As Seraphina was not yet finished with the draping methods that she was teaching her interns, Elijah had to wait in the lounge area for Chloe. He could not stop thinking about the little encounter that he had with Seraphina just now.
There was something hauntingly familiar about that woman which is why Elijah could not shake off the thoughts of the brief moments of interaction that he had with Seraphina. No doubt she was an exceptionally beautiful woman. She was stunning in an ethereal way. But it was not her appearance that caught his attention, it was her eyes.
There was a familiarity that he felt on seeing her eyes that didn't match with the face that she had. It sounded absolutely absurd but to Elijah, it felt like he was looking at two different people while looking at Seraphina.
The mystery of it confused him, intrigued him, and made him want to know who this Seraphina Vale was exactly and just where had he seen her. He won't be able to rest until he solves this problem that Seraphina Vale is to him.
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After 40 minutes of waiting, Chloe finally was finished with the lesson for the day. After bidding farewell to Seraphina, Chloe, and Elijah went to the parking lot where Elijah had parked his car. He sat in the driver's seat while Chloe sat beside him on the passenger seat. As Elijah maneuvered the sleek black car through the busy streets.
"So, how's the internship going?" Elijah asked, breaking the comfortable silence.
Chloe smiled, her eyes lighting up as she responded, "It's going great. I really like it there and Seraphina is an amazing mentor. You know she gifted me this luxury handbag from her latest collection. See!" she showed him the handbag that Seraphina had gifted her.
"Nice." Elijah smiled politely.
Chloe placed her handbag aside and looked up at Elijah with a teasing smirk cured upon her lips, "She is so talented you know, and well," she drawled a little before adding, "she's also single."
Elijah raised an eyebrow, "I did not ask that." he spoke in a firm tone but it didn't deter Chloe.
Shifting on the seat, Chloe smiled mischievously, "Oh, please. I am not a fool, okay. I noticed how you were looking at her earlier. I mean, I don't blame you. Seraphina is stunningly beautiful."
Elijah shook his head, trying to maintain his composure, "There's nothing like that. I just thought she looked a bit familiar."
"Uh-huh," Chloe teased, her tone playful, "That's one of the worst pickup lines ever!", she made a serious face, "I just thought she looked a bit familiar." Chloe repeated imitating Elijah.
Elijah lightly smacked Chloe's arm in response, "You know that I never forget a face. Your boss, Seraphina Vale, looked really familiar as if I had met her before. But I am not sure where."
Chloe rolled her eyes, "Of course, you and your magic brain of yours that never forgets anything." she mocked.
Elijah did not care about Chloe's tone and nodded thoughtfully, "Exactly!"
"Maybe you saw her picture in a magazine or something." suggested Chloe "Or, maybe you met her in passing somewhere."
"Maybe," Elijah agreed, but he couldn't shake off the nagging feeling of familiarity. There was something about Seraphina that stirred a distant memory that he was not able to pinpoint and recall.
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Seraphina sat alone in her cabin in the now empty office as she repeatedly watched the particular section of the surveillance video from the design floor. She continued to watch the scene of Elijah rushing over to save her from falling, of him holding her in his arms, and of them interacting for those few minutes.
"This isn't how I planned to meet you, Elijah." she murmured to herself, her voice echoing softly, "But fate has its unique ways. It just proves that enemies are fated to meet."
She cropped that particular section of the video and saved it in a password protected folder, "You're the key to the treasure I'm planning to loot, Mr. Elijah Grayson. I am going to keep my gun on your shoulder and make them all pay for their sins."
She made a shooting gun gesture by extending her index and middle fingers, mimicking the shape of a gun, and pointing it towards her laptop screen where the video was playing on a loop, her thumb raised as if cocking the imaginary firearm.
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Back at the Grayson mansion, Elijah sat in his study, nursing a drink while thinking about Seraphina. The memory of her eyes haunted him, refusing to fade away. There was something so mysterious and alluring about that woman that Elijah could not get her out of his mind.
Lost in his thoughts, Elijah swirled the glass in his hand before taking a sip of the amber liquid. Since the moment he had seen Seraphina, he had been trying to recall where in the world he had seen those eyes before.
That night, as Elijah slept, he dreamt about a particular incident from his past. He found himself back at the Sullivan family's farmhouse, on the night of Caroline's fifth birthday. The dream is a vivid reflection of the memory.
Elijah found himself back in his 10 years old body surrounded by laughter, children playing games, and everybody singing happy birthday songs as Caroline cut the cake. And then, the sudden panic that everybody had experienced when they could not find Caroline.
In his dream, Elijah saw himself confront his younger brother because Ethan was the last person he had seen Caroline with. Elijah felt his heart pound in his chest as Ethan confessed about where he had taken Caroline.
His younger brother had cried while repeatedly saying that it was only meant to be a prank. He did not mean to abandon her in the forest. Elijah remembered the adults searching frantically for the little girl.
