Sighing at the missed opportunity, Elijah walked towards his car thinking about where and when had he met Seraphina. Now, that she had almost confirmed that they have seen each other before, Elijah was now even more curious and determined than before. He was becoming obsessed, he knew. But there was something so alluring about the enigmatic Seraphina Vale that Elijah couldn't help his obsession.
Opening the door to the driver's seat, Elijah sat in and started the car. He looked over at Chloe who had adjusted the car seat in a reclining position and had closed her eyes. She looked half asleep and Elijah contributed it to her work.
Smiling, he adjusted the car air conditioner and drove away careful not to wake up his sister. She must have had a tiring day at the office.
It was only when the arrived at the Grayson mansion that Elijah shook Chloe awake and was met with a tired glare from his sister.
"Sorry." Elijah apologized and extended his hand towards her to help her step out but Chloe pushed his hand away.
"You don't have to come pick me up tomorrow." she declared and began walking away.
"Wh -" before Elijah could even question what was going on, Chloe stopped and turned around to add, "Also, stop using me as an excuse for you to see Seraphina. It would be better if you go and tell her directly that you are interested in her. Be a man, okay?!"
And with that, she walked away without looking back at her brother who for the next few seconds just stood there watching his sister leave with an open mouth and a frown of confusion marring between his brows.
"What happened to her?" wondered Elijah out loud before following Chloe inside their home.
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That night, Elijah dreamt of little Caroline once again. This time, he found himself back at his old house, a day after Caroline's 5th birthday. This was the day when Caroline had gifted him the strawberry shaped pendant necklace thanking him for saving her.
Elijah found himself in his 10 years old body, staring back at the 5 years old Caroline who was dressed in a pink tulle dress and was holding the strawberry pendant necklace in her hand.
"Eli, I got this for you." she said in her sweet baby voice, her sparkling grey eyes wide with hope as she looked up at him, "Do you like it?"
Smiling, Elijah bent down to her face level and nodded his head in positive, "I do."
Caroline's face lit up, her lips widening in an excited smile as she looked back at her elder brothers and said, "I told you that Eli will like it! Not all boys hate pink color and strawberry shortcake!"
Elijah chuckled and let Caroline tie the necklace around his neck, "Thank you for saving me, Eli!" her grey eyes reflected the warmth of her smile.
Her grey eyes that were quite similar to Seraphina's.
When Elijah woke up the next morning, he remembered the dream rather vividly. He could not understand as to why was he dreaming of the 5 year old Caroline again and again while thinking about Seraphina all the time.
He could not shake of the nagging feeling digging its roots inside his chest telling him that he was missing something of extreme importance. Something that was right in front of his eyes that he wasn't able to spot.
The memory of little Caroline's eyes and that of Seraphina's flashed before his eyes. Why was it that the 5 years old Caroline's eyes matched that of Seraphina's more than the adult Caroline's?
Elijah decided to take Chloe's advice and stop beating around the bush and approach Seraphina directly.
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A few days passed, and the day finally arrived when Ethan was discharged from the hospital and allowed to go back home. His physiotherapist was scheduled to move in as well. According to her, a familiar and loving environment will aid Ethan's recovery process. Her arrival necessitated the setup of a guestroom for her stay.
On the other side, amidst the hustle, Chloe continued to endure the humiliations and back-bitching at work. She continued to perform every task that was given to her, each task seemingly more menial than the last, yet she persevered without complaint, determined to prove herself, determined to prove others wrong.
Seraphina watched Chloe with a mix of satisfaction and curiosity. It was fascinating to see the once-bully now being bullied. She, Natasha, and Madison had a running bet on when Chloe would finally break and quit.
Natasha thought that Chloe would last only a month while Madison believe that she would call quits after 2 weeks. As for Seraphina, she believed that Chloe will continue with this charade for two month and that too only if nothing huge happens during that time.
Seraphina believed that Chloe will last this long only to see what fruit would her hard work bear. She will be diligent for the first month and would start lacking in the second if she sees no one appreciating her hard work.
