something deeper than her words.
Then he smiled. "Nothing," he said. "Just a conversation."
From an open shelf across their table, Damon saw them.
He slowed without realizing it, his steps quieting as his eyes locked onto them. Lucien spoke, posture relaxed, the same confidence that always made Damon's blood boil.
Seraphina Vale, sitting across from Lucien Volkov, talking, calm and comfortable.
Damon's expression hardened slightly, his jaw tightened..
That didn't make sense, not after what she saw.
His grip tightened around the book still in his hand.
Lucien leaned in slightly, said something Damon couldn't hear. Seraphina responded, just as calm.
A knot twisted in Damon's chest.
He began to think about everything all over again and the doubt in him shifted slightly and some pieces clicked together.
The girl who saw everything, then ran And denied the only evidence he had without flinching is sitting with his enemy, talking like they had known each other for long.
"This isn't a coincidence"
A thought formed quietly in his head.
What if she didn't run because she was scared? What if she ran because she got caught?
Damon's gaze sharpened.
Lucien and his Father had been trying to break his family for years. Watching, waiting, planning and even using people.
And now there was a girl. Quiet enough to go unnoticed, brave enough to get close and careful enough to deny everything.
Damon exhaled slowly, but the tension in his chest didn't ease. His father had always told him that nothing was ever random and nothing was ever coincidence.
Sensing a piercing presence around, Lucien looked to the right and their eyes met. A small, knowing smile curved his lips, as if he already understood what Damon was thinking.
Seraphina followed his gaze, she saw Damon. And this time, something flickered and she couldn't help or hide it.
Fear? Guilt ? Damon couldn't tell which one it was and didn't know what to believe either and that made everything worse.
If Seraphina Vale was working with Lucien Volkov, she hadn't just witnessed a murder, She had witnessed his downfall and he might have just let a threat go.
Maybe the only way to clear his doubt is to use his father's method.
******************************************************
Her shadows clung to the campus paths like they were alive. Seraphina's footsteps echoed softly against the ground, her bag slung over one shoulder, books tucked against her chest.
She couldn't believe she stayed out late at the library again.
She didn't notice anything at first—the two figures stepping out from behind a grove of trees.
Before she could react, strong hands grabbed her arms, spinning her around. Her heart jumped into her throat.
"Who…what…." she stammered, but the words caught in her throat as a cloth pressed to her nose.
The world blurred, her knees threatening to buckle, until the pressure lifted and she was being dragged away.