After we went to the cemetery, my master and I decided to eat breakfast. I brought him to a five-star restaurant.
"I know you're very rich, but you know old people have different tastes," he said while we were seated inside.
"You'll like the food here," I said.
"Oh well." He didn't comment further.
"I already texted my assistant. He has started looking for Celina's child."
He nodded. "I wonder what she's doing now."
"Did she know you?" I asked. The food I ordered hadn't arrived yet.
"He even thought I was his father," he chuckled. I didn't know my master had this kind of past. I thought he was just someone who loved mysteries and spells, but it turned out he carried memories like these.
"Did you fall in love with her?" I asked the question I had wanted to ask earlier, back at the cemetery.
"Yes," he answered without hesitation.
"Did she know?"
He shook his head. "She didn't. I didn't tell her because she still loved her husband. I didn't want to pressure her into liking me, thinking that I helped her back then. I wanted to be loved for who I am, not for the help I gave." He had a point. He never looked for a wife because he was still dealing with his first love.
"You didn't even tell her when you left her in the province."
"I just let it be. It wasn't easy for me to open my heart to someone with a broken one. But may she rest in peace now," he said.
After that, our orders arrived. We started eating breakfast, and luckily, my master liked the food very much. I smiled in response. After breakfast, I drove him back home. He slept the entire trip. He was old enough to take care of himself, yet he traveled alone just to go to a place that might help me find the ring.
When we arrived, I woke him up and assisted him to his room.
"Thank you," my master said.
"I should be the one thanking you," I replied.
He lay on the bed and closed his eyes. I pulled the blanket over him before leaving his house.
I sighed, but didn't start the engine yet. This day was too much to process. I preferred killing Damon's people to thinking about all this.
I sighed deeply again when my phone rang. It was Dominic. I planned not to answer, but I accepted the call anyway in case he had something important to say.
"What?" I asked bluntly.
"Where are you?" he asked.
"Why?"
"Damian and I are at your mansion right now, but you're not here."
"And who told you to go there? You didn't ask permission."
"As if we need one," Dominic replied, which annoyed me.
"Do whatever you want there. I won't be home tonight."
"Where are you going?"
"Can you stop asking? I'm dealing with my own problems." I couldn't hide my irritation anymore. I ended the call before he could reply. I couldn't face them knowing what I had just discovered. I didn't want them meddling in something that concerned only my master and me.
I decided to stay at one of the hotels I owned in the city. When I arrived, the attendants assisted me immediately. I told them to bring liquor to my room.
Inside my room, I went straight to the bathroom and sank into the bathtub. There was no water yet, but I stayed there as the tub slowly filled. The cold water helped me relax a little. I had too much on my plate, along with the depression I carried. Why was I given so much strength if I had to suffer like this? I would rather be an ordinary man than be strong and endure endless trials.
I didn't know how many hours I spent in the bathtub. When I felt cold, I stood up. When I left the bathroom, the liquor I had requested was already there. Whoever delivered it didn't disturb me. I opened the bottle and drank straight from it, ignoring the glass. I had no one to drink with, so why bother?
After a while, I decided to sleep. My rest was interrupted by a nightmare in the middle of the night. I woke up sitting on the bed, panting and sweating. The dream was vague, but the blurred figure of a woman kept appearing. I didn't know who she was or how she was connected to me. I couldn't fall back asleep until morning.
I checked out early and went back to my mansion. As soon as I arrived, I headed to the kitchen to drink water. I stopped when I heard something sizzling in a pan. I raised an eyebrow. The cleaners never cooked, and I didn't even stock ingredients in my fridge.
When I entered the kitchen, I saw Damian wearing an apron, busy cooking.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Can't you see? I'm cooking," he replied sarcastically.
"You didn't go home last night?" I asked.
"You didn't either," he answered, which annoyed me.
"Just sit at the table. Dominic will be down soon—he's taking a bath. I'm preparing breakfast."
Despite my irritation, I followed him. I sat down and massaged my head. I had a headache, something I rarely experienced.
"Your head hurts?" Dominic asked as he came downstairs. He was wearing my white shirt and shorts, with a towel around his neck. His hair was wet and messy.
I didn't respond and continued massaging my temples.
"I can recommend a massager. He's good," he said when I didn't answer.
"No need. I'll just take medicine."
"You rarely get sick. Why now?" Dominic asked curiously. I wondered the same, but chose not to dwell on it.
Our conversation stopped when Damian came out with a tray of food.
"Wow, our good chef," Dominic said, clapping his hands.
"Enough teasing. Help me set the table."
"Okay, sir," Dominic replied with a salute.
I shook my head in frustration. Their presence made my dizziness worse. When the table was set, we began eating.
"I really like your egg soup. It's one of a kind," Dominic praised, giving Damian a thumbs-up.
"Do you like it?" Damian asked me.
I looked at him, nodded, and continued sipping from my spoon.
Breakfast was good overall. Damian put a lot of effort into serving us. Dominic volunteered to wash the dishes since Damian had cooked.