That afternoon, Natasha, who had come for another consultation, voiced a thought that had been on her mind from the past few days.
"What if this ordeal actually reforms Chloe?" she wondered aloud catching Seraphina's attention.
Seraphina turned around and went back to sit behind her desk and asked, "What do you mean?"
Taking a sip of iced coffee that Chloe had brought for her, this one made with almond milk, Natasha rephrased her question, "They way you are making Chloe work, I think that she would now be able to understand what she made others go through.
"Maybe." Seraphina shrugged her shoulders not exactly concerned with that thought.
"What I am saying is that what if after going through all this, Chloe realizes how awful she used to be and decides to reform herself, as in, completely change her behavior and become a good person. What would you do then? Would you forgive her and let her go unscathed?" asked Natasha, carefully observing the change of expressions on Seraphina's face.
Seraphina's eyes hardened slightly. "I might consider it, but only after she experiences what she put me through. But -"
Natasha stilled mid-nod, "But?"
"Nats, I might forgive her one day for all she has done in case Chloe redeems herself. But he would not forgive her." Seraphina's mood turned somber as she recalled the worst pain that Chloe had inflicted on someone.
Understanding dawned upon Natasha whose expressions became equally serious, "Oh."
"Yeah." Seraphina nodded, "He would not let Chloe go easily and will make sure to inflict upon Chloe the exact immense pain and suffering that Vivi had to go through."
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Meanwhile, Madison who had moved from Seraphina's place to her own apartment once the security arrangements were done, was preparing for her first day back at the office. Her new apartment was a few miles away from Seraphina's mansion and was situated in an extremely safe area.
Seraphina was the one who helped her find this apartment and pay 1/4th of the total amount to purchase the apartment. She did not want to take any risk regarding Madison's safety considering the fact that she would be living alone.
Stepping out of the washroom, dressed in her bathrobe, Madison dried her hair and straightened them before applying minimal make-up. She then got dressed in a black pencil skirt that she paired with a soft, rose gold colored, satin blouse. She tied her hair in a pony tail and wore the minimalistic jewelry pieces that she had chosen to wear for the day.
Among those pieces was a necklace that did not go along with the outfit and style that Madison had chosen for herself. The necklace was made of silver and had a unique pendant inserted in the chain. It was a silver dragon wrapped around a long, cylindrical gemstone that was red in color.
It belonged to Christopher, the love of her life. She had found it among the remains of the Sullivan family mansion. Marcus and his allies had burnt down the mansion after killing the Sullivan family and escaping with Caroline whom they kept hidden from the world till they found her replacement.
Madison breathed deeply and pushed the necklace behind her high neck blouse, carefully hiding the piece of Christopher that she carried with her always.
After dressing in her professional attire, Madison locked her apartment and then drove to her office - the headquarters of the Grayson Group of Industries. Her new apartment was near her office building so it did not take her much to reach there.
Once there, Madison parked her car in the spot that was reserved for her and stepped out of her car. She walked inside the building, her demeanor confident, her presence commanding respect. As she had been away to another country for work for almost an year, Madison was greeted by surprise and respectful looks.
The staff greeted her warmly, calling her by her by the name that she had chosen for herself when she started working for the Graysons.
"Good morning, Margaret." one of the employees said, smiling.
"Good morning." Madison replied, her tone friendly but professional. She had grown habitual of this name after all these years.
She made her way to her office, settling behind her desk with practiced ease. It was here, as Elijah Grayson's secretary, that she had a unique vantage point to gather information and update Seraphina on Elijah's activities. This was how she was helping Seraphina to take revenge from the Grayson family.
While Seraphina worked from the outside, Madison was one among those who were going to attack the Graysons and their allies from the inside. She had gotten used to her dual life and balanced it with perfection and ease. Their intricate web of deceit and strategy growing stronger, each piece falling into place.
Soon, very soon, they will take back all that belonged to them and their enemies will be left with what they deserve.
Hell.