THERON POV
Seraphine collapses in my arms, sobbing about her dead friend.
And all I can think is: I'm going to destroy whoever did this.
"Isolde," she gasps against my chest. "She was coming to help me and now she's—"
"Dead." I finish the sentence she can't. My hand strokes her hair while my mind calculates. "And the message says A.L. Lucasta."
"Your mother killed my best friend." Seraphine pulls back, her amber eyes wild with grief and rage. "To force me to leave."
"She's not my mother anymore." I pull out my phone, already dialing. "She's a dead woman."
"What are you doing?"
"Calling in every favor I have. Police, investigators, airport security." I'm already walking toward the house, pulling Seraphine with me. "If Lucasta arranged that crash, there's evidence. And when I find it—"
"You'll what? Kill her?" Seraphine stops walking. "Theron, you can't just—"
"I can and I will." I turn to face her. "She crossed a line. She hurt you. That's unforgivable."
"She's still your mother!"
"And you're still MINE." The words come out fierce, possessive. "I told you I'd protect you. That means anyone who threatens you—family or not—is a problem I eliminate."
"This is insane—"
"This is war." I cup her face, force her to look at me. "And you need to decide right now: are you with me or against me?"
Before she can answer, my phone rings.
Unknown number.
I answer on speaker. "Who is this?"
"Mr. Aldric." A woman's voice I don't recognize. "I'm calling on behalf of Mrs. Lucasta Aldric. She requests your presence in the study. Immediately. Regarding Miss Seraphine's continued residence."
"Tell her I'm busy."
"Sir, she insists. She says if you don't come in the next ten minutes, she'll be forced to take... alternative measures."
Alternative measures. A threat.
I hang up.
"What does that mean?" Seraphine asks.
"It means they're making their move." I pull her toward the mansion. "Stay close to me. Don't leave my sight."
We enter through the side door. The house feels different—charged, dangerous. Staff avoid eye contact as we pass.
Something's wrong.
We reach the study. I open the door without knocking.
Lucasta and Reginald sit behind the desk like judges. Three men in suits stand behind them—lawyers, by the look of it.
"Theron," Lucasta says coldly. "And Seraphine. How convenient."
"What's this about?" I position myself between Seraphine and them.
Reginald slides papers across the desk. "The board held an emergency vote this morning. We're removing you as CEO of Aldric Pharmaceuticals."
The words hit like bullets.
"On what grounds?"
"Gross misconduct. Misuse of company resources. And..." Lucasta's smile is vicious, "inappropriate relationship with a minor under your guardianship."
My blood runs cold.
"Seraphine is twenty-seven years old—"
"But she was sixteen when your... feelings began, weren't they?" Lucasta pulls out photos. Me watching teenage Seraphine at her birthday party. Me driving away her first boyfriend. Dates stamped, documented.
"You've been documenting me for eleven years?" I keep my voice calm, but rage burns underneath.
"We've been protecting this family's reputation." Reginald stands. "Your obsession with Seraphine has become a liability. The board agrees. You're removed effective immediately."
"You can't do this."
"We already did." One of the lawyers steps forward. "The vote was unanimous. You have twenty-four hours to vacate your office and surrender all company access."
I laugh. Actually laugh.
They think they've won.
"Did you check the incorporation documents?" I ask calmly. "The ones Father signed ten years ago?"
Reginald frowns. "What are you talking about?"
"The restructuring agreement. The one that gave me controlling shares in exchange for managing the company during Father's... health issues." I pull out my phone, show them the scanned document. "I own sixty-five percent of Aldric Pharmaceuticals. The board can't remove me. Only I can remove me."
All color drains from Lucasta's face.
"That's not possible," she whispers.
"It's very possible. You signed it yourself, Mother. Witnessed by three lawyers." I smile. "Did you really think I'd leave myself vulnerable? I've been preparing for this exact scenario since I was twenty-two years old."
"You manipulated us," Reginald says.
"I protected myself. There's a difference." I look at the lawyers. "You're dismissed. Send your bill to Mrs. Aldric. She wasted your time."
They hesitate, looking at Lucasta.
"Leave," I say quietly. "Or I'll have security escort you out of MY building."
They leave.
