Hart Mansion
In a bedroom dripping with wealth — crystal chandeliers, plush velvet drapes, and gold-trimmed furniture that practically screamed money — Juliana Hart, a woman in her mid-forties with sleek chestnut hair cascading over her silk robe, sat on the edge of her bed. Her striking gray eyes, cool yet clouded with worry, held the kind of beauty that lingered even when shadowed by stress. She clasped her hands tightly in her lap.
It had been days since she last heard her daughter's voice. What if something had gone wrong with her?
Would she just sit here waiting for Seraphina to come back? Or keep blindly believing Adrian Blake's cool reassurances?
What if… what if… maybe she was hurt?
Her chest tightened. Should she call Adrian again? But what if that angered him?
Juliana hated to admit it, even to herself, but Adrian intimidated her. Ruthless. Calculated. The kind of man who could destroy someone without lifting a finger. If Seraphina didn't adore him so much, Juliana would have put her foot down about their relationship long ago. But Seraphina was all she had in the world. If her daughter wanted Adrian, Juliana would never stand in her way.
Still… something felt off.
Could Adrian have discovered one of Seraphina's secrets? Could he have… hurt her?
She was so lost in thought that she barely noticed when Hector Hart, her husband, entered the room. Tall and broad-shouldered, his almond-shaped dark brown eyes gave him an air of quiet authority, softened only by the silver threads in his neatly combed black hair. He crossed to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Hey, darling. Are you alright?"
Juliana forced a small smile. "I'm fine."
He searched her face, unconvinced. "Are you sure?"
Her composure cracked. "It's Seraphina, Hector. Do you think something's wrong with her? She hasn't answered my calls in days. Not a single word."
"Okay," Hector said, calm as ever, as if waiting for her to finish.
"Okay?" Juliana spun toward him, her voice rising. "That's all you have to say? Our daughter is practically missing, and all you can say is just okay?"
"Juliana, calm down," Hector said gently, raising his hands. "It's not that I don't care. You know I do. Seraphina is my daughter just as much as she's yours. But hear me out first."
Juliana glared, arms crossed. "Then explain. What do you mean by okay?"
"I already spoke to Adrian," Hector said. "He told me she's fine."
"And you believed him?" she asked, incredulous.
Hector met her gaze steadily. "Juliana, no matter how ruthless Adrian is, he wouldn't dare harm our daughter. We're the Harts. The Blakes might be powerful, but we're not exactly powerless. And if Adrian wants to secure leadership of the Blake empire, he needs Seraphina more than anyone. Trust me — she's safe."
Juliana's worry softened slightly, but not fully. "Are you sure?"
"Of course. So please… don't make yourself sick with worry," he said gently, taking her hand.
But Juliana shook her head. "Then why isn't she answering me? Why hasn't she tried to reach out?"
Hector exhaled slowly. "Because you know how Seraphina is. When she wants something and doesn't get it, she shuts everyone out. It's her way of pulling us in. It's not the first time. Honestly… we spoiled her too much."
Juliana's brows furrowed. "What do you mean? She hasn't asked me for anything. And if she had, I would've given it to her. Did she ask you for something?"
Hector hesitated, then said, "She wanted me to buy her a Bugatti Chiron. Three million dollars, Juliana. I said no. That's excessive — even for us."
Juliana's eyes widened. "Excessive? How? It's just a car, Hector! Can't you do this much for our only child?"
"I just bought her a Porsche 911 Turbo S four months ago," Hector reminded her, his voice tightening. "Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. She's barely driven it, and now she says she's bored with it. If I get her the Bugatti and she gets tired of that in a few months too, where does it end?"
"So what? It's nothing, Hector!" Juliana snapped, rising from the bed. "You have the money. Try spending it on your daughter for once. Seraphina is not just our only daughter but our only child. Shouldn't we give her all she wants? Or maybe you have some other child somewhere — that's why you're maltreating mine…"
"As Seraphina came of legal age, she has used and changed about thirteen cars in just five years," Hector tried to explain.
