Alpha's Regret: The Seventh Time was Forever novel Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Chapter 62 – Tell me she’s an angel

At the other end of the line, the sharpness of the message landed like a clean bullet to the chest, precise and unapologetic, and Leon found himself staring at the screen for a second longer than necessary before one brow lifted slowly in amused surprise.

He hadn’t expected that. A slow grin tugged at his mouth as he began typing back, his fingers deliberate, entertained rather than offended.

Wow, so fierce. It’s me, Leon. I thought my dad gave you my number when I got yours.

In her bedroom, Seraphine read the message and immediately felt heat crawl up her neck and settle into her cheeks, the kind of embarrassment that made her wish she could physically delete herself along with the text.

She had responded like a guarded soldier to what turned out to be a harmless civilian.

Sorry. I thought it was a wrong number, she typed quickly, her fingers moving faster than her pride could protest. But a date? We never had that agreement.

Leon leaned back slightly, reading her response again, and this time his smile deepened into something thoughtful. He could almost see her through the words.

Polite, yes. Controlled, but blunt enough to cut clean through confusion. There was no simpering hesitation in her tone, no soft fishing for validation. If anything, she sounded almost masculine in her straightforwardness.

Interesting. I can’t take you as a fake plus-one to the Sovereign Circle without knowing you, he replied smoothly. Since the next meeting is a month away, I figured we should at least meet once before then.

There was logic in that. Clean, practical, and reasonable.

Seraphine paused before responding this time, her guard lowering just a fraction.

Oh, she typed. I’ve never actually been on a date before, so I don’t really know how these things work. I was just about to sleep, so sorry if I sounded rude. Tomorrow is fine.

The honesty in her message made Leon’s chest tighten faintly in a way he didn’t expect.

Great, he responded without delay. Dress casual and send your location. I’ll be there at ten on the dot.

Seraphine smiled faintly at the confidence in that line but didn’t reply again after sending the location. She had intended to sleep, but intention meant very little when responsibility was involved.

Before she could allow herself rest, she needed to reach out to the King brothers and verify a few final details about Damon’s stock movement. Timing was everything, and she had to position herself perfectly before initiating the trade during the coming week.

Then a hacking contract came in, ten million. The figure blinked at her like a dare, and sleep lost the battle instantly.

She dove into the job with ruthless focus, the world narrowing to code, encryption walls, firewalls, and countermeasures.

Hours passed unnoticed, the glow of her screen was the only light in the room. Her eyes burned, her fingers cramped, but she didn’t stop until the work was done and the payout secured.

It wasn’t until the quietest hours of the morning, when exhaustion finally dragged her under, that she allowed herself to collapse forward onto her desk and sleep.

A knock pulled her back to consciousness far too soon. "Come in," she muttered groggily, her voice thick with sleep and regret.

Corvine stepped inside and froze at the sight before him, his brows pulling together deeply.

"You slept on your desk?" he asked, though the evidence was painfully obvious.

Seraphine blinked up at him, her hair a mess, her clothes still the same ones from the night before, faint lines from the keyboard pressed into her skin.

"Can you blame me?" she said with a sheepish shrug. "There was too much to do."

Normally Corvine would’ve teased her, maybe scolded her lightly while secretly admiring her drive, but today there was no amusement in his expression, and she noticed immediately.

She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but he beat her to it. "I can see that," he said flatly. "When were you planning to tell me about your date?"

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