Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Chapter 36 – I’m back

The question tugged at the corner of Seraphine’s lips, drawing out a slow, knowing smirk, but she didn’t answer. She let the silence linger, thick and deliberate, watching it do its work.

Corvine shifted beside her, unease crawling up his spine. He hated when she went quiet like that. "What do you intend to do to her?" he pressed.

A scoff escaped Seraphine before she could restrain it, sharp and full of disdain. "Daisy likes games," she said nonchalantly. "So I’ll give her exactly what she wants." Her eyes gleamed. "Just not yet."

She leaned back, folding her arms. "First, I have to give Voren what I promised him before his twenty-four hours run out."

Corvine didn’t ask what that meant. He was learning that when Seraphine spoke in measured tones, consequences followed.

Before heading home, she asked him to drive her to an IT market. The request surprised him, but he didn’t question it.

He watched as she moved from stall to stall with unsettling confidence, picking out components with the precision of someone who knew exactly what she needed. Laptops, encrypted drives, networking tools, things Corvine only vaguely understood.

Later, curiosity got the better of him. He discreetly googled the items she’d purchased, his brows lifting higher with each search. "How do you even know how to use all that?" he asked finally.

Seraphine glanced at him and winked. "There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Corvine." Her voice softened just slightly. "And you’ll see how I get back every cent your parents lost because of me."

His chest tightened. He didn’t want repayment, not like this, and not at all. But what unsettled him more was the quiet certainty in her tone, the kind that came from experience, not bravado.

It made him wonder what kind of woman could stare down someone like Voren without blinking. The answer came later that night.

By the time Seraphine finished setting up, her bedroom no longer looked like a place meant for rest. Screens glowed against the dark walls, cables snaked across the floor, and the hum of machines filled the air. It was a cyber station, efficient, controlled, intimidating.

Corvine stood frozen at the doorway, and that was when it truly sank in. Seraphine wasn’t reckless with her words, and neither was she bluffing. Her threats or promises, had never been empty.

"How can I help?" he asked, his voice serious now, stripped of doubt.

She didn’t look up. "Keep checking your company stocks," she said calmly. "And monitor the news on Ashkael Holdings. The moment anything changes, tell me."

It wasn’t the kind of role he’d imagined for himself, but he nodded and did as instructed. As he worked, he heard her voice drift through the room, low, professional, dangerous.

"I’m back," she said into the phone. "And my minimum payment is twenty million."

Corvine’s fingers paused above the keyboard. He had no idea who she was talking to, or what world she had just stepped back into, but he didn’t interrupt.

"That would only happen if I left traces," she replied with a shrug, as if they were discussing the weather. She paused, her expression sharpening. "I usually fix things and get paid for it. This time, I’m breaking things, so I can be paid to fix them." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

A faint smile curved her lips. "What he’s done to your family is just as illegal, by my standards." That smile should have frightened him but instead, it changed everything.

Seraphine wasn’t just intelligent, wasn’t just capable. She was untamable, and it suddenly made sense why Ravyn had never truly seen her. A woman like this couldn’t be possessed, controlled, or reduced. And the more Corvine understood her worth, the more it terrified him.

"So... what’s happening now?" he asked, excitement threading through his fear as he pulled up a chair beside her. Codes spiraled across the screen, meaningless to him, but mesmerizing.

"They’re scrambling to salvage the damage," she replied. "So I’m tightening my grip." Her voice dropped. "I won’t stop until he begs, and loses a considerable amount of money for messing with my family."

’Family.’ The word sent a rush of warmth through Corvine’s chest but before he could speak, his phone rang. "It’s Dad," he said, glancing at her. Seraphine smiled. "Answer it."

He did, switching to speaker just as Desmond’s voice filled the room. "Corvine," his father said tensely, "my secretary just informed me that Voren is here. I hope this has nothing to do with you."

Corvine turned slowly to Seraphine. Her fingers were still flying over the keyboard, but her smile? That smile was dangerous.