Feeling responsible, Elijah had picked up a torch and went into the forest, determined to find the 5 years old Caroline. He also felt the relief that washed over him when he finally found her under a giant tree. She was injured and was crying.
"Caroline." he called her name softly while stepping closer, and she looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears and her face lighting up with hope as she spotted a familiar face.
"Eli!" she shouted his name in relief and jumped over him, hugging him tightly.
That was the last thing that Elijah saw in his dream before it shattered, waking him up from sleep.
Elijah sat up on the bed, panting heavily, his heart pounding like a kettledrum. Pouring a glass of water for himself, Elijah wondered why that memory had resurfaced.
Twenty three years had passed since that day but the memory and the feelings associated with it were still fresh.
In the quiet of his room, Elijah recalled the events that occurred after he had found little Caroline crying under the tree. He had to carry her all the way back because of her injuries. Everybody was relieved seeing Caroline.
He recalled the small token Caroline had given him to thank him for helping her and bringing her back home. It was her favorite necklace, a strawberry-shaped pendant on a thin gold chain. He had kept it safe all these years, a reminder of that night.
As he thought of Caroline's upcoming birthday and engagement, Elijah decided he would give the necklace back to her. It felt fitting, a symbol of their shared past and the bond they had.
He chuckled softly, remembering how crazy little Caroline had been about strawberries. Her fifth birthday party had been a strawberry-themed extravaganza. She had worn a dress like Strawberry Shortcake, her birthday cake had been strawberry-flavored, and every detail had screamed her love for the fruit.
Time had flown by so quickly. The strawberry-crazy little girl was now a young woman, soon to be his sister-in-law. Elijah couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia. He decided to gift Caroline back the necklace that she had given him at her upcoming birthday and engagement party.
Elijah was brought out of his thoughts by the shrill ringtone that he had chosen for his alarms. Dismissing it, Elijah got off the bed and went to the washroom to freshen up.
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Later that day, in her office, Seraphina was snacking on a bowl of fresh strawberries. She hummed the Strawberry Shortcake cartoon's theme song, a tune she had memorized from her childhood. As she worked.
Seraphina finished her strawberries, set the bowl aside, and wiped her hands with a tissue before turning her attention back to her work. She had finalized three designs for her client. She emailed the scanned images to her client awaiting her response.
She did not have much workload for the day, at least not for the next two hours. As she sat in silence, Seraphina found herself thinking about Elijah and her brief encounter with him. Though they had met before time, Seraphina adjusted all her plans accordingly.
The pieces were falling into place at a wonderful pace. Soon, the Graysons would feel the full weight of her vengeance.
Her lips curved upwards in a small serene smile thinking about how sweet her victory would be. Even sweeter than the strawberries that she just ate.
Chuckling, Seraphina picked a pink color pencil and began sketching a random outfit while thinking about new ways she could use Elijah in this game of revenge. As she sketched a silhouette, Seraphina began humming the theme song from the Strawberry Shortcake cartoon once again.
I know a girl, and there is no one sweeter.
She's got that special touch, best friend in the world
And when you get to meet her, you'll love her berry much
She's doin' fine, doin' better all the time!
She's cool, she's fun, she'll lead the way
Straw-Buh-Buh-Buh-Buh-Berry, Strawberry Shortcake
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The mood at the Sullivan mansion was a little different. The atmosphere tense, as William Sullivan sat across from Caroline in the grand sitting room. After seeing Ethan's reaction to his upcoming engagement with Caroline, William was worried for her. She was his darling daughter after all though the world thinks otherwise.
He knew that Caroline had feelings for Ethan, and he was also aware that Ethan's feelings for Caroline weren't as deep as hers. But his daughter loved that stupid boy and he also needed this marriage to happen for his business. Still, William decided to talk to Caroline to make sure that she was ready for this.
"Caroline, are you sure about Ethan?" William began, his voice gentle but firm, "Do you really believe you can handle him despite the fact that he doesn't feel the same way about you?"
Caroline's eyes narrowed slightly, but she spoke politely, "Dad, I know you're concerned because Ethan and I have always been an on and off thing, but once we are married, everything will settle. He will be legally mine, and I will officially be Mrs. Caroline Grayson."
Even though everybody believed that Caroline was his niece, nobody became suspicious when she addressed William and Victoria as Dad and Mom because they all were made to believe that this was little Caroline's way of coping after her family's passing.
William frowned, "I just want you to be happy. Ethan," he sighed and shook his head before continuing, "he's not the easiest man to handle."
Caroline smiled, a cunning glint in her eyes. "Don't worry, Dad. I can handle Ethan. I'm more than capable."
Her confidence eased William's worries, though not entirely. He watched as Caroline packed a lunch box, including a thermos of soup she had made for Ethan.
William watched Caroline drive away to the hospital unable to get rid of the nagging feeling that tugged at his insides. Something was definitely not right.
Call it a delusion or call it an intuition but William could not shake off the unsettling feeling that something really bad was going to happen. What, how, where, and when? He did not know the answers to any of those questions. All he knew was something big and bad was approaching.