It's just us now. Me, Seraphine, and the people who tried to destroy us.
"You can't do this to us," Lucasta says. "We're your parents—"
"You stopped being my parents the moment you tried to hurt Seraphine." I walk closer to the desk. "And now you're going to answer a question: did you sabotage Isolde Chen's plane?"
Silence.
"Answer me."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Lucasta says, but her eyes shift.
She's lying.
I pull out my phone, play the recording I made of Seraphine's threatening message. The voice saying "A.L."
"Your initials, Mother. Your threat. Your murder."
"You have no proof—"
"I will." I lean across the desk. "And when I do, I'm turning you over to the police. Family or not."
"You wouldn't dare," Reginald says.
"Try me." I straighten. "You have forty-eight hours to confess what you did to Isolde. After that, I go to the authorities with everything I know. About the baby swap. About Harwick's payments. About every illegal thing this family has done for twenty-seven years."
"You'd destroy the family name?" Lucasta's voice shakes.
"To protect Seraphine? I'd burn the world down."
I take Seraphine's hand. "We're done here."
We're at the door when Lucasta speaks.
"She'll never truly love you, you know." Her voice is cold, calculated. "You're too damaged. Too obsessed. She'll always wonder if it's real love or just your sickness."
I feel Seraphine's hand tighten in mine.
"Maybe," I say. "But I'd rather be obsessively loved by her than coldly tolerated by you."
We leave.
In the hallway, Seraphine stops walking.
"Did you mean that?" she asks quietly. "About burning the world down for me?"
"Every word."
"That's not healthy, Theron."
"I know." I pull her closer. "But it's the truth. I'm not a good man, Seraphine. I'm possessive, controlling, and probably as sick as Mother said. But I'm YOUR sick, obsessive protector. And right now, that's what you need."
She looks at me for a long moment.
Then her phone rings.
She answers without checking the caller ID. "Hello?"
Her face goes white.
"What?" she gasps. "When?"
She looks at me, eyes wide with horror.
"Dashiell was just admitted to the hospital. Someone ran him off the road. He's in critical condition."
My jaw tightens.
First Isolde. Now Dashiell.
Someone's systematically eliminating everyone Seraphine cares about.
"We need to go," I say.
"Wait." She grabs my arm. "You didn't... you wouldn't..."
"Hurt your boyfriend?" I read the question in her eyes. "No. As much as I hate him, I wouldn't kill him. That's not how I operate."
"Then who did?"
My phone buzzes. A message from my head of security:
"Sir, found something. Lucasta Aldric's personal assistant made calls to a private contractor yesterday. Services: 'accident arrangement.' Want me to dig deeper?"
I show Seraphine the message.
"Your mother is trying to kill everyone I love," she whispers. "To isolate me. Make me so desperate I have no choice but to leave."
"Then we flip the script." I pull her toward the garage. "We go to the hospital. We make sure Dashiell survives. And then we set a trap."
"What kind of trap?"
"The kind where Lucasta thinks she's won. Where she believes you're leaving, broken and alone." I open the car door for her. "And when she's confident enough to make her final move, we catch her in the act."
"That's risky."
"Everything about this is risky." I start the engine. "But I need you to trust me. Can you do that?"
She looks at me—really looks at me. Searching for something.
"I don't know if I can trust you," she says honestly. "But I don't have anyone else left to trust."
It's not exactly a declaration of love.
But it's a start.
We're halfway to the hospital when my phone rings again.
The hospital.
I answer. "Yes?"
"Mr. Aldric? This is Mercy General. I'm calling about Dashiell Vex. His condition has... deteriorated. You should come quickly if you want to say goodbye."
The call ends.
Seraphine heard everything.
"No," she whispers. "No, he can't—"
I press the accelerator to the floor.
We arrive at the hospital in fifteen minutes.
But we're too late.
Dashiell Vex died three minutes ago.
And when we reach his room, we find something that makes my blood run cold.
A note pinned to his hospital gown:
"Three down. How many more, Seraphine? Leave by midnight tonight, or the killing continues. Next target: your half-siblings. The innocent children who don't even know you exist yet. Your choice. — A.L."
Seraphine screams.
And I realize: this isn't just about removing Seraphine anymore.
This is about breaking her.
Completely.