Lucien's POV
"No," Seraphina cut her off sharply. "I defended myself. If you're so desperate to protect him, maybe ask him what he was doing to me in the ambulance before I grabbed the knife
That silenced them.
Even Asher, who had looked like he was about to interrupt again, went quiet.
I had heard enough.
I stepped forward, my shoes clicking sharply against the pavement, finally drawing their attention.
Seraphina's eyes met mine, and for the first time since I'd seen her, something flickered in her expression. A subtle shift. Maybe it was a relief… or just the shock of seeing someone actually show up.
Melissa's grip loosened immediately, and Seraphina pulled her hand away without another word.
"Asher," I said, cold and clear. "You brought your little family drama into my house and manhandled someone under my roof. I let it go out of respect."
He didn't respond. He knew better.
"But now I find your sister harassed outside a police station after she's already given her statement? I don't take kindly to repeated disrespect."
"Lucien," he muttered, and went quiet as if he didn't know what to say.
"I'm not here to talk to you," I said flatly. My eyes went back to Seraphina. "Let's go."
She didn't move immediately. She looked between Melissa, Asher, and me, as if weighing what awaited her in each direction.
Then, without a word, she walked toward me. Not out of dependence, not like she needed saving.
But she chose me.
And as she passed me, I caught one more flicker of that look—the one she hadn't shown anyone else that night.
Pain, but there was… defiance beneath it.
Seraphina climbed into the car without a word. The door was already unlocked, and she slipped into the back seat like she couldn't get away fast enough from them.
She found the water bottle I'd left there, twisted the cap off, and drank every last drop in one breath. Then, finally, her eyes lifted to meet mine as I settled into the driver's seat.
"Why are you here, mister?" she asked, her voice steady but distant as I started the engine.
"I'm responsible for you," I said simply, focusing on the road ahead. "So I came to take you back home."
She gave a tired laugh, dry, without a trace of humor. "I appreciate your kind gesture, Mister…" she paused, as if trying to remember or intentionally leaving my name off. "But I don't need anyone to be responsible for me."
"I don't care whether you need it or not," I said coldly. "Your brother asked me to look after you. So I will."
Seraphina didn't respond. She just turned her head and stared out the window, like she couldn't be bothered to argue anymore.
"Just because you know my brother doesn't mean I can trust you," she muttered. "Anyone connected to the Lancaster family is not my friend."
I didn't reply. I wasn't sure what was going on with her in the Lancaster family, but I could tell that she was nothing but an outcast there, and no one cared about her.
"Send me to the Lancaster mansion," she said out of nowhere, making me slam the brakes hard enough for the tires to screech.
"Are you out of your mind?" I almost spat, but I stopped myself, forcing a breath to steady my voice. "You're walking straight into the lion's den after what happened."
"I've lived in that lion's den for years," she shot back, her tone sharp but steady. "And no one knows it better than I do."
She turned to face me. "I'm saying this again—I'm grateful to you. But I can't trust anyone in this world… not even you, my savior."
"Fine, I would do that for you."
I was already furious at her for even thinking about going back there. But if she had made up her mind, then who was I to stop her?
No matter how much I hated the idea, I wasn't the one living her reality.
"I'd really appreciate that," She said in a low voice, more to herself than to me.
******
Seraphina's POV
My heart was racing the moment I stepped out of the police station.
Every step felt heavy, and I wanted to run—just run and never look back. But my mind was hazy, and I didn't know where to go.
And then, like before, that man appeared—calm, composed, and strangely there for me.
He took me away from the ones who were ready to pounce on me at any moment. He didn't ask questions. He didn't demand answers. He just… showed up and helped me escape the suffocation of being there.
But no matter how much he helped me, I knew that I couldn't trust anyone right now!
Lucien De Rossi might have been kind to me, but he knew Adrian. And the Adrian I knew in this life wasn't the same man who once loved me and doted on me!
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