His Innocent Sera novel Chapter 24

She marched out of the classroom only to bump into Dave and losing her balance for a moment. He gripped her arm to steady her but let go immediately.

"You okay?" he asked, moving away to create enough distance between them. She nodded absently without lifting her tear-soaked face and walked past him. Dave gazed after her, sensing his friend had fucked up again. With a heavy sigh, he turned and walked into the class. There he was, facing the window, his shoulders rigid with tension. Dave approached him.

"She was crying. You hurt her again, didn't you?" Dave asked, already knowing the answer.

Nate was seething in fury too. Eyes shooting daggers at the window under furrowed brows, jaw firmly set, lips twisted into a scowl. Dave wondered what the hell had transpired here.

"She rejected my reward," Nate answered through gritted teeth. How dare she denied him? He was going to teach her a good lesson for this. Dave's gaze dropped to the broken pendant lying on the floor and realisation flickered through his features.

"So you broke it," Dave concluded the rest, unsurprised. His friend's temper ran hotter than the hellfire. And Seraphina Diaz....well, she was his very personal brand of gasoline, always setting him ablaze without knowing. Not that Dave blamed her. That poor girl was as innocent as a lamb. It was Nate who kept running back to her.

Nate didn't respond but Dave didn't need a clarification either. He knew Nate. The boy knew how to conquer and possess. But cherishing what he owned? He lacked in that field miserably. Which was surprising, given he was raised by people who only had love and compassion in their heart. At least, Mrs. Serrano did. Mr. Serrano, on the other hand, was a complicated man. Whereas Mrs. Serrano had love for all, Mrs. Serrano's affection belonged only to his family. For the rest of the world he was a cold, brooding man- untouchable.

Dave was scared of his friend's temper like everyone else, but he didn't judge him for that. Having been his friend for years, he had seen it all- people putting Nate on a pedestal, treating him as a God. And that had gotten to his head. He was the heir of the Serrano legacy, successor of The Killian Serrano. When forced to live under the weight of a legendary name, constantly striving to fill his father’s shoes and meeting the world’s expectations, a man is bound to develop a temper. And of course, he was never going to say it out loud but Serrano's had sadism running in their bloodline. He had heard enough horror stories about his grandfather and father to draw this life-threatening conclusion.

"What do you mean by reward though? What did she do?" Dave questioned, picking up the piece. It looked quite expensive.

Nate didn't respond. Dave realised he wasn't going to get an answer. He never discussed Sera with anyone, never let anyone pry into what existed between them, not even Dave. So far Dave had figured out things on his own.