Seraphina returned home from the hospital and changed into her night dress. Plopping down on the bed on her stomach, she unlocked her cell phone. She opened the browser to search for the latest news regarding Ethan's accident online.
Multiple articles from various news agencies detailed the information they knew about Ethan's accident. Currently, the only information that they had was that Ethan was chasing someone through the streets. However, some articles stated that it was Ethan who was being chased.
The police had not yet released an official statement regarding their findings so these news articles could only speculate on what must have happened. It was generally the same thing being said in different words and styles.
The comments on these articles were worth reading though. One person stated that it was simply a case of a spoilt rich brat racing recklessly through the busy streets because he believed he owned it. That comment had the most likes and replies made.
Another person claimed that it was like a regular car accident and that people should not make a big deal out of it. This was the second most liked comment and several people were replying that the rich are also humans and that they can suffer through car accidents like normal people do.
This particular group was quite sympathetic towards Ethan. They were preaching that his name and reputation should not be soiled only because he was rich and got into an accident.
Seraphina chuckled, "Only if they knew."
Her favorite comment was this conspiracy theory that had the least number of likes and responses. It said;
I believe Ethan Grayson or someone from his family offended someone they should not have. And now the other party is out for revenge.
The smile on Seraphina's face widened, and her eyes sparkled with an evil glint. That was the most accurate comment on the article but it didn't even have a single like and the few replies on that comment received were;
♛ That's ridiculous.
♛ There's no way that is true.
♛ Do you even know which Grayson family they are talking about? See - https://www.infopedia.com/info/The_Grayson_Family
♛ Graysons are the most loved family in the country. Dude perhaps lives under a rock that's why he doesn't know how much the Grayson family has done for society.
"Oh, only if they knew!" Seraphina burst into peals of laughter as she thought about how someone had managed to arrive at the correct conclusion but no one seemed to believe them. She had to resist the desire to give that comment a like and comment "Bingo!" in reply.
But knowing Marcus and William, all the online and offline activities regarding Ethan's case must be closely monitored. One suspicious comment on one single article among heaps of articles and numerous comments would still alert the authorities monitoring the information being shared online.
And it would take no time for them to track who made that comment. This was not the time to alert her enemies about her existence. Seraphina had big plans to announce her official entry into their lives until then, she had to remain undercover.
Placing her cell phone aside, Seraphina pulled over the comforter and closed her eyes to sleep. Maybe tonight she will sleep better than usual.
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As Seraphina had expected, Marcus and William were alerted of that particular comment and within an hour their minions arrived at that person's place to interrogate him. They were leaving no stone unturned to find the purpose and perpetrator behind the accident.
But that supposed lead turned out to be a random teenager who posted that comment just to spike some controversy. It drove Marcus crazy for this is the first time someone was messing with him.
When Seraphina got reported about the incident the next morning, she spat out the coffee that she was drinking and burst out laughing. She could imagine how mad Marcus must be after being misled by a teenager's comment.
Now was the time to prepare for another surprise for Mr. Marcus Grayson. Seraphina opened her cell phone and clicked on a private messaging application. The said application was designed specifically for her to communicate freely without leaving any traces behind.
She typed in a small message telling the other person to initiate the next step of their plan.
Later, after finishing her breakfast, Seraphina got dressed in a black, knee-length, form-fitting dress. It had an asymmetric design with one shoulder exposed and the other covered by a long sleeve. For a pop of color, she paired it with a pair of orange suede high heels with pointed toes and gold bands around the ankle.
She styled her hair in loose, voluminous waves that cascaded over her shoulders and wore simple gold hoop earrings. Picking up her black velvet clutch with gold trimmings, Seraphina stepped out of her home and was driven by her driver to the company.
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At the hospital, Marcus was sitting on the couch in the VVIP room where Ethan was being monitored. He still had not gained consciousness but his vitals were stabilizing and everything seemed good.
As only one person could stay beside the patient at one time, Marcus chose to stay and sent Katherine and Chloe back home with William and his family. Last night was quite stressful for Marcus. Not only was he in distress because of his son's condition but also because they had wasted their time and resources on a random kid over a suspicious comment.
Though others might not think much of it, Marcus could not deny the possibility that someone was toying with him. The chief of police had also asked him if Ethan or he had any enemies who could be behind this. And then that comment.
Marcus had a strong feeling that Ethan's accident was a deliberate attempt at messing with him but he had no definite lead to prove his claim. Call him paranoid or call him crazy, but Marcus had a strong feeling about this.
Something was wrong.
Something was very, very wrong.
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Seraphina was surprised to see Chloe at the office. She had thought that after yesterday's humiliation and her brother's accident, Chloe would stay back for a day or two before coming to the office. But here she was and Seraphina knew exactly what she had to do.
She stopped in front of Chloe and ordered, "Chloe, come to my cabin." before walking away.
