Tangled in His Obsession (Seraphina)

When Seraphina posed the question, Andrea couldn't help but raise her eyes in curiosity toward Leandro.

The situation was dire - Seraphina's bodyguards had all been floored, and she herself had been whisked away to an unknown location.

In such a sprawling city, how could Leandro, despite his vast connections, have possibly located Seraphina in such a short span of time? And if he had been with Seraphina from the moment she was abducted, she wouldn't have faced such an ordeal.

So, the mystery remained: within a mere half-hour after she was taken, how had Leandro found her by that secluded pond on the outskirts of town and rescued her just in time? The outcwas indeed thought-provoking.

The more Seraphina pondered, the more perplexed she became.

Her phone had been lost during the abduction, so Leandro couldn't have used it to locate her.

How then, could he have pinpointed her location? With a piercing gaze, Seraphina pressed Leandro. "How on earth did you know | was there?" Leandro didn't seem keen on answering, simply replying with a nonchalant, "It was luck." Luck? Hearing this, Seraphina nearly blew her top. "So, if my luck had been just a tad worse, or if your luck had been just a tad off, | might be dead now?" Seeing Seraphina getting worked up, Andrea sensed she should give them sspace. She soothed Seraphina, "Hey, don't get all riled up. You've just cto and swallowed a ton of water... Are you hungry? | can whip something up for you." "How can | eat with my stomach full of water and rage?" Seraphina responded irritably.

"Well, you gotta eat something," Andrea insisted. "I'll check with the doc and prepare sfood for you." With that, Andrea slipped out of the room.

As soon as Andrea was gone, Seraphina reached out and grabbed Leandro by the collar. "Spill it! Did you plant a tracker on me?" Leandro looked at her calmly and finally spoke up. "If | hadn't, how would you have been rescued today?" Seraphina's eyes widened in shock at the implicit admission.

Swiftly, she pulled out her jewelry from the bedside drawer—rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings—inspecting each piece closely under the light. Then she presented them to Leandro. "Is it in this one? This one? Or this one?" After questioning him about every piece, Leandro's expression remained unchanged.

"That doesn't make sense," Seraphina suddenly realized, "I wear different pieces every day. Did you bug every single item?" At that, she began frantically feeling her head and face, her skin prickling with the realization.

"Where exactly is it?" Seraphina, both curious and furious, once again grabbed Leandro by the collar.

Leandro then casually tapped her hip and said, "Right here." Seraphina froze. He had actually implanted a tracking device in her body? "It's a state-of-the-art global positioning chip, completely harmless," Leandro explained.

Seraphina bit her lip and took a moment to calm her breathing before speaking again. "When? How did | not know about this?" "At the beginning of the year, in Starhaven," Leandro answered with an air of nonchalance. "You were getting a full medical check-up, and | had it done then." The truth was, Leandro hadn't originally planned on such a thing. However, after coming across srelevant information during a trip to Moonhaven, and seeing Seraphina there with Valerio, not to mention her previous unannounced disappearance from Moonhaven which had left him using every resource to find her, he made up his mind on the spot.

Upon hearing his answer, Seraphina finally understood how she ended up with a chip inside her without her knowledge— The check-up! It was the perfect excuse! She had thought his insistence on the hospital visit was due to guilt over an issue with Valerio, not suspecting his ulterior motive. With a list of medical procedures she didn't understand, she had complied without question, only to be left in the dark about the chip implanted in her body.

"Leandro, you bastard!" Seraphina exploded, "This is an invasion of my personal rights! You've violated my privacy, my freedom, and even my body!" Leandro let her vent until she was exhausted but still glaring fiercely at him.

It was then that Leandro spoke up. "As of today, I'm very glad | made that decision." At his words, Seraphina's anger reignited. She reached out and throttled his neck. "Don't think just because this thing savedtoday that I'll let it stay in my body! Get it out! It has to be removed!" "Okay," Leandro surprisingly agreed.

Seraphina eyed him skeptically. "Don't try to placatewith empty promises!" "When you can't run away anymore, we'll remove it," Leandro said.

That set Seraphina off again, and she bit down on his neck in frustration.

As they tussled, Conway pushed open the hospital room door, ushering in Valerio.

Upon witnessing the scene, Conway relaxed and glanced down at Valerio, saying, "See, | told you your mom was okay, didn't I? Who else could be as lively as her when sick?" Valerio, still concerned, rushed to Seraphina's bedside.

The moment Seraphina caught sight of Valerio, she instantly released Leandro and turned to scoop her son up onto the bed, clutching him tightly to her chest. "Oh, my baby, mommy's had such a rough day. Bad people were givingtrouble outside, and at hyour dad's on my case too!" Seraphina continued to lament.

"Maybe we should just leave your dad, just you and me, what do you say? Say something, will you!" Seraphina implored, only realizing Valerio's silence when she looked down at him.

Valerio's face was already beet red, and after finally catching his breath, he managed to exclaim, "Mom, you're hugging too tight. | could hardly breathe!" Once he finished speaking, he gasped for air while straightening out his school uniform.

Seeing Valelively and kicking, Seraphina's heart, filled with dread from the day's close calls, began to settle down bit by bit.

Even with the day's perils, she had made it through.

No one had lost her, and she hadn't lost anyone.

Seraphina let out a slow breath, lowered her head, and planted a firm kiss on Valerio.

Leandro sat behind her, watching the affectionate scene, his eyes clouding over with darkness once again.

He wasn't about to forgive the instigator of this whole mess so easily.