Adrian stared at her.
For a long, suspended moment, he genuinely wondered if he had heard her correctly. The words hung in the air between them like a live grenade with the pin already pulled.
The room became impossibly quiet. Outside, soft rain tapped rhythmically against the tall windows, a gentle percussion that felt almost mocking in its calmness. Somewhere deeper in the mansion, a door closed with a distant thud, and faint footsteps echoed before fading into silence. Yet all Adrian could hear, all he could focus on, was the single sentence she had just spoken.
Choose between Seraphina and me.
No one had ever given Adrian Blake an ultimatum before. Not ruthless business rivals who trembled at the mere mention of his name. Not hardened enemies who had built empires on blood and betrayal. Not even Elias Blake, the one man who had once held power over him. People asked for favors. People negotiated desperately. People begged on their knees when cornered.
But nobody demanded.