Stepping inside her cabin, Seraphin sat behind her imposing mahogany desk, her fingers drumming lightly on the surface as she waited for Chloe to arrive.
She needed to coax that spoilt brat so that she wouldn't take any action against Ivy. Seraphina won't put any of her allies and friends in any danger just for the sake of her revenge. Ivy had done her part as a good friend, and now it was Seraphina's turn.
The door swung open, and Chloe entered, her expression a mixture of defiance and curiosity, "You called for me?" she sounded like a petulant child.
Seraphina looked up at her with a mask of calm authority, "I wanted to discuss what happened with Ivy yesterday." Seraphina paused for a few seconds, her voice smooth and controlled as she continued, "That shouldn't have happened."
She noticed the flash of anger in Chloe's eyes, "I did nothing wrong! Ivy was out of line. If she didn't like what I chose for her, she could have just said so, but no! She chose to humiliate me!"
Seraphina stood up and walked around her desk to stand in front of Chloe, "I understand your frustration and I agree, Ivy shouldn't have done that."
That seemed to please Chloe but poor little canary was unaware that Seraphina had planned for something worse than this petty humiliation.
"But Ivy is an important client for our company, Chloe. We can't afford to lose her. However, you are equally important to the company and me, as well. After all, you are one of my interns." Seraphina's tone was gentle.
Chloe's expression softened slightly at the compliment, and Seraphina seized the moment. She walked over to the in-built closet on her left and brought out an ivory-colored box with rose gold accents. She handed it over to Chloe.
"I want you to have this." Seraphina smiled softly, "Consider it a gesture of goodwill."
Chloe's eyes widened at the sight of the box. She knew what was there inside the box. Running her fingers over the "The Seraphina Atelier" logo on the box that contained a luxury handbag.
Seraphina watched Chloe's eyes sparkle with greed and vanity as opened the box and took out the handbag that she had gifted her, "Thank you, Seraphina. This means a lot."
Seraphina smiled, her expression warm but her mind already calculating the next move. "I'm glad you like it. Let's put yesterday behind us and move forward, shall we?"
Chloe nodded, clutching the handbag to her chest as she left the office. Seraphina watched her go, a small, satisfied smile playing on her lips. Once the door closed, she picked up her phone and dialed a number, "Make sure Ivy has a bodyguard with her at all times." she instructed. "I don't trust Chloe to let this go."
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At the hospital, Katherine had come back to see her son along with Caroline and William. Her eyes filled up with tears at the sight of her still unconscious son, "What did the doctor say?" she asked Marcus.
"The crucial hours have passed and now he is out of danger." informed Marcus while taking a seat beside his wife.
The news that Ethan had made it through the critical hours and was now out of danger brought a wave of relief. But the mother was still concerned, "Then why isn't he conscious yet?" cried Katherine.
"Kathy, Ethan had severe injuries. The doctors have put him in an induced coma until his vitals stabilize completely. He'll wake up soon, don't worry."
"Hhmm." hummed Katherine and rested her head on her husband's shoulder.
They were interrupted when the chief of police arrived with new information. Marcus and William stepped forward to greet him, their expressions hard and expectant.
"We've concluded our initial investigation." the chief began, "Ethan's accident appears to have been caused by his reckless driving. He was racing through the streets, lost control, and collided with the car he was racing against."
Marcus's jaw tightened. "Who was it?"
"We've apprehended the driver," the chief continued. "He's in custody now. The second collision though, was an unfortunate accident, likely caused by the initial crash. Both drivers fled the scene, but the man Ethan was racing has been caught."
Marcus's eyes darkened with fury. "I want to see him."
The chief hesitated knowing well what Marcus must be thinking of doing, "Mr. Grayson, he's already in jail. We're handling it. You need not to worry about it."
Marcus nodded, but the anger in his eyes didn't fade. After the police chief left, Marcus turned to William. "I want that man dead." he declared, his nostrils flaring in anger, "You have seen how badly my son was injured. Make sure that that man suffers twice as many injuries."
William nodded, already pulling out his phone to make the necessary arrangements.
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Seraphina was playing a game of chess on her cell phone. She was very well aware of what was happening at the hospital. She had already anticipated what Marcus would do.
The man was on the hunt and before he could find his prey on his own, Seraphina delivered it to him herself. That man wasn't caught by the police, Seraphina had ordered him to surrender with a plan to rescue him already in working.
A plan to ensure the man's safety.
A plan to deceive Marcus that he had caught and killed the man responsible for his son's current state.
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The private jet finally touched the grounds of his home country. Elijah stepped out of the plane and sat in the backseat of the car that was already waiting for him at the airport. He went straight to the hospital to see his brother unaware of the fact that it wasn't his brother that brought him back earlier than he was supposed to.
It was his fate.