"You have nothing to say…" Juliana said sharply, then continued, "She should have just asked me for the car and I would have bought it for her without thinking twice."
Still fuming, Juliana swept out of the room, her silk robe trailing behind her.
Hector stood there, rubbing the back of his neck. He adored Seraphina. He truly did. She was his only daughter and only child. But as the door closed, he found himself wondering if maybe… just maybe… they'd gone too far in indulging her — and that it had led to all this. Or maybe he hadn't handled the situation well from his side.
---
Elsewhere in the city…
The morning was like any other — sunlight filtering through hazy clouds, the city already buzzing with motion. Raya, dressed in jeans and a faded green top, her bag slung tiredly over one shoulder, trudged down the sidewalk with heavy steps and heavier thoughts.
Until a sleek black SUV pulled up beside her.
She slowed instinctively. The first thought in her mind was the loan shark her father owed, but she decided to stay composed.
Or maybe she should have run away the minute it happened.
Two bulky men in dark suits stepped out. No smiles. No introductions. Just… intimidating.
One of them spoke with forced politeness. "Our boss would like to speak with you, Miss Calder."
The one who spoke was a tall, broad-shouldered Black man with smooth mahogany skin and chiseled features that could have belonged on a magazine cover. His neatly trimmed beard framed a jawline sharp enough to cut glass, and his dark eyes were unreadable. They called him Ace.
Raya frowned. "I don't know your boss. Tell him to schedule an appointment like a normal person, Mr. Black."
Ace just looked at her like she didn't really deserve a reply.
The second, known as Stone, exchanged a glance with Ace before stepping forward. He was a white man, slightly shorter, with sandy blond hair cropped close to his head. Not as striking as the first, but with a clean-cut, boyish charm that could still turn heads — the kind of "good looking" you noticed twice without realizing.
"Please, don't make this difficult," Stone said.
"I'm not being difficult, I'm just not going anywhere with you guys, Mr. White."
"Are you trying to be funny?" Ace asked, clearly annoyed at her mockery.
"Was I laughing?" Raya asked flatly. "I am leaving now. Don't try to follow me, or else I will call the police," she threatened.
She didn't know where she got the foolish boldness she was exhibiting, but she knew she had already offended them.
She turned sharply — only to be grabbed, one hand muffling her scream, the other wrapping around her waist as she was shoved into the waiting car.
The area was quiet, with no passersby, making it easy for the men to carry out their job.
The door slammed. The engine roared.
Was she being kidnapped?
Raya's heart pounded. She had been warned severely not to pass that quiet road, but because it was faster, she always took that route.
She decided to beg them since that was the only thing she could do right now.
"Brother, please let me go. Money, silver, or gold I have none… even the word of God I can't give you right now, but Jesus is Lord… so kidnapping me is just like stressing yourself and sinning against God. Please let me go, so God can bless you," she pleaded, but was met with silence.
Believe her — she didn't know what she was uttering right now. But it was better than staying quiet, right?
The way Ace was looking at her was like he was about to kill her — or slam her head on something — for making a joke at this moment.
Jesus is Lord? So? He knew Jesus was Lord, but what would he do with that?
Stone, however, thought she was brave to actually say such nonsense at a time like this. She must be crazy, he thought.
Shouldn't Leon just appear from nowhere and save her? Isn't that what leads in one's life do? Maybe her lead was just too useless.
As the car sped away, she saw three ladies walking down the street, so she decided to scream for help, hoping at least someone would hear her.
But the men were faster. She was struck at the neck, and slowly, her body grew heavy, her eyelids drooping.
Now she had been kidnapped.
Would she be sold?
Is this where her life would end?
She had a plan to get married and have children.
Would she really not meet little Raya before she died?
These thoughts clouded her mind as she faded into darkness.