"You feel dizzy? I heard your conversation with Dominic," Damian said, looking concerned.
"It's tolerable," I replied, sipping my black coffee.
"Where were you yesterday? Did you see Master?" he asked.
"Yes."
"And then?"
I looked at him, clearly not in the mood to talk, but his curiosity persisted.
"It's about the ring."
His interest intensified as he moved closer. "What about it?"
"I need to find it as soon as possible."
"Do you have any leads?"
"No."
Disappointment crossed Damian's face. He sighed. "I hope we find it soon."
"Yeah. I hope that in two days, I'll receive a call from my assistant."
***
Seraphina's POV
Since I agreed to be friends with Dominic, he sent me gifts and food every day. People in our department started thinking that someone was courting me because the packages never stopped arriving.
"Mira," I called her when another package was delivered.
She smiled at me. "It's from him again, right?"
I nodded tiredly and placed the box on the floor. I was already too exhausted to carry everything home.
"You're not happy?" she asked.
"Do I look happy?" I frowned, making Mira chuckle.
"Why don't you talk to him and ask him to stop sending you packages?"
"How can I talk to him? I can't just barge into his office and tell him that, right? What would his secretary think if she saw me going there?"
"You have a point. What if I talk to Damian instead?" she suggested.
I rolled my eyes. She was really using me to get closer to her crush. Ugh.
I was so frustrated that I couldn't focus on my work. I felt like pulling my hair out. When it was time to go home, I irritably picked up the box that had been delivered earlier. I was about to leave the building when I heard a familiar voice. I turned around and saw Dominic walking alone. Lucca and Damian weren't with him.
I frowned. I wanted to yell at him right then and there, but I didn't want to disrespect my boss in front of everyone.
"Can we talk?" I asked.
He smiled widely. "Sure."
"Where's your car? Let's talk inside," I said. A car was the safest place—no misunderstandings, no people overhearing us.
He motioned for me to follow him. He offered to help carry the box, but I refused. I didn't want people to suspect anything. As soon as we got inside the car, all my bottled-up annoyance burst out.
"First, I want to say that I'm not happy with the packages you send every day. I agreed to be your friend, not your girlfriend. You make me carry these while commuting," I said firmly. Dominic looked taken aback.
"Second, stop treating me special. I didn't ask for it. I want to work normally. Stop using your 'boss privileges.'"
"Third, don't call me by my first name at work. Address me as Miss Blake. Calling me Seraphina can lead to speculation."
I was panting by the time I finished. I tried to calm myself down.
"Are you done?" he asked. I nodded.
"First, I'm sorry if the gifts became a burden. Next time, I'll just send them to your house. Second, I treat you special because you are special. Aren't you happy that your boss is your friend? Third, calling you Seraphina is my preference. I'm not trying to create speculation."
His answer made my head spin.
"Sir," I said quietly. "If you don't want to respect what I said, it's better to end this friendship—one that barely even started."
He looked shocked. "Are you really mad at me?"
"Isn't it obvious?" I said bluntly. I stopped filtering my emotions. He needed to see them.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to upset you. I thought you'd be happy receiving gifts."
I sighed deeply. "Just don't do it again. You're not my boyfriend."
"Then make me one."
My mouth fell open.
"What did you just say?" I asked.
"Make me your boyfriend," he repeated.
Maybe another woman would be thrilled by that offer—the CEO asking her out. But I wasn't after status, and I wasn't impressed.
"Women aren't all the same. Remember that, Sir Dominic," I said before, immediately getting out of the car.
I was furious. How could he say that so casually, as if I were easy to get? I already had too many problems, and he added another one.
To my surprise, Dominic ran after me, calling my name. I stopped walking. I didn't want gossip to spread.
"Sir Dominic, what are you doing?" I asked, trying to stay calm.
"Are you mad?"
I frowned. "Can't you see? I walked away," I whispered.
"Why are you whispering?"
"Because I don't want people talking about me. Please, just leave me alone." My frustration was obvious.
He smiled. "I actually want people to gossip about us."
"What?"
Before I could react, he grabbed my hand and hugged me.
I froze. My world stopped. No man had ever hugged me before. I had never even had a boyfriend. I heard whispers around us. People were staring.
I gathered my strength and pushed him away. He smirked, which only made me angrier.
How could he do that? Maybe he didn't care about gossip, but I did. I couldn't even look at anyone. Rage burned in my eyes.
"Don't ever come near me again," I said through clenched teeth.
"I did that on purpose. I want people talking about us."
"That's selfish," I snapped. "You're the boss. I'm just an employee. You have no idea what gossip can do to someone like me."
I turned and walked toward the bus stop. My chest felt tight. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't, not here.
The bus took forever to arrive. When it finally did at 5:30 p.m., it was packed. After getting off, I walked all the way home. The moment I closed the door, tears streamed down my face.
How could someone do that to me? For him, it was just a joke. For me, it was everything. I was already dealing with depression. I thought he was a nice man, but I was wrong.