Tangled in his Obsession novel Chapter 62

On this day, Seraphina was feeling particularly chill.

Balch had the morning off and they had breakfast together, then he took her to an auction. His original goal was to bag a painting, but when he saw how much Seraphina admired a sapphire jewelry set, he placed a bid for it.

There were other bidders, but in the end, Balch won it for a pretty penny.

Once the auction was over, Seraphina chuckled and said, "Mr. Lawson, so you're not afraid to drop some serious dough, huh?"

To which Balch responded, "Value is in the eye of the beholder. If someone appreciates it, that's where its worth lies. Would you do me the honor, Ms. Bennett?"

Seraphina laughed out loud, then nodded, "Well, since you've already bought it, I can hold onto it for a while!"

After the auction, a swarm of reporters were waiting outside. Balch wasn't one for interviews and Seraphina was used to dodging tough questions, always managing to keep her cool and stay quiet.

Still, the news that Balch had splurged on a sapphire jewelry set and gifted it to Seraphina spread like wildfire, all over town within an hour.

In the afternoon, Balch returned to his office and Seraphina went home and posted photos of the entire jewelry set on her social media. She'd had the account for a while but had hardly posted anything, and had just a handful of followers. Thanks to the power of social media, though, her post got shared over a thousand times in half an hour. Ten minutes later, it had been shared ten thousand times and the number was still climbing.

She made herself a cup of coffee, sipping and enjoying the frenzy on social media. Just as she was enjoying reading her direct messages, her phone rang, interrupting her. She frowned, but answered.

"Ms. Bennett, hello. It's Keen. Mr. Reynolds asked me to pick you up and take you to Reynolds Manor."

Hearing this, Seraphina's mind came to a halt. Was Leandro having Keen pick her up to help her with her publicity, or did he actually want to see her? Either way, she couldn't refuse. She had come this far and had no reason to abandon her entire plan just because of Leandro.

"I'm at home," she answered calmly. "Come on over."

At half-past four, Keen picked up Seraphina and drove her through the busy city to Reynolds Manor, an hour later.

Seraphina walked to the staircase and slowly descended. The light in the room seemed even darker, and Leandro was still quietly sitting on the sofa, the only movement was the flickering flame between his fingers.

For a moment, Seraphina felt a chill run down her neck. But what was there to fear for someone who had already risked her life?

Descending the stairs, Seraphina took a seat next to Leandro. She nonchalantly switched on a small table lamp positioned next to the sofa. The warm, orange light softly illuminated the area around the sofa, where a glass of whiskey with ice stood on the small table in front of them. A ring of condensation on the glass indicated that it had been left untouched for some time.

The room was filled with an elusive and enchanting ambiance.

After a moment of silence, Seraphina turned to the man beside her, "What's your next move, Mr. Reynolds?"

Slowly, Leandro lifted his gaze and blew a cloud of smoke into Seraphina's face.

"Make love to you."