The door burst open before Seraphina could process what was happening.
"Where is he?!" Lina's voice rang like a siren, urgent and panicked. Her long legs carried her across the corridor in a blur of designer heels, her golden hair catching the harsh hospital lights.
Seraphina froze, almost holding her breath, letting Lina's energy sweep past. For a heartbeat, her best friend didn't even notice she was there.
"Move the security teams!" Lina barked, her fingers flying over her phone as bodyguards obeyed without question. "This room is not befitting, make arrangements to transfer him to the VVIP ward, now!"
Seraphina's eyes widened. VVIP? Her mind raced, this stranger she had saved was… important? More than just someone's casual acquaintance and Lina's sudden intensity, the way the guards scrambled at her every word… this was no ordinary patient.
It wasn't until Lina turned slightly to check the room's layout that her gaze finally fell on Seraphina.
"Sera?" Lina froze mid-step, shock cracking through her usual bravado. Then, without warning, she dropped the professional edge and toppled forward, wrapping Seraphina in a crushing hug.
Seraphina whimpered into the embrace. She was still weak from the blood donation and the adrenaline of the night made her knees tremble. She felt dizzy, but Lina's warmth was comforting, a tether to a life that hadn't completely abandoned her.
"Why didn't you tell me you were back?!" Lina whispered sharply, half-reproachful, half-relieved.
"I… just landed," Seraphina murmured, her voice hoarse. "And…" she hesitated. "…I saved someone."
Lina raised a brow, curiosity piqued even as she tightened her grip. "Saved someone? Who?"
Seraphina swallowed, pulling herself upright despite the spinning room. "That… stranger. He was injured. I brought him here."
Lina's expression shifted in seconds from relief to tension. Her lips pressed together, jaw tight. "That stranger…?" Her eyes darted to the medical staff preparing a stretcher. "Seraphina, that's my brother."
The words hit Seraphina like ice water. Her stomach dropped. "Your brother?"
"Yes," Lina said, her voice softening, though the edge of her usual command remained. "My eldest brother, Roman Castelli. He's… he's not just any man, Sera. He runs things most people wouldn't dare whisper about. The underworld. The entire city knows him by reputation, even if they don't know he's… him."
Seraphina's hand flew to her mouth. She blinked rapidly, trying to process the revelation. The Roman Castelli? The stranger I saved? The man gripping his stomach in pain, radiating danger?
And Lina continued. "I know you've met Aero, my… well, second older brother you've only ever seen briefly, that charming, reckless, flirty idiot. Roman is the exact opposite. Fierce and ruthless. Everything in that world bends to him and somehow… you helped him. Somehow, you saved him."
Seraphina's legs trembled beneath her as the gravity of the situation hit. She had no idea she was entangled with someone so powerful. The mafia king. The man everyone feared. And I just… walked into his life like it's nothing?
The VVIP ward team had arrived. Roman, carefully supported, was moved onto a private, pristine bed with machines monitoring every heartbeat. Seraphina stepped back, still weak, letting Lina guide her aside as the staff fussed over him.
But a subtle movement on the bed drew their attention. Roman's eyes snapped open, startlingly quick for someone who had been near death moments ago.
A silence fell. The room seemed to hold its breath.
His gaze was cold, piercing, yet it immediately found Seraphina. Recognition flickered in his eyes, slow and deliberate. She had only seen him bloodied, grimacing in pain and now, alert, he exuded an aura that made even her steel-strong nerves falter.
"You," he said, voice low, dangerous, like a blade sliding out of a sheath.
Seraphina swallowed. Oh no…
He studied her carefully, taking in the slight tremor in her posture, the pale flush from the blood donation. A cruel smirk tugged at his lips. "I should assume you've come here to be compensated," he said, voice laced with ice.
Seraphina felt her throat dry instantly. Compensated? She had not expected this, not now, not like this.
Before she could respond, Roman reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a crisp, blank check. He tossed it toward her, letting it flutter through the air like a threat wrapped in generosity.
"Write as many zeros as you want and scram out of here." he said.
Her mind raced. The audacity. This man could destroy her, and yet… he had just given her a blank check, assuming she wanted something in return.
Seraphina's hand caught it, hesitating only a moment before she allowed herself the smallest, sharpest smile. So this is how it begins.
Lina shifted uneasily, her eyes darting between them.
Seraphina nodded, feeling the blood in her veins pulse with adrenaline. Weakness and fatigue tugged at her body, but a spark of defiance flared in her chest. She slowly reached into her purse and pulled out a pen. Roman's expression turned faintly smug, a confirmation of everything he believed about people.
She bent her head and wrote.
One zero. Then another. Then another.
Roman watched with thick disdain. Of course, he had expected nothing less.
Seraphina paused, studying the number she had written. For a heartbeat, Roman's lips curved into a barely-there smirk.
Then she tore the check in small bits and threw the scraps back onto his lap.
Roman's smirk vanished.
"Is this how you thank someone who just saved your life?" she asked quietly, voice trembling not with fear but with fury. "Or the person who gave you her blood when the hospital ran dry?"
Roman stared at her, not angry yet. Just… surprised.
Lina froze beside them, eyes wide.
Seraphina's chest rose and fell. "You think everyone has a price. You think everything can be bought." Her voice sharpened. "But you're not the center of everyone's world, Mr… whatever terrifying title you go by."
Roman's jaw tightened.
"Maybe," she continued, exhaustion making her blunt, "you should learn basic gratitude before throwing money at people like they're disposable."
She dug into her purse again.
Roman's eyes followed the motion, curiosity replacing irritation.
A thick bundle of cash appeared in her hand, the travel money she had withdrawn earlier.
Without hesitation, she tossed it onto the bed beside him.
The bills scattered across the pristine sheets.
"Here," she said dryly. "Use that to sign up for a manners class or etiquette training or maybe just human decency lessons, whichever one exists for men like you."
The room went completely still.
One bodyguard near the door actually inhaled sharply.
Lina looked like she might faint.
Roman didn't move, he didn't speak. His dark eyes tracked the scattered bills, then lifted slowly to Seraphina's face.
Shock flickered first briefly but undeniable. Then something else crept in. Amusement, dangerous, unfamiliar amusement.
Lina finally found her voice. "Sera…" she whispered, horror lacing every syllable. Fear flashed across her face not for herself, but for her friend who had just insulted the most ruthless man she knew.
Seraphina stood her ground, though her legs trembled slightly from weakness. Her chin lifted stubbornly.
Roman leaned back slowly against the pillows. A low, unexpected chuckle escaped him.
Did she just throw cash at me?
His gaze darkened with something almost playful like a predator discovering an animal that refused to run.
Lina stiffened completely, eyes darting between her brother's amused expression and her fearless best friend. No one had ever dared to shame Roman Castelli like this but she did it without flinching.
Roman's lips curved faintly.
"Well," he murmured softly, voice edged with intrigue, "this is new."