Unloved Unwanted Unstoppable (Seraphina and Dominic) novel Chapter 187

But with Gideon Cole standing right across the street, Dominic's hands were completely tied.

He shot Tristan a dark, warning glare before striding over to confront him.

"Tristan, is she really worth throwing this kind of money around?"

Tristan met his gaze with absolute calm.

"Dominic, you burn cash on another woman without batting an eye. Don't worry about how I spend my money. Keep your own house in order."

With a polite "excuse me," Tristan brushed past him, seamlessly blending into the chaotic rush of the bakery.

The muscles in Dominic's jaw jumped violently.

He let his eyes sweep over Seraphina, then linger on Gideon. His Adam's apple bobbed in quiet fury before he finally turned and walked away. Across the street, the newly opened store was dead quiet, its employees staring blankly into space.

The entire dynamic of the street had been completely flipped in a matter of minutes.

Watching Seraphina smile brightly from across the street, Cynthia clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned white.

Her grand scheme had completely backfired, only serving to elevate that wretched woman.

She had indeed heard through the grapevine that Seraphina's adoptive mother was setting up shop here.

Seraphina had caused her endless humiliation lately, and she refused to swallow that insult.

So, the moment she learned of Clara's new venture, she pulled strings to secure the lease directly opposite her.

She didn't care about running a successful business. She was perfectly fine paying staff to manage it and didn't care if it bled money. The goal was purely sabotage.

If she couldn't strike at Seraphina directly, she could easily crush a pathetic street vendor.

Destroying her adoptive mother's livelihood would devastate the family, which meant destroying Seraphina's peace of mind. To Cynthia, that was a satisfying slice of revenge.

But she never imagined that a dingy street-level bakery would summon the absolute titans of the Cole and Spencer empires to act as Seraphina's personal attack dogs.

Forcing her composure, Cynthia walked up to Dominic. "Dominic, I'd like to go home."

Dominic looked at her, his eyes filled with profound sympathy.

He cast one final, frigid glare at Seraphina's silhouette.

Taking Cynthia's hand, he murmured softly, "Cynthia, whatever you want to buy, I'll take you shopping right now."

Cynthia nodded meekly.

The door slammed shut. The sleek black SUV merged into traffic and disappeared into the distance.

Seraphina stood rooted to the spot, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. What was she even hoping for?

The shop remained incredibly loud and lively, filled with the bustling energy of thrilled customers and endless laughter.

Burying her pain, Seraphina threw herself back into the chaos...

Words failed her.

Once the grand opening frenzy passed, Seraphina settled back into her normal routine.

One evening after work, just as she collapsed into her sofa, her phone buzzed.

Pulling it out, she saw an email notification from Dean Vance of the Institute of Nuclear Research.

She instantly sat up straight and tapped open the message.

The old man's electric enthusiasm practically leapt through the screen:

[Kid, you're back in the game! That breakthrough in power resources... that was you, wasn't it?]