Ex-Mate Wants Me Back (Seraphina and Mortimer) novel Chapter 77

Chapter 77

Third Person’s POV

“Fine,” Mortimer said after a beat “We’ll do both. Run both programs. Tell the staff that the weekend retreat is optional, but anyone who shows up gets double pay.”

“Consider it done,” Tade said, making a quick exit

Once he was alone, Mortimer stared at the paperwork on his desk, but his mind was already miles away.

He picked up his phone and opened Seraphina’s profile.

The last message in their history was still that ugly exchange from the night she came home late, smelling like another man’s cologne.

He started typing, deleted it, tried again, and cursed. Everything he wrote sounded stiff. Artificial.

Frustrated, he stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

The storm had finally broken. The air looked crisp, the sky a sharp, electric blue.

Giant white clouds were drifting by, morphing into jagged shapes.

He’d never been the type to stare at the sky, but now, he saw the appeal.

It clicked. This was why Seraphina used to spam his phone with pictures of clouds.

He spotted a cluster of white fluff that looked exactly like a golden retriever. He remembered a similar photo she’d sent him months ago.

He grabbed his phone and snapped a picture-the perfect excuse to break the silence. A small, involuntary smile touched his lips.

He hit ‘send’ on the photo and started typing a caption.

Before he could hit enter, the office door flew open.

Mortimer flinched, feeling a bizarre spike of “guilt,” like a teenager caught doing something he shouldn’t. He jammed the phone into his pocket.

“Morty! I’m back!” A flash of bright, aggressive red blurred into the room.

Before he could react, a cloud of expensive perfume and sharp pheromones lunged at him.

Mortimer sidestepped the hug, putting an arm out to keep her at a distance. “What are you doing here?”

He looked down at the girl.

It was his younger sister, Velda.

“Wow. Real warm welcome, Morty. I’ve been gone six months and you’re still a block of ice,” Velda scoffed, throwing herself onto the designer leather sofa.

“I don’t know how Luna Seraphina puts up with you.”

The mention of Seraphina made Mortimer’s expression flicker. “Do you want something, or are you just here to take up space?”

Velda leaned in, her face shifting into a predatory grin. “Morty, look. I’m broke. Christmas is around the corner. Think of it as an early gift-top up my account, will you?”

“I already gave you a black card. What the hell are you spending millions on? If I find out you’re into anything illegal, I’m cutting

3/2

Chapter 77

you off for real.”

+15 Bonus

“Please. Give me some credit,” she rolled her eyes.

“I’ve just been… investing. I found this gorgeous little ‘puppy.’ He’s literally my aesthetic. Totally clingy. Totally expensive.”

Mortimer paused. He thought back to the healing center-the way Seraphina’s face lit up when she looked at that vet holding the little dog.

“You got a dog?” he asked, a rare spark of curiosity in his eyes.

Velda nodded. In her world, a submissive, pretty boy was basically a well-trained pèt. “Obviously. He’s cute, he listens, and he’s obsessed with me. What’s not to like?”

“So… girls really go for that? The ‘clingy puppy’ vibe?”

“Duh. Is that a real question? Who doesn’t want something pretty that does exactly what it’s told?”

Velda gave him a look of pure, unadulterated judgment.

“What kind of ‘pet’ costs millions a month to maintain?” Mortimer’s voice went cold. He didn’t like where this was going.

“Oh, I’ll show you. You’ll see the return on investment,” Velda smirked, pulling up a gallery of photos on her phone and shoving

it in his face.

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