The Girl They Ignored Returned as the Woman Seven Men Would Die For novel Chapter 57

Seraphina froze, realizing James had already seen right through her.

Of course. They had known each other for years, and he had handled so many cases—how could he not see through it?

Biting her lip, she wiped away a tear and sobbed, "You're jealous, so you won't help me, is that it?"

She stood up abruptly, her tears spilling over in profound grievance. "Fine, I admit I was a little vain when chatting with him, but so what?

I grew up an orphan. I never knew what it felt like to be loved. When someone showed interest in me, my instinct was to keep him hooked.

I didn't even like him! I just enjoyed the feeling of being adored!"

Watching her cry so desperately, James thought of how they had depended on each other since childhood. A complex wave of heartache washed over his eyes.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms. "You are loved. I've always been here, haven't I?"

"I didn't want you to know..." Seraphina pressed her forehead against his chest, crying like a child.

"I was just trying to fill the void in my heart. I know what I did was wrong... I just didn't want you to find out and abandon me.

But James, please trust me a little, okay?

I'm going to be an actress. I'll have to do kissing scenes, I'll have to play the game with investors. If you can't even forgive this, how far can we really go?"

The thought of placing her under the spotlight, acting out the exact scenes she described, sent a surge of helpless panic through James's chest.

He reached up, restraining himself as he gently stroked the back of her head. "You don't have to work that hard. I can support you."

A flash of resentment crossed Seraphina's eyes. She pushed him away suddenly. "But being kept by a man isn't what I want! I'm beautiful, hardworking, and smart. I can have an amazing career.

I can prove that I'm just as exceptional as you are. The life you're describing isn't the life I want! If you love me, shouldn't you respect my choices?"

"There's no way to clear your name now. Sending lawyer letters will only provoke the internet further and make them hold onto this longer. As for Mika...

The posts were made by others, the rumors were spread by others. Her hands are completely clean. Just based on the fact that you slapped her, you can't possibly win a legal battle against her."

"But won't people at school still gossip about me?" Seraphina bit her lip, her beautiful, innocent face twisting with petulant dissatisfaction.

"The school gossip doesn't matter anymore. What matters is what the director will find when she does a background check on you..."

James pulled her by the hand, sitting her on his lap just as he did when they were kids. Holding her gently, he spoke with patient guidance.

"The best move right now is to pay to have the threads scrubbed from the internet and block all keywords related to you. We silence the issue at the source."

Seraphina clutched the fabric of his shirt over his chest. Thinking about how she had spent her life maintaining a flawless image, only for Mika to turn her into the most hated person at Hudson, she couldn't stop the tears of grievance and sheer hatred from falling.

"But I'm not ready to let this go..."