The moment Seraphine stepped through the grand front doors of Asher's countryside sanctuary; the illusion of peace was instantly shattered.
"I've never even loved you!" a woman's voice shrieked from somewhere deeper inside.
"Is that all you have to say?" came the haggard reply, just as venomous.
"Can I leave now?"
"You're finally showing your true colours!"
The voices ricocheted through the marble-tiled hallway like bullets. Seraphine froze, startled, clutching the already weeping Daniel closer to her chest. Amelia halted mid-step, eyes narrowing in the direction of the verbal chaos.
"They weren't wrong about you," the old man's voice spat next.
"How could you be so cruel?"
"Me and cruel? Its you who make me sick to my stomach!"
"I loved you, I really did."
"You hurt me, old man!"
"You've changed a lot."
"I don't care, shut up!"
"You should go take a look at yourself."
"I'm sorry, just hate me for the rest of your life then!"
"I guess that's just how little I meant to you."
A final shout echoed like thunder against the high ceilings.
Seraphine blinked, her mouth slightly agape. Baby Daniel cried bitterly in her arms, his bottom lip quivering—and let out a loud, high-pitched wail.
Amelia muttered under her breath, "Great timing."
Asher, who had been adjusting something on the security panel by the entrance, sighed. "Gods. Not again."
From the far corridor, two elderly people emerged—a wiry woman with frizzy gray hair and gardening gloves still clutched in one hand, and a tall man with a sun-spotted bald head and an equally sun-weathered scowl.
Asher stepped forward. "Mr. and Mrs. Patterley," he said dryly. "Is this your definition of quiet retirement work?"
The couple froze upon seeing Seraphine and the baby. Their faces immediately drained of color.
"Oh my heavens," Mrs. Patterley gasped. "We didn't know anyone was—!"
"We were just…" Mr. Patterley muttered, glaring at the floor like it had offended him.
Mrs. Patterley gave a stiff nod and tugged her husband's arm. "We'll just go water the azaleas."
As they scuttled away, still muttering insults under their breath, Seraphine stared after them, half-stunned and half-entertained.
"I don't know whether to be mortified or impressed," she murmured, rocking Daniel in her arms.
Asher chuckled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "They're my gardeners-slash-groundskeepers. Been married sixty years and still act like they're on day one of divorce proceedings. They live to bicker. But they're harmless. Mostly."
Daniel's wails began to subside under Seraphine's gentle cooing. Lucien moved beside her, brushing a kiss to the baby's forehead before muttering to Asher, "We need to talk."
A few minutes later…
After settling Daniel in a sunlit nursery upstairs—with Amelia keeping close watch—Seraphine found herself sitting across from her brother in a cozy, dark-oak-panelled study. A fire crackled in the hearth despite the summer evening breeze outside, filling the room with a soft, nostalgic warmth.
Seraphine began recounting the last 48 hours.
The mystery.
The letter.
The creeping dread.
Asher listened in silence, his jaw tightening with each detail. When she described the black envelope, his expression darkened.
"You're saying someone infiltrated your estate?" he asked, brows furrowing.
Seraphine nodded, her voice low. "Lucien fired the leak. But whoever sent the letter… they knew. They knew about Daniel. They knew things that—only those who've been close would know."
Asher's hand curled into a fist on the armrest. "This wasn't some casual stalker. This was intentional. Calculated."
Seraphine's voice cut in. "Which means this wasn't random. It was either my family, or someone working for them."
Asher stood, pacing once before turning to his sister. "Then we'll lock it all down. I've got a secondary location in the southern cliffs—only I have the access codes. And I'll tap into Reiner's network. If someone's watching you, we'll be watching them ten steps ahead."
Seraphine exhaled, but the relief didn't quite reach her heart. "It's not just the fear," she murmured. "It's the exhaustion. I feel like we can't even celebrate Daniel's birth without bracing for blood."
Her voice broke slightly on the last word, and Asher moved to kneel before her, resting a hand on her knee. "We will celebrate him. And you'll do it without fear. Even if Lucien and I have to carve out a whole damn country to give you peace."
Asher smirked faintly at his usual brand of overkill. "Or we just blow up a few servers and find the bastard behind